LIVING STANDARDS AND ACCESS TO PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM AMONG LESS FORTUNATE URBAN HOUSEHOLDS: EVIDENCE FROM TAMIL NADU

Food security necessitates not only the provision of sufficient food to meet the market demand, but also should create a condition for healthy life. Food security, an important input for improved nutrition outcome, is concerned with physical and economic access to food of sufficient quality and quantity in a socially and culturally acceptable manner. The study throws light on to analyze living conditions of the selected households in urban areas; to examine pattern of consumption expenditure across consumption classes and to analyze the extent of utilization of PDS by rural and urban households. Seventy five households were selected by adopting purposive sampling technique and data were collected from primary source during the period November to December 2014 at Ukkadam in Coimbatore City and was analysed using percentage and chi-square analysis. The findings of the study highlight the need for a strategic and comprehensive policy suited to specific needs of the population to solve the problems of food insecurity in the economy.