Lok Sabha Question No. 2352 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-16
Subject: Coverage Under NFSA
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Rajan Baburao  Vichare

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY  OF GONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD &  pUBLtC  DTSTRIBUTTON DEPARTi'IENT  OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DTSTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2352 TO BE ANSWERED  ON l6TH MARCH, 2022

## GOVERAGE UNDER NFSA

## 2352. SHRI RAJAN VIGHARE:

Will the ll/linister of  GONSUMER  AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC

DISTRIBUTIOX  sq*or  qrqil,  er* *< vrffi+ E-r{vr  i* be pteased  to state:

- (a)  whether  the Government has taken note that the percentage  of population  in rural areas covered in Maharashtra under ational Food security  Act (NFSA) is comparatively low as compared to other states and af
- so, the facts thereof;
- (b)  whether the Government  has received any representation from Government of Maharashtra  for reassessing  the percentage  of coverage
- under NFSA ln the State and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the time by which the Government is likely to review the percentage  of
- beneficiary  coverage of the State under NFSA; and
- (d)
- if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## ]TIINISTER  OF STATE FOR ii!NISTRY  OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AI{D CONSUMER AFFA|RS,  FOOD &  pUBLtC  DISTRIBUTION

(sADHVt NTRANJAN JYOTI)

(a):  The exercise of State-wise coverage  withln the overatl national coverage under the National Food Security Act, 2Ol3 (NFSA) was done by the erstwhile Planning  Gommission (Now NlTl Aayog) using the 68th round of National Sample Surwey Organization Household Consumption Expenditure  Survey (2011-121.  A  State-wise cut off  level of  monthly expenditure  was arrived at separately for rural and srban areas and population  below this cut off monthly expenditure was eligible for coverage under the Act. The methodology  of Planning Gommission was such that the percentage coverage under NFSA was not uniform across al! States/Union Territorles. Goverage was higher for those States/Union Territories, where the size of the population below the cut off level of expenditure was relatively large in propoilion  to their total population  vis-i-vis those states where the proportion  was smaller. The coverage so determined for the State of  laharashlra is 76.320/o of the rural and 45.34o/o  of the urban population which at Gensus 2Ol I comes to 7OO.17 lakh persons.

(b) to (d): Representations have been received from time to time from various states/urs including ilaharashtra regarding enhancement of beneficiary  coverage under the NFSA.

section 9 of the NFSA provides  that the percentage  coverage under the Targeted Public Distribution system in rural and urban areas for each state shall be determined  by the Gentral Government  and the total number of persons  to be covered in the state shall be catculated  on the basis of the population  estimates as per the census of which the relevant  figures have been published.  Therefore,  any revision  in the coverage under the NFSA shall be possible  only after the retevant data of next population  census is published.

As the criteria for determination  of coverage under the act as arrived at by the erstwhile Planning  Gommission is uniformly  appticabte for all the states/urs, no request of any of the state Government has been considered by the Gentral Government.

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