NFSA (National Food Security Act)

NFSA (National Food Security Act)

Subject: Welfare and schemes

Context: NITI AAYOG, the government think tank, has recommended reducing the rural and urban coverage under the National Food Security Act, 2013, to 60 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively, which it estimates, can result in annual savings of up to Rs 47,229 crore.

Concept:

• The National Rural-Urban Coverage Ratio has been fixed under Section 3(2) of the NFSA, 2013 as 75 % of rural population and up to 50% of the urban populations.
• Past decade growth and development as well as the scope provided by the Act for reduction and the amount of savings Government can have on part of food subsidy which can further be utilised in other important areas of concern such as health and education the Niti paper recommended it.
• It recommends to reduce the National Rural-Urban Coverage Ratio under NFSA to 60-40 from 75-50 while updating the population level to the present level (based on population estimates) as it is currently based on census 2011.
• Earlier the Shanta Kumar committee report had recommended reducing the coverage ratio from 67 per cent of population to 40 percent.

About NFSA, 2013

• To provide for food and nutritional security in the human life cycle approach through access to adequate quantities of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity.
• Based on the rural and urban coverage ratio, the erstwhile Planning Commission had determined the state-wise coverage ratio using the National Sample Survey Household Consumption Expenditure coverage under food security law Survey data for 2011-12. The coverage ratio has not been revised since the law came into effect on July 5, 2013.
• National Food Security Act, 2013 covers up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population under under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and priority households who receives subsidized food grains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).

Provisions:

• The existing AAY household will continue to receive 35 Kgs of foodgrains per household per month.
• 5 Kgs of food grains per person per month at Rs. 3/2/1 per Kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains.
• Meal and maternity benefit of not less than Rs. 6,000 to pregnant women and lactating mothers during pregnancy and six months after the child birth,
• Meals to children up to 14 years of age.
• Food security allowance to beneficiaries in case of non-supply of entitled food grains or meals.
• Setting up of grievance redressal mechanisms at the district and state level.