The present study was an attempt to evaluate the prevalent public distribution system (PDS) in the Kamrup (Rural) district of Assam considering the impact of PDS on the BPL households and the factors responsible for participation in PDS in the study area by surveying a random sample of 132 households. The study revealed that Public distribution system in the study area had made the beneficiaries more secured in terms of their non-beneficiary counterparts. Moreover, PDS had a positive impact of calorie intake ( C= 104.1cal/day) on BPL households. Furthermore, the variables namely, distribution of variety of goods ( = 2.131***, p<0.01), lack of awareness (= -2.387***, p<0.01) and location of pds in easily accessible areas (= 2.892***, p<0.01) were found to be significant factors influencing the participation in PDS. The study suggests the need to introduce innovative ideas such as smart cards, food credit/debit cards and decentralized procurement to check the bottlenecks in the PDS and to use both digital and print media to spread awareness about PDS to make the system more efficient.

Keyword: Public distribution system; Calorie intake