Section 2 in The Public Distribution System (Control) Order, 2001
2. Definitions.
(a)"Act" means the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (10 of 1955);(b)"Appellate Authority" means any authority appointed by the State Government to exercise the powers of the appellate authority under this Order;(c)"authority" means any officer not below the rank of Inspector in the State Government dealing with Food and Civil Supplies;(d)"Above Poverty Line Families" means those families who have been issued Above Poverty Line (APL) ration cards by the State Governments for issue of foodgrains under the Public Distribution System;(e)"Antyodaya families" means those poorest families from amongst Below Poverty Line (BPL) families identified by the State Governments and entitled to receive foodgrains under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana;(f)"authorised nominee" means the concerned Department of State Government or a Corporation or a company owned by it or a co-operative;(g)"Below Poverty Line families" means those families who have been identified by the State Government for issue of foodgrains at specially subsidized rates adopting the estimates of poverty given by the Central Government;(h)"eligible applicant" means an individual who is resident of a State and fulfills the conditions for getting a ration card as may be prescribed by the State Government;(i)"essential commodities" means essential commodities as defined under the Act;(j)"fair price shop" means a shop, which has been licensed to distribute essential commodities by an order issued under section 3 of the Act, to the ration card holders under the Public Distribution System;(k)"fair price shop owner" means a person and includes a cooperative society or a corporation or a company of a State Government or a Gram Panchayat or any other body in whose name a shop has been licensed to distribute essential commodities under the Public Distribution System;(l)"Public Distribution System" means the system for distribution of essential commodities to the ration cardholders through the fair price shops, such as rice, wheat, sugar, edible oils, kerosene and such other commodities as are notified by the Central Government under clause (a) of section 2 of the Act;(m)"ration card" means a document issued under an order or authority of the State Government for the purchase of essential commodities under the Public Distribution System from the fair price shop;(n)"State" includes a Union territory;(o)"State Government" includes Administration of a Union territory;
