The table below provides operational details regarding procurement, storage loss, public d… — State PSC Exam

The table below provides operational details regarding procurement, storage loss, public distribution system (PDS) allocation, and unit storage costs for rice across four agricultural zones of a state during FY 2025–26:

Zone	Rice Procured (in '000 MT)	Storage & Transit Loss (% of Procured Rice)	Distribution to PDS (% of Net Retained Rice)	Unit Storage Cost per MT of Net Retained Rice (₹)
Zone Alpha	250	4.0%	80%	₹ 450
Zone Beta	180	5.0%	75%	₹ 500
Zone Gamma	200	2.5%	85%	₹ 400
Zone Delta	300	6.0%	70%	₹ 350

*Note: Net Retained Rice = Total Rice Procured $-$ Storage & Transit Loss.*

What is the total quantity of rice (in MT) retained as undistributed buffer stock across all four zones combined after completing the PDS distribution?

$204,600\text{ MT}$ Answer
B
$215,000\text{ MT}$
C
$20,460\text{ MT}$
D
$162,600\text{ MT}$

Answer

204,600\text{ MT}

The correct answer is derived by first subtracting the percentage storage loss from the gross procurement of each zone to establish the net retained rice base (

240,000\text{ MT}

for Alpha,

171,000\text{ MT}

for Beta,

195,000\text{ MT}

for Gamma, and

282,000\text{ MT}

for Delta). Multiplying these net figures by their respective remaining undistributed percentages (

20\%

25\%

15\%

, and

30\%

) gives buffer quantities of

48,000\text{ MT}

42,750\text{ MT}

29,250\text{ MT}

, and

84,600\text{ MT}

. The sum of these four quantities equals

204,600\text{ MT}

Step-by-Step Solution

Convert procured quantities into metric tonnes (MT) and compute net retained rice for each zone.

Zone Alpha:

250,000 \times (1 - 0.04) = 240,000\text{ MT}

.
Zone Beta:

180,000 \times (1 - 0.05) = 171,000\text{ MT}

.
Zone Gamma:

200,000 \times (1 - 0.025) = 195,000\text{ MT}

.
Zone Delta:

300,000 \times (1 - 0.06) = 282,000\text{ MT}

Storage loss must be deducted from gross procurement to get net retained rice.

Calculate the undistributed buffer stock percentage for each zone.

Zone Alpha:

100\% - 80\% = 20\%

.
Zone Beta:

100\% - 75\% = 25\%

.
Zone Gamma:

100\% - 85\% = 15\%

.
Zone Delta:

100\% - 70\% = 30\%

Buffer stock represents the remaining fraction of net retained rice after PDS distribution.

Calculate the volume of undistributed buffer stock for each zone.

Zone Alpha:

240,000 \times 0.20 = 48,000\text{ MT}

.
Zone Beta:

171,000 \times 0.25 = 42,750\text{ MT}

.
Zone Gamma:

195,000 \times 0.15 = 29,250\text{ MT}

.
Zone Delta:

282,000 \times 0.30 = 84,600\text{ MT}

Multiply net retained rice by the respective buffer stock percentage.

Sum the buffer stock volumes across all four zones.

48,000 + 42,750 + 29,250 + 84,600 = 204,600\text{ MT}

To find the combined total buffer stock for the state.

Key Concept

Multi-stage sequential percentage calculations on tabular net base values.

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