You might have heard many times that the Conventional TV Channels are for the middle class audience. What does it exactly mean? It means that 99 out of 100 times, their reporting is restricted to the issues affecting the middle class.

The middle class in India catered to by most Television news channels is the middle class which is essentially a consumer of fashion, gadgets, packaged food, jewelry and everything which symbolizes prosperity in the country.

The  MIDDLE CLASS for these TV Channels is NOT the one that is dependent on the PDS (Public Distribution System) or Sarkari Saste Galle ki Dukan or Ration ki Dukan.

That's why it's not surprising that no TV News Channel (and majority of Hindi Newspapers) wrote critically about the Uttarakhand Government's decision to replace Food grain with the cash subsidy in Uttarakhand.

It's important to understand that Cash for food arrangement in the PDS Scheme is not beneficial for the people. It's plain bad idea. An example will help us understand it better.

Right now any family of three dependent on PDS Scheme gets say 10 kgs of Wheat, 15 kgs of rice and 2 kgs of sugar per month. If the Government starts giving money in place of the real food; then at the present Government rates, it will not be possible for them to get the same quantity of food for the market.

Going by the current Government prices being used for the cash subsidy purposes, then a family can never buy 3 kilograms of sugar in Rs. 13 X 3 = Rs 39. The market rate of 1 kg of sugar is Rs. 40. 

In addition, cash subsidy rarely covers the future price increase.

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