Abstract:
This study provides a profile of deprivation with respect to consumer expenditure,
cereal consumption and energy intake across demographic and agro-climatic regions
as defined by the National Sample Survey Organisation of India. It examines this
evidence at the disaggregated level to verify whether a public distribution system
(PDS) targeted with reference to estimates of poverty would end up penalizing the
non-poor but food insecure. The empirical profiles have also useful policy relevance
with respect to decentralized formulation and implementation of the PDS.
