Realized food subsidy in Assam through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS)

The Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) is the major food subsidy programme in India. Currently, it covers all the corners of India. It is the primary channel of providing subsidized food to the needy in the country. Assam, a state of India is not exceptional in this regard. The state of Assam has implemented the NFSA in the year 2015-16. Despite having a central programme of food subsidy, the Government of Assam has also implemented state-level food subsidy initiatives to make the beneficiaries better off. The Affordable Nutrition and Nourishment Assistance (ANNA) Yojana is such a scheme. The scheme was implemented in 2019-20 to provide additional subsidies along with the central subsidy under TPDS. Again, in the year 2020, the Government of Assam has implemented an in-cash food subsidy programme that is Orunodoi Scheme. The schemes and programmes that target the beneficiaries mainly aim at achieving food security among the people. The current study sets the objective of finding the food subsidy actually reaching the beneficiaries through the TPDS. Here, it is termed as the realized subsidy.