{"id":74345,"date":"2025-11-20T17:33:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T12:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=74345"},"modified":"2025-11-20T17:35:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T12:05:02","slug":"public-distribution-system-pds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/public-distribution-system-pds\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Distribution System (PDS), Objective, Evolution, Issues, Reforms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Public Distribution System (PDS)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in India has evolved into a nationwide, rights-based food security network ensuring affordable access to essential food grains for vulnerable households. As of 2025, it caters to <\/span><b>around 80.56 crore bevneficiaries<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under the National Food Security Act, making it one of the largest food distribution systems in the world. Over the years, PDS has expanded from a welfare-based setup to a more targeted and technology-driven system. It performs key functions such as procurement, storage, transportation, and subsidised distribution through a network of fair price shops.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Public Distribution System (PDS) Objectives<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Public Distribution System (PDS) aims to ensure food security by providing essential commodities like rice, wheat, and coarse grains to vulnerable households at subsidised rates. It seeks to stabilise food prices, reduce hunger, and support the nutritional needs of economically weaker sections across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Ensure Food Security:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Provide essential food grains at subsidised prices to protect vulnerable households from hunger and malnutrition.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Price Stabilisation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Regulate market prices of essential commodities and shield poor families from inflation and volatility.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Nutritional Support:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Supply adequate and nutritious food, especially to children, pregnant women, and economically weaker sections.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Buffer Stock Management:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Maintain national food reserves to ensure the continuous availability of food grains during emergencies, droughts, and production shortfalls.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Equitable Distribution:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Transfer food grains from surplus states to deficit regions to promote balanced access across the country.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Support to Farmers:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Procure food grains at <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/minimum-support-price-msp\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Minimum Support Prices<\/strong><\/a> (MSP) to provide remunerative prices and encourage stable agricultural production.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Public Distribution System (PDS) Evolution<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public Distribution System (PDS) Evolution has transitioned from a wartime rationing mechanism during the 1940s to a nationwide welfare-oriented food security system. Over time, it has undergone major reforms, shifting from a universal model to a targeted and digitalised system aimed at improving efficiency and transparency.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Origins of PDS (World War II Phase)<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PDS began during <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/world-war-2\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>World War II<\/strong><\/a> as a wartime rationing system to manage food scarcity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before the 1960s, the system depended heavily on imported food grains to meet distribution needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Expansion During Food Shortages (1960s)<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PDS expanded significantly in the 1960s due to severe food shortages and rising population<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government established the Agriculture Prices Commission (now CACP) to ensure fair price policies for farmers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Food Corporation of India (FCI) was created to strengthen procurement, storage, and movement of food grains for PDS.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Universal PDS Phase (1970s-1992)<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By the 1970s, PDS evolved into a universal system, offering subsidised food to all households, irrespective of income.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Until 1992, PDS remained a general entitlement scheme with no targeting of beneficiaries.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Revamped Public Distribution System &#8211; RPDS (1992)<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Launched in June 1992 to improve reach in remote, hilly, tribal, and inaccessible regions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aimed to strengthen infrastructure, reduce shortages, and ensure regular supply in disadvantaged areas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Focused on addressing the needs of underprivileged populations in difficult terrains.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Targeted Public Distribution System &#8211; TPDS (1997)<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Introduced in June 1997 to direct subsidies towards the poor instead of universal coverage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beneficiaries classified into Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) households.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marked the shift from a universal to a targeted welfare approach to reduce fiscal burden and improve efficiency.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Antyodaya Anna Yojana &#8211; AAY (2000)<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Launched in December 2000 for the poorest among BPL families, identified through NSS data showing 5% of people sleeping hungry.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One crore of the poorest households were initially targeted, later expanded in phases.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AAY provided highly subsidised grains: 35 kg per family per month, at very low issue prices.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>National Food Security Act &#8211; NFSA (2013)<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enacted in September 2013, making food security a legal right for eligible households.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Built on the TPDS framework to provide subsidised food grains to 67% of the population.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Introduced legally enforceable entitlements and grievance redressal mechanisms.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Transformed access to food from a welfare provision into a justiciable right under law.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Overall Transformation of PDS<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Evolved from colonial rationing \u2192 universal welfare scheme \u2192 targeted system \u2192 legal right under NFSA.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gradual reforms aimed at improving coverage, efficiency, targeting, and food security outcomes, particularly for the most vulnerable.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Public Distribution System (PDS) Functions<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Public Distribution System (PDS) functions as India\u2019s largest food security network, ensuring the procurement, storage, and distribution of essential food grains at subsidised rates to vulnerable households. The detailed functions of PDS have been listed below.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>MSP Procurement:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Procures food grains from farmers at Minimum Support Price to ensure stable and assured income for agricultural producers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Buffer Stock Maintenance:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Maintains national-level buffer stocks to manage emergencies like droughts, floods, and supply disruptions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Storage Management:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Stores food grains in FCI warehouses and state depots to ensure continuous, year-round availability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Transportation &amp; Movement:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Transports grains from procurement states to deficit regions, reducing regional imbalance in food availability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Subsidised Distribution:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Provides essential commodities such as rice and wheat at subsidised rates through Fair Price Shops to eligible households.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Price Stabilisation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Helps control inflation by reducing pressure on open-market demand<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">through distribution of subsidised grains.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Food Security Assurance:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ensures food access for vulnerable groups under BPL, APL, AAY, and NFSA by providing legal food entitlements.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Support to Welfare Schemes:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Supplies food grains to schemes like Mid-Day Meal, ICDS, and PM-POSHAN for children, lactating mothers, and poor families.