Lok Sabha Question No. 1077 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: Expansion of Coverage of NFSA
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Ritesh Pandey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1077 TO BE ANSWERED ON 8TH FEBRUARY, 2023

## EXPANSION OF COVERAGE OF NFSA

## 1077. SHRI RITESH PANDEY:

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

- (a) whether the Government has reviewed the on-ground situation of poor people post-Covid-19 crisis before discontinuing the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana in its entirety, if SO, the details thereof, Statewise;
- (b) whether the Government is considering redeploying the annual savings of Rs. 1.8 lakh crore per year from rolling back PMGKAY entitlements to other social security and relief measures for the poor people, if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the Government is contemplating on expanding the coverage of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) card holders as more than 10 crore people fall outside the ambit of NFSA which includes several poor households; and
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b): The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) had been launched with the specific purpose of ameliorating the hardships faced by the poor and needy due to economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak in the country: The allocation of free foodgrains, under PMGKAY was in addition to normal allocation done under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. Phase VII of PMGKAY was in operation 31.12.2022. upto

The Central Government, to remove the financial burden of the poor beneficiaries and to ensure nationwide uniformity and effective implementation of NFSA, has decided to provide food grains free of cost to the beneficiaries under AAY households and PHH beneficiaries covered under NFSA, 2013, for a period of one year, beginning from Ist Jan 2023.

(c) & (d): NFSA, 2013 provides for coverage of about 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population (67% of the total population of the country) for receiving highly subsidized foodgrains under TPDS, which at Census 2011 comes to about 81.35 crore. The coverage under the Act is substantially high to ensure that all the vulnerable and needy sections of the society its benefit. get

Section 9 of the Act provides that the percentage coverage under the TPDS in rural and urban areas for each State shall be determined by the Central Government and the total number of persons to be covered in such rural and urban areas of the State shall be calculated on the basis of the population estimates as per the census of which the relevant figures have been published: The responsibility for identification of eligible beneficiaries under NFSA lies AII StateslUTs have been advised to identify the eligible beneficiaries under NFSA upto their respective coverage limit:

No such proposal is under consideration of the Government: