Chapter 8: In conclusion: rural households of Assam require continuous food based interventions provides a commentary on the role and significance of food based welfare
5.2 COVERAGE OF TARGETED PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
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households, 2.4 per cent does not have any cards and about 2 per cent has MMASY cards.
Among the semi-medium landholding households 2.4 per cent does not have any cards and less than 1 per cent has BPL cards. Among small and semi-medium households there are very less percentage of BPL and AAY households as the proportion of households belongs to these two categories is very small. This implies a large proportion of households are excluded from TPDS as they mainly possessed other types of cards or no cards at all.
Table 5.3 Possession of ration card based on size of operational holding in Chaudhurirchar village, 2015 Size of
operational holding (in acres)
Number Per cent
APL BPL AAY MMASY No card Total APL BPL AAY MMASY No
card Total
< 0.005
[landless] 9 27 14 7 5 62 7.1 21 11 5.5 3.9 49
> 0.005- <
2.47[marginal] 15 16 6 10 8 55 12 13 4.7 7.9 6.3 43
> 2.47- <
4.95[small] 0 0 0 2 3 5 0 0 0 1.6 2.4 4
> 4.94- <
9.88[semi-
medium] 0 1 0 1 3 5 0 0.8 0 0.8 2.4 4
Total 24 44 20 20 19 127 19 34.8 15.7 15.8 15 100
Source: Survey data, 2015
Table 5.4 shows possession of ration cards by occupational classification of the head of the households in Chaudhurirchar village. Large proportions of BPL households are petty traders (10.2 per cent), cultivators (8.7 per cent) and out of labour force households (7.1 per cent). Similarly, petty traders households have largest share of AYY cards (5.5 per cent), out of labour force (4.7 per cent) followed by labouring out in non-agriculture (2.4 per cent) and cultivator households (2.4 per cent each). Most common types of households are APL and MMASY households. Salaried households possess APL and MMASY cards. On the other hand agricultural labour households possess APL and BPL cards but no MMASY and AAY cards. 2.4 per cent of such households do not possess any types of card.
Table 5.4 Possession of ration card by type of occupation of the head of the household in Chaudhurirchar, 2015 Occupation of household
head
Number Per cent
APL BPL AAY MMASY No
card Total APL BPL AAY MMASY No
card Total
Petty traders 4 13 7 5 2 31 3.1 10.2 5.5 3.9 1.6 24
Labouring out in non
agriculture 5 7 3 6 7 28 4 5.5 2.4 4.7 5.5 22
Cultivator 6 11 3 5 5 30 4.7 8.7 2.4 3.9 3.9 24
Salaried 4 0 0 1 0 5 3.1 0 0 0.8 0 4
Labouring out in
agriculture 3 4 0 0 3 10 2.4 3.1 0 0 2.4 8
Out of labour force 2 9 6 3 3 23 2.4 7.1 4.7 2.4 1.6 18
Total 24 44 19 20 20 127 19.7 34.6 15 15.7 15 100
Source: Survey data, 2015
Table 5.5 shows that in Kumargaon village, 33 per cent households possesses AAY cards, 20 per cent households possesses BPL cards, 17 per cent possesses MMASY cards, 15 per cent possesses APL cards, 3 per cent households possesses multiple cards, 12 per cent households does not have any cards. The households which possess more than one type of cards are categorized as ‗multiple card holders‘ households.
Table 5.5 Possession of ration card in Kumargaon village, 2015
No card APL BPL AAY MMASY Multiple
cards Total
Male headed 12 16 17 24 16 2 87
Female headed 1 1 5 13 3 1 24
Total 13 17 22 37 19 3 111
Per cent
Male headed 11 14 15 22 14 2 78
Female headed 1 1 5 12 3 1 22
Total 12 15 20 33 17 3 100
Source: Survey data, 2015
Table 5.6 shows among the landless groups, 3 per cent households are APL, 4 per cent are BPL, and 7 per cent each are AAY and MMASY households and 4 per cent does not have any cards. Among the marginal landholding households, above 8 per cent are APL, 13.5 per cent are BPL, 23 per cent are AAY, 8 per cent are MMASY, and 3 per cent are multiple cardholder households and 5 per cent does not have any cards. Among the small
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landholding class size of households, APL, AAY and MMASY households constitute 1.8 per cent each. The pattern of land distribution shows that 23 per cent of the households are landless or near landless, 63 per cent are marginal landholding households, and 7 per cent each are small and semi-medium size of landholding households.