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Hunger &amp; Malnutrition Reduction:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ensures affordable access to cereals, reducing hunger, food deprivation, and undernutrition among poor households.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Social Equity Promotion:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Provides equal access to subsidised grains, supporting weaker and marginalised communities across regions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Crisis &amp; Disaster Support:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Acts as a safety net during natural disasters, pandemics, and economic crises by ensuring uninterrupted food supply.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Quality Control:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ensures quality checks, inspection, and maintenance standards for food grains before distribution to beneficiaries.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Transparency &amp; Grievance Redressal:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Provides accountability through NFSA grievance mechanisms, vigilance committees, and social audits.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Public Distribution System (PDS) Issues<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Public Distribution System (PDS), despite being one of the largest food security networks in the world, faces several systemic challenges that reduce its effectiveness and create significant financial and administrative burdens. These issues weaken the intended impact of welfare schemes, reduce access for genuine beneficiaries, and inflate government expenditure.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b> Leakages and Diversions<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Around 28% leakage in PDS results in an estimated \u20b969,108 crore annual loss, reflecting major inefficiencies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grains are often diverted during transportation or sold illegally in the open market.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Example:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Nearly one-third of grains lifted from FCI fail to reach Fair Price Shops, reducing actual availability for poor households.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><b> Targeting Errors<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TPDS suffers from both inclusion and exclusion errors, limiting its effectiveness.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Non-poor households often obtain ration cards, while deserving poor households are left out.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Example: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many migrant labourers and informal workers struggle to get ration cards, whereas some urban middle-income families access subsidised food grains.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><b> Supply Chain Inefficiencies<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Problems in storage, transportation, and inter-agency coordination cause delays and wastage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inadequate warehouse capacity leads to spoilage of food grains.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Example: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remote and hilly regions frequently receive delayed deliveries, creating periodic shortages at ration shops.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><b> Monocropping and Reduced Crop Diversity<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MSP-driven procurement focuses heavily on rice and wheat, discouraging crop diversification.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Long-term nutritional outcomes and soil health are affected.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Example: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Punjab and Haryana shifted to water-intensive rice cultivation, reducing production of millets and coarse grains.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li><b> Rising Subsidy Burden<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Food subsidy increased from \u20b921,200 crore in 2002-03 to nearly \u20b92 lakh crore in 2024-25.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High subsidy levels stress the Union Budget and burden FCI finances.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Example:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Subsidy dues to FCI often accumulate due to the large fiscal requirement for maintaining PDS operations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li><b> Urban Bias<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PDS works more efficiently in urban areas due to better infrastructure and monitoring.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rural, tribal, and remote regions face irregular supply and weaker administrative oversight.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Example:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Urban ration shops in Delhi or Mumbai receive regular stock, while tribal districts in Odisha and Jharkhand face stock-outs due to transport bottlenecks.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Public Distribution System (PDS) Reforms<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Aadhaar Seeding of Beneficiaries:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ensures proper identification, removes duplicate\/ghost ration cards, and reduces inclusion\u2013exclusion errors in TPDS.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Digitisation of Ration Cards:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Allows online verification of beneficiary data, tracking of monthly quotas, and real-time monitoring of entitlements.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>End-to-End Computerisation of Supply Chain:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Tracks food grains digitally from FCI procurement centres to state depots and finally to FPS, reducing diversion and leakage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>GPS Tracking of Food Grain Transport Vehicles:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Monitors truck movement to prevent route diversion, delay, or pilferage during transportation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Automation with e-PoS Machines:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> FPS shops use biometric Point of Sale devices to authenticate beneficiaries and record transactions, improving transparency.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Smart Ration Cards:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Introduced as secure electronic cards storing beneficiary details and biometrics, preventing counterfeiting and fake entries.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>SMS-Based Monitoring System:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Beneficiaries receive SMS alerts when grain is dispatched or arrives at FPS, promoting public oversight and reducing corruption.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Online Grievance Redressal Mechanisms:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> State portals and toll-free helplines allow beneficiaries to lodge complaints and track resolutions, improving accountability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Strengthening Transparency through Social Audits:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Local communities, SHGs, and NGOs participate in monitoring FPS functioning and reporting irregularities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Expansion of Food Basket:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Some states distribute pulses, edible oils, iodised salt, and fortified foods through PDS to enhance nutritional security.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Universal PDS Models in Select States:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> States like Tamil Nadu and Kerala provide subsidised food grains to all households to minimise targeting errors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/direct-benefit-transfer\/\" target=\"_blank\">Direct Benefit Transfer<\/a> (DBT) Pilots:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Cash transfer of the food subsidy directly to beneficiary bank accounts, reducing storage and transport-related leakages (implemented cautiously).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Public Distribution System (PDS) Way Forward<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Public Distribution System can be strengthened by enhancing transparency, reducing leakages, and ensuring better targeting through technology-driven reforms. Improving storage, transport, and procurement mechanisms will make food distribution more efficient and sustainable.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>End-to-End Digitalisation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Complete computerisation, GPS tracking, and e-POS-based beneficiary authentication to minimise leakages.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Diversified Food Basket:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Include millets, pulses, and fortified foods in PDS to improve nutrition and reduce dependence on rice and wheat.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Strengthening Storage &amp; Logistics:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Modernise warehouses, expand scientific silos, and improve last-mile delivery in remote regions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Better Targeting &amp; Inclusion:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Regularly update beneficiary lists, integrate Aadhaar effectively, and ensure migrant portability through ONORC.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Public Distribution System (PDS) ensures subsidised food grains, supports vulnerable households, strengthens food security, and improves access through key reforms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":74282,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[3801],"class_list":{"0":"post-74345","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-studies","8":"tag-public-distribution-system-pds","9":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}