Organisation and Management of Public Distribution System

The intervention of the State in the market mechanism through public policy has become an inevitable competent of functioning of modern governments. In order to correct the imperfection in the market dynamics, there are two broad approaches viz; radical changes in the socio-economic structure and positive intervention of the state through public policy. The Public Distribution System (PDS) belongs to the latter category. Through this system it is attempted to help the poor and the weaker sections affected by the spiralling inflations, and wide spread socio-economic inequalities, the offshoots of market imperfections. This PDS is a very vital scheme in a developing and poor society like India. This volume analyses the evolution of the public policy of PDS while studying the organisational framework and the operational, storage and distribution of essential communities. The main focus of the study is the evaluation of the working of PDS on the basis of consumer perception and image. The nature and extent of the public participation in the actual working of this crucial public policy is also examined. The methodology developed serves as a model for further studies in the area.

Dr. Ojha Chanshyam Das (1947) did his M.Com. from the Osmania University (1969) and Ph.D. from the Kakatiya University (1982.) He is at present a Reader in the Department of Commerce and Business Management, Kakatiya University, Warangal. His areas of interest are Rural Marketing, Rural Transport System and Statutory Controls on Essential Consumer Goods. He has to his credit twenty research papers published in various journals. At present he is editing a volume entitled “Public Distribution System in India” in collaboration with Prof. G. Haragopal, University of Hyderabad.