New Delhi, Nov. 27 -- The public distribution system (PDS) remains the thin line between sustenance and deprivation for millions in India, the Supreme Court has underlined, imploring states and all other stakeholders to ensure that future exercises in public procurement, particularly those that underpin welfare delivery, must thus be executed with greater institutional coherence, foresight and accountability. "When projects of such public importance are delayed or derailed by procedural lapses, the ultimate cost is borne not by the contracting parties but by those at the last mile of governance. It is therefore incumbent upon every stakeholder - the Government, its technical partners and private participants - to treat such undertakings wit...