Lok Sabha Question No. 2888 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-06
Subject: Hidden Hunger and Nutritional Insecurity
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Raja Ram Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2888 TO BE ANSWERED ON 6TH AUGUST, 2025

## HIDDEN HUNGER AND NUTRITIONAL  INSECURITY

## 2888. SHRI RAJA RAM SINGH:

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

- (a): whether  it is a fact that 40 percent of rural  and 20-30 percent of  urban Indians cannot afford  two basic meals a day, despite being classified above the poverty line and if  so, the action taken by the Government therein;
- (b): whether the Public Distribution System (PDS) is failing to  address hidden hunger and nutritional  insecurity among non-beneficiaries excluded due to  outdated poverty lines and if  so, the details thereof along with  the measures which are in place to tackle this;
- (c): whether the  Government is  going to  revise the coverage of  PDS to  include those unable to  afford a  minimum nutritious thali/meal, even if  they  fall  outside current income-based cut-offs  and if so, the details thereof;
- (d): whether  any coordination  has been made with  NITI  Aayog  to incorporate food affordability  indices like the Thali Index into targeting frameworks;
- (e): if  so, the details thereof and if  not, the reasons therefor;  and
- (f): the  details of  the  data on  PDS exclusions and per capita food affordability, State/district-wise?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF STATE FOR MINISTRY  OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRIMATI  NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI  BAMBHANIYA)

- (a): National Food Security  Act (NFSA), 2013, being successfully implemented in all the States/UTs, aims to supplement the food requirements of upto 75% of the rural and upto 50% of the urban population  which at Census 2011 comes to 81.35 crore beneficiaries. Under the NFSA, while  Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)  households, which constitute poorest of  the poor are entitled to  35 kg  of  foodgrains, per Household per month, Priority  Households (PHH) are entitled  to 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month at free of cost.

The Coverage under the Act  is substantially high to ensure that all the vulnerable and needy sections of the society get its benefit. The States/UTs have identified only  80.56 crore person, against the  intended coverage of  81.35 crore person. Still,  there is a  scope for identification  of 0.79 crore more beneficiaries,  by the States/UTs, under the NFSA.

The  Central Government, in  order to  remove the  financial burden of  the poor beneficiaries and to ensure nationwide  uniformity had decided to provide food grains free of cost to  beneficiaries i.e. AAY  households  and PHH  beneficiaries, for  a period of  one year beginning from  lst  January 2023 under the Pradhan Mantri  Garib  Kalyan Anna  Yojana (PM(JK AY).  The period for  distribution of  free of  cost foodgrains has been extended for further five years i.e. from 1 st January, 2024, with an estimated financial outlay of Rs. 11.80 lakh crore totally  to be borne by Central Government.

(b): in  order to  supplement the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), the Government of India provides targeted support to the pregnant women and lactating mothers and children in the age group of 6 months to  14 years, by entitling  them to receive nutritious meal free of cost through a widespread  network of  Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) centres, called Anganwadi Centres under ICDS scheme and also through schools under PIVl-POSHAN scheme.

Further, to cater to the growing demand for more impactful nutritional interventions, the Government has revised the Schedule-11 of National  Food Security Act,  2013, in January 2023. The new schedule has revised the supplementation  for children and pregnant & lactating women under ICDS and PM-POSH AN,  making it  more age-appropriate and nutritionally balanced.

Moreover, the rice supplied through the TPDS and other welfare schemes of the Central  Government  is  enriched  with Iron, folic acid, and  Vitamin B12  to address micronutrient deficiencies, particularly addressing anaemia.

(c) to (e): 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 the State shall be calculated based on 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 relevant data of the next  population Census is  published. As  already mentioned, still,  there is  a  scope for identification of  0.79 crore more beneficiaries, by the  States/UTs, under the NFS A  as per existing population census. Further,  the targeting framework is adequately defined in subsection (2) of section 3 of NFSA as mentioned in reply to part (a).

(f): Under the joint  responsibility of the Central and State Government,  the responsibility for  identification of  beneficiaries  and issuance of their  ration cards, based on exclusion & inclusion criterion, rests with  the concerned State Government. The Central Government issues advisories to all the States/Union Territories  from time to time to identify all eligible and poor  persons/ households including  vulnerable  Sections of  the  Society  for  inclusion under the  NFSA.  States are undertaking updation of  their  beneficiary database so that ineligible  ration cards get deleted and better targeting  of  rightful  beneficiaries  is ensured. Under the NFSA,  while Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)  households, which constitute poorest of  the  poor  are entitled  to  35 kg  of  foodgrains,  per  Household  per  month,  Priority Households (PHH) are entitled to 5 kg offoodgrains per person per month at free of cost.

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