PDS: a new avatar

The poorest of the poor women from downtrodden communities have initiated an alternative public distribution system (PDS) based on the coarse grains in 30 villages of Medak district of Andhra Pradesh. The Deccan Development Society, a non-governmental organisation, has provided the assistance. The system is based on coarse grains produced, stored and distributed locally. "If they are allowed to succeed, they would probably set up the first ever decentralised PDS in this country, which does not need subsidies year after year,' says P V Satheesh, director of the NGO.

The government PDS supplies each family rice, sugar and kerosene in the drylands of the state. Although this rice is a lifeline in times of food scarcity, the grain is an alien to these parts. The main crops grown here traditionally include jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet) pigeon pea and pulses. After few years of cheap rice, the women of the area observed a change in their health. They realised that the less nutritious diets that had entered their homes were making them and their children anaemic. They formed a village association with the help of the NGO. Discussions led to decisions to reclaim fallow lands. The government was approached for assistance. It agreed to provide above Rs 6,175 per hectare for ploughing, sowing and manuring of their fallow land to produce sorghum. This money was to be repaid with sorghum over a five-year period at a pre-determined price of Rs three per kg. The collected grain was kept with the village committees in a community grain bank.

The women also set about identifying the poorest households for distributing the grain. The poor were put under four grades, and each grade was provided different amounts of sorghum, which was priced at Rs two per kg. The surplus grain was sold in the market and the proceeds were put in the community grain fund.

The project covers about 1,072 hectares of poor farm households in 32 villages. In each village, about 80-100 landholders were identified and financially supported to bring about 0.6 hectares of fallow land per member for sorghum. Over 1,012 hectares of fallow land has been brought under cultivation and about 80 tonnes of extra sorghum has been produced in the villages. "I am interested to go ahead with this in another 30 villages in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal with the help of other NGOs,' says Satheesh.