Table 5.6 Possession of ration card based on size of operational holding in Kumargaon village, 2015
Number
Size of operational holding (in acres)
No
card APL BPL AAY MMASY Multiple
cards Total
< 0.005 [landless] 4 3 4 8 8 0 27
> 0.005- < 2.47 [marginal] 6 9 15 26 9 3 68
> 2.47- < 4.95 [small] 1 2 1 2 2 0 8
> 4.94- < 9.88 [semi-
medium] 2 3 2 1 0 0 8
Total 13 17 22 37 19 3 111
Per cent
< 0.005 [landless] 4 3 4 7 7 0 24
> 0.005- < 2.47[marginal] 5 8 14 23 8 3 61
> 2.47- < 4.95 [small] 1 2 1 2 2 0 7
> 4.94- < 9.88 [semi-
medium] 2 3 2 1 0 0 7
Total 12 15 20 33 17 3 100
Source: Survey data, 2015
Table 5.7 shows possession of ration cards by occupational classification of the head of the households in Kumargaon. Large proportion of AAY households are petty traders (12 per cent), cultivators(5 per cent) out of labour force households(5 per cent), labouring out in non-agriculture (5 per cent) and households work (7 per cent). The household workers are female household members who are involved in wide ranges of work though not economically productive. Petty trader households have largest share of BPL cards (5. Per cent), labouring out in non-agriculture (5 per cent), out of labour force (3 per cent) and household work (4 per cent). It is seen that salaried households also possess BPL and AAY
cards in Kumargaon village (2 per cent and 1 per cent each). Rest of the households possesses APL and MMASY cards.
Table 5.7 Possession of ration card by type of occupation of the head of the household in Kumargaon, 2015
Number Occupation of head of
household
No
card APL BPL AAY MMASY Multiple
cards Total
Cultivator 1 2 2 5 0 1 11
Household work 0 3 4 8 2 0 17
Self-employed in non-
agriculture 0 0 0 0 2 0 2
Salaried person 0 5 2 1 2 0 10
Petty trader 4 1 6 13 3 0 27
Out of the labour
force 1 2 3 5 1 0 12
Labouring out in non-
agriculture 7 4 5 5 9 2 32
Total 13 17 22 37 19 3 111
Per cent
Cultivator 1 2 2 5 0 1 10
Household work 0 3 4 7 2 0 15
Self-employed in non-
agriculture 0 0 0 0 2 0 2
Salaried person 0 5 2 1 2 0 9
Petty trader 4 1 5 12 3 0 24
Out of the labour
force 1 2 3 5 1 0 11
Labouring out in non-
agriculture 6 4 5 5 8 2 29
Total 12 15 20 33 17 3 100
Source: Survey data, 2015
5.2.1 Discrepancies in the selection of MMASY beneficiaries
After the identification of TPDS beneficiary households in 1995, it was in 2009, the MMASY beneficiary households were again identified by the Gram Panchayats based on income criteria. Usually the Gram Panchayats are the supporters of particular political party and at the village level political identity of a particular household can easily be identified.
Two such households in the Chaudhurirchar village reported that they were not provided
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MMASY cards, because they supported the opposition of the ruling party. Dissatisfaction was also reported by respondent households of Kumargaon village in the similar ground.
Some example on the status of land ownership of MMASY and completely excluded households and multiple cardholding households will give a clear picture about it.
For example, the sample survey data shows that in Chaudhurirchar village, out of total 11 MMASY households, 7 households have their own land and among these households 6 are such households which has regular earning source in a month. The regular earning source includes salaried government service or owner of grocery shop or does some skilled labour.
On the other hand, out of 6 completely excluded household only 2 household holds small size of land, remaining 4 households possesses neither any land nor have any regular income source.
The pattern is similar in Kumargaon village, where sample data shows 8 MMASY households and 3 households with no card. Out of 8 MMASY households 5 households have their own operational holding of land, 3 households have regular income source like government job. In opposition to that, among 3 excluded households, one is landless, another one has taken 8 bigha cultivable land on lease and the remaining only salaried household have own land. There are also such households which possessed more than one type of card. These are categorised as ‗multiple card holder households‘ e.g. one APL household has MMASY card too and this household has own land and also has 3 regular salaried adult earning members. This shows the presence of selection bias though at a lesser degree, but this again proved that income targeting always leads to exclusion.