Lok Sabha Question No. 1227 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Food for all through PDS
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Mimi Chakraborty

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1227

## To BE ANSWERED ON 14TH DECEMBER, 2022

## FOOD FOR ALL THROUGH PDS

1227 . MS. MIMI CHAKRABORTY:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government ensures food for all through Universal Public Distribution System in the Country;
- (b) if SO, the budget provisions and expenditure to ensure the fundamental right to food to all citizens therein; and
- (c) the liability and the policy of the Government to overcome all constraints to ensure food for all and the responsibility of the buffer organisations towards fulfilling the ambits of the National Food Security Act therefor and the last five years' budgetary allocations and expenditure thereof?

## ANSWE R MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

- (a): Government is implementing the National Food Security Act; 2013 (NFSA) 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, ie. 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 ricel wheatl coarsegrains respectively:

(b) & (c): Foodgrains at subsidized   prices are made available by Food Corporation of India (FCI) to the StateslUTs under the NFSA, as well as erstwhile Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), for which food subsidy is released to FCI by the Central Government. In the case of States participating in the Decentralized Procurement, State Governments take the responsibility of procurement of foodgrains and its distribution to the eligible households: In such States food subsidy is released directly to State Governments: The Central Government undertakes to meet the expenditure incurred by the State Governments on the procurement operation as per approved costing norms:

Central Government also provides Central assistance to States/UTs under the NFSA for meeting expenditure on intra-State movement and handling of foodgrains and fair price shop dealers' margin as per approved norms.

The details of Budget allocated and funds released during the last five years under these schemes is at Annexure-I.

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN PART (6) & (c) OF THE UNSTARRED  QUESTION NO.1227 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 14.12.2022 IN THE LOK SABHA REGARDING "FOOD FOR ALL THROUGH PDS"  .

Details ofBudget allocated and Released under Food Subsidy and Central assistance under the scheme #Assistance to State Agencies for intra-state movement of  foodgrains and FPS dealers' margin under NFSA" (As on 30.11.2022):

(In Crore)

| FY             | Schemes                        |   Budget Estimates (BE) | Revised Estimates (RE)   | Fund Released        |
|----------------|--------------------------------|-------------------------|--------------------------|----------------------|
| 2018-19        | Food Subsidy to FCI            |               138123    | 140098.00                | 140098.00            |
| 2018-19        | Food Subsidy to DCP *** States |                31000    |                          | 31029.485            |
| 2018-19        | Central Assistance             |                 4000    | 3883.94                  | 3883.94              |
| 2019-20        | Food Subsidy to FCI **         |               151000    | 75000.00                 | 119164.02            |
| 2019-20        | Food Subsidy to DCP ** States  |                33000    | 33508.35                 | 44944.35             |
| 2019-20        | Central Assistance             |                 4102.21 | 1678.78                  | 1678.78              |
| 2020-21        | Food Subsidy to FCI #          |                77982.5  | 344077.00                | 462789               |
| 2020-21        | Food Subsidy to DCP States     |                37337.1  |                          | 78337.77 /66901.77## |
| 2020-21        | Central Assistance             |                 3982.54 | 6482.54                  | 6482.54              |
| 2021-22        | Food Subsidy to FCL            |               202616    | 210929.00                | 208929.00            |
| 2021-22        | Food Subsidy to DCP States     |                40000    | 75290.11                 | 79789.54             |
| 2021-22        | Central Assistance             |                 4000    | 6000.00                  | 6000.00              |
| 2022-23 (As on | Food Subsidy to FCL            |               145920    |                          | 1,05,873.00          |
|                | Food Subsidy to DCP States     |                60561.2  |                          | 41854.83             |
| 30.11.22)      | Central Assistance             |                 6572    |                          | 3156.47              |

** For FY 2019-20, Rs.44164.02 crores in FY 2019-20 released from food subsidy has been adjusted for repayment of NSSF loan.

*** Includes Rs.11436 crore released through FCI to DCP States as part of unutilized NSSF Ioan:

# Over and above RE (2020-21), fund Rs.118712 crore has been additionally allocated by MoF for the purpose of repayment of NSSF loan to FCI. Accordingly, out of total fund released to FCI in financial year 2020-21, amount of Rs.339236 crores was utilized for repayment of NSSF Ioan and hence as on 31.03.2021, outstanding NSSF loan of FCI was 0.

## Includes Rs.11436 crore released through FCI to DCP States as part of unutilized NSSF Ioan.