The correct option is A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
Explanation
The Public Distribution System (PDS) in India has undergone significant structural changes to enhance food security. These changes shifted the focus from universal coverage to targeted interventions for the poor and eventually to a rights-based legal framework.
Detailed Analysis:
- A. 1992 - Revamped Public Distribution System (RPDS): Launched in June 1992, the RPDS aimed to strengthen the PDS in specific blocks located in difficult areas such as drought-prone regions, deserts, hills, and tribal areas. It focused on geographical targeting.
- B. 1997 - Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS): Introduced in June 1997, this system replaced the universal PDS. It established a distinction between Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) households, ensuring that food subsidies were directed specifically toward the poor.
- C. 2000 - Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY): Launched in December 2000, AAY was designed to identify the "poorest of the poor" families from amongst the BPL families covered under TPDS and provide them with food grains at highly subsidized rates.
- D. 2013 - National Food Security Act (NFSA): Enacted in 2013, this Act marks a paradigm shift in the approach to food security from welfare to a rights-based approach. It legally entitles up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population to receive subsidized food grains.
Key Takeaway:
The chronological evolution of food security schemes in India is: RPDS (1992) focused on geography; TPDS (1997) focused on income (BPL/APL); AAY (2000) focused on the poorest; and NFSA (2013) established a legal right to food.