Lok Sabha Question No. 1640 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-27
Subject: State Ranking Act for NFSA
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Sanjay Sadashivrao Mandlik, Ravi Kishan Shukla, Ravindra Kushawaha, Shrirang Appa Barne, Prataprao  Jadhav, Bidyut Baran Mahato, Sambhajirao Mane Dhairyasheel, Sudheer Gupta, Subrata Pathak

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1640

TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 TH  JULY, 2022

## STATE RANKING ACT FOR NFSA

## 1640.  SHRI SANJAY SADASHIVRAO MANDLIK:

SHRI RAVI KISHAN:

SHRI RAVINDRA KUSHWAHA:

SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE:

SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV:

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

SHRI DHAIRYASHEEL SAMBHAJIRAO MANE:

SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI SUBRAT PATHAK:

Will  the  Minister  of  CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND  PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION उपभोᲦा मामले , खा᳒ और सावᭅजिनक िवतरण मंᮢी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  released  its  first  State  Ranking  Index  for National  Food  Security  Act  (NFSA)  for  the  States  in  the  country  and  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (b) the details of criteria adopted or the various pillars on which ranking was given by the Government to various States;
- (c) whether the NFSA enacted to attain nutritional security, food security, crop diversification, reforms in PDS and storage sector was able to fulfill its aims and objectives;
- (d) if  so, the details thereof and if not, the steps taken by the Government for its proper implementation;
- (e) whether the Government has set any deadline for the States to submit their claims  of  pending  dues  regarding  food  subsidy  to  States  and  if  so,  the  details thereof; and
- (f) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  incentivise  the  States  who  perform better in the above said Index and if so, the details thereof?

## A N S W E R

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a): Yes Sir, to evaluate the implementation of the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) and Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) operations across the  states  and  union  territories,  the  Government  has  released  first  ever  State Ranking Index for the NFSA on 5th of July, 2022.

(b): The Index rests upon three pillars that consider various facets of food security and  nutrition.  Each  pillar  has  parameters  and  sub-parameters  that  support  this evaluation. The first pillar measures  coverage  of NFSA,  rightful targeting,  and implementation of all  provisions under NFSA. The  second  pillar analyses  the delivery platform while considering the allocation of food grains, their movement, and last-mile delivery  to  Fair  Price  Shops.  The  final  pillar  focuses  on  nutrition  initiatives  of  the department.

- (c) & (d): Government enacted the National Food Security Act, 2013 which provides food  and  nutritional  security  in  human  life  cycle  approach,  by  ensuring  access  to adequate  quantity  of  quality  food  at  affordable  prices  to  people  to  live  a  life  with dignity.  The  Act  provides  for  coverage  of  upto  75%  of  the  rural  and  upto  50%  of  the urban  population,  i.e.  about  two-thirds  of  the  total  population  of  the  country,  for receiving  foodgrains  at  highly  subsidized  prices  of  Rs.3/2/1  per  kg  for  rice/  wheat/ coarsegrains  respectively.  In  addition  to  this,  the  Act  provides  that  pregnant  women and lactating mothers and children in the age group of 6 months to 14 years are entitled to  meals  as  per  prescribed  nutritional  norms  under  Integrated  Child  Development Services  (ICDS)  and  Mid-Day  Meal  (MDM)  schemes.  Higher  nutritional  norms  are prescribed for malnourished children upto 6 years of age.

The Act further provides that the Central and State Governments shall endeavour to  progressively  undertake  necessary  reforms  in  the  Targeted  Public  Distribution System in consonance with the role envisaged for them in this Act. The reforms shall inter-alia include diversification of commodities distributed under the Public Distribution System over a period of time.

The Act is successfully implemented in all the States/UTs and about 79.77 crore persons are getting the benefits of the subsidized foodgrains under the Act.

- (e): States  are  allocated  foodgrains  at  subsidized  rates  under  the  National  Food Security  Act,  2013  and  Other  Welfare  Schemes  (OWS).  Difference  between  Economic Cost  and  Central  Issue  Price  (CIP),  at  which  foodgrains  are  issued  to  States,  is reimbursed to Food Corporation of India (FCI) as food subsidy. In case of Decentralized Procurement (DCP) States, food subsidy is directly released to States by Government of India for quantity of foodgrains procured and distributed by them under NFSA and OWS. FCI further releases funds to Non-DCP States for quantum of foodgrains received by FCI from  Non-DCP  States.  The  subsidy  is  provided  to  DCP  States  and  FCI,  which  is  the instrument of the Government of India for procurement and distribution of wheat and rice  under  NFSA  and  OWS  and  for  maintaining  the  buffer  stock  of  foodgrains  as  a measure of food security.

Admissible  amount  of  Provisional/  Advance  Food  Subsidy  is  released  to  DCP States  based  on  their  quarter  wise  claims.  Release  of  food  subsidy  is  a  continuous process.  The  claims  received  from  the  State  Governments  are  processed  keeping  in view the opening and closing balance of stock, procurement, allocation and distribution of  foodgrains,  FCI  reconciliation,  Utilization  Certificate,  Economic  Cost  of  foodgrains, etc, among others. Reimbursement of incidentals and statutory charges is governed by the extant principles on the subject.

- (f): The  State  Ranking  Index aims  to create an environment  of  competition, cooperation,  and  learning  among  states,  promote  transparency,  and  publish  verified data  in  the  public  domain  for  research  and  analysis.  At  present,  no  proposal  to incentivize the better performing States in the State Ranking is under consideration of the Government.                                                      *****