Lok Sabha Question No. 6147 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Food and Nutritional Security
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Md Abu Taher Khan

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK  SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6147

TO BE ANSWERED ON IsT APRIL, 2026

## FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL  SECURITY

## 6147. MD ABUTAHER KHAN:

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

- (a): whether the Government  has undertaken any recent assessment of food  and nutritional security in the country particularly among vulnerable and low-income households and if so, the key findings thereof;
- (b): the measures being implemented by the Government to ensure adequate availability, affordability and accessibility  of essential food grains and nutritional  support across States and Union Territories;  and
- (c): whether there have been instances of exclusion  of eligible  beneficiaries  from subsidised food distribution under the Public Distribution  System due to authentication issues, ration card irregularities or digitisation challenges and if  so, the steps taken by the Governme  Ilt to address such concerns?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)

(a) to (c): The Pradhan Nlantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)  is being 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 persons. While Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)  households, which constitute poorest of the poor are entitled to 35 kg offoodgrains, per household per month, Priority Households (PHH) are entitled to 5 kg of foodgrains  per person per month 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. As on 01.03.2026, against the intended coverage of  81.35 crore, 79.40 crore beneficiaries are receiving foodgrains free of cost.

Under the joint  responsibility  of  the Central and the State Governments, the responsibility for  identification  of beneficiaries,  within  the coverage determined for the State/UT and issuance of their ration cards rest with  the concerned States/UTs.

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 PIVIGKAY. States are undertaking updation of  their beneficiary database so that  bogus ration cards get deleted and better targeting of  rightful beneficiaries is ensured. Thus, deletion of  ineligible  beneficiaries  and addition of  eligible  beneficiaries  is a contInuous process.

All  States/UTs have been advised vide this Department's letter dated 24/  10/2017 that no genuine beneficiary/household  shall  be  denied from  receiving entitled quota of  subsidized foodgrains due to failure of biometric/Aadhaar authentication due to networldconnectivity/linking related issues, other technical reasons or poor biometrics  of the beneficiary.

SeS( SeSeSc