Reforming the National Food Security Framework

Syllabus: GS2/Governance

Context

• The Department of Food and Public Distribution has proposed the Draft National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013

• NFSA aims to supplement the food requirements of up to 75% of the rural and up to 50% of the urban population, which at Census 2011 comes to 81.35 crore persons.
• It aims to ensure food and nutritional security by providing affordable foodgrains through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
• Eligible households receive subsidized foodgrains based on;
  • Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households:  These households constitute the poorest of the poor. AAY households are entitled to 35 kg of food grains per household per month.
  • Priority Households (PHH): These households are entitled to 5 kg of food grains per person per month.

Who are the Beneficiaries?

• Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) Households: Chosen by States/UTs based on Central Government criteria, covering the poorest of the poor. The Eligible Categories are;
  • Households headed by widows, terminally ill persons, disabled persons, or elderly persons (60+) with no assured means of subsistence or societal support.
  • Widows or terminally ill persons or disabled persons or persons aged 60 years or more or single women or single men with no family or societal support or assured means of subsistence.
  • All primitive tribal households.
  • Landless agricultural labourers, marginal farmers, rural artisans/craftsmen, slum dwellers, and people earning a daily livelihood in the informal sector and other similar categories in both rural and urban areas.
  • All eligible Below Poverty Line (BPL) families of HIV-positive persons.
• Priority Households: Selected by State Governments/Union Territory Administrations as per their own criteria.

Merger With PMGKAY

• During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the government launched the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), under which additional foodgrains were provided free of cost.
• From January 2023, the government merged PMGKAY with NFSA and made the regular NFSA entitlement itself free of cost.
• In November 2023, this free foodgrain scheme was extended for five years (January 2024 to December 2028).

Proposed Amendments to NFSA

• A new provision In Section 3 of the National Food Security Act, 2013, proposes that every person belonging to households covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) shall be entitled to 7 kg of foodgrains every month to a maximum of 35 kg per household. 
  • Earlier, it was 35 kg per AAY household, irrespective of the number of members in the household.
• For AAY cardholders, this allocation will be free of any charges. 
• Rational behind the proposal: Rationalise foodgrain allocation by addressing the imbalance whereby smaller households receive disproportionately higher per-capita entitlements than larger households.

What are the Concerns?

• Inadequate Nutritional Security: The amendment focuses exclusively on cereals and does not include pulses, edible oils, or other nutrient-rich foods.
• Demand for Higher Entitlement: Right to Food activists have demanded 14 kg of foodgrains per person instead of 7 kg, particularly for the poorest households.
• Disadvantage to Large Families: The amendment retains the ceiling of 35 kg per household. As a result, larger households would continue to receive lower per-capita allocations than intended.
• Regional Disparities: Smaller households, which are more common in southern States, may receive lower foodgrain allocations than under the existing system.
• Outdated Coverage: The coverage of the National Food Security Act continues to be based on the 2011 Census despite significant population growth. Millions of eligible households are estimated to remain outside the ambit of the Public Distribution System.
• Implementation Challenges: The amendment does not address operational issues affecting the Public Distribution System.
  • Biometric authentication failures, e-KYC-related exclusions, connectivity issues, and difficulties faced by migrant workers, elderly persons, and persons with disabilities continue to prevent eligible beneficiaries from accessing their foodgrain entitlements.

Way Ahead

• Update NFSA beneficiary coverage using the latest Census data to reflect current demographic realities.
• There is a need to ensure that no existing beneficiary experiences food insecurity due to the transition.
• Consider supplementing cereals with pulses, edible oil, and fortified foods to improve nutritional security.
• There is a need for consultations with states to build consensus and strengthen cooperative federalism before finalising the amendment.

Source: TH