National Food Security Act (NFSA):

• The government of India enacted the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in 2013 which marks a paradigm shift in the approach to food security from welfare to a rights-based approach. This act gives legal entitlement to 67% of the population (75% in rural areas and 50% in urban areas) to receive highly subsidized foodgrains.
• Under the NFSA Act, foodgrain is allocated @ 5 kg per person per month for priority households category and @ 35 kg per family per month for AAY families at a highly subsidized price of Rs. 1/-, Rs. 2/- and Rs. 3/- per kg for Nutri-cereals, wheat and rice respectively. Coverage under the Act is based on the population figures of Census, 2011. The Act is now being implemented in all 36 States/UTs and covers about 81.35 crore persons.
• Corresponding to the all India coverage of 75% and 50% in the rural and urban areas, State-wise coverage under NFSA was determined by the erstwhile Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog) by using the NSS Household Consumption Survey data for 2011-12. Within the coverage under TPDS determined for each State, the work of identification of eligible households is to be done by States/UTs. It is the responsibility of the State Governments/UTs, to evolve criteria for the identification of priority households and their actual identification.
• Section 16 of the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), provides that every State Government shall, by notification, constitute a State Food Commission for the purpose of monitoring and review of the implementation of the Act. However, there is no provision for National Food Commission.

Other provisions of NFSA 2013 include:

• Nutritional support to pregnant women and lactating mothers (excluding all pregnant women and lactating mothers in regular employment with the Central Government or State Governments or Public Sector Undertakings):
  • meal, free of charge, during pregnancy and six months after the childbirth, through the local Anganwadi;
  • maternity benefit of not less than rupees six thousand, in such instalments, as may be prescribed by the Central Government.
  • those who are in receipt of similar benefits under any law for the time being in force shall not be entitled to these benefits.
• Nutritional support to children: Every child up to the age of fourteen years shall have the following entitlements for his nutritional needs, namely
  •  in the case of children in the age group of six months to six years, age-appropriate meal, free of charge, through the local Anganwadi.
  • in the case of children, up to class VIII or within the age group of six to fourteen years, whichever is applicable, one mid-day meal, free of charge, everyday, except on school holidays, in all schools run by local bodies, Government and Government aided schools.

Inclusion of PWDs in NFSA

Recently, the Centre had asked State governments to focus on the inclusion of persons with disabilities (PwDs) under the National Food Security Act 2013 (NFSA) so that those still out of the net can get the benefit of ration under PDS.