Lok Sabha Question No. 28 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-21
Subject: National Food Security Act
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: GOPAL CHINAYYA SHETTY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 28 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21 ST  JULY, 2015

## NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY ACT

28. SHRI GOPAL SHETTY:

Will  the  Minister  of  CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND  PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) the details and the salient features of the National Food Security Act;
- (b) whether the Government is facing hurdles in implementing the above mentioned Act across the country;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the full and effective implementation of the said Act is likely to help in checking price rise; and
- (e) if so, the effective steps being taken by the Government to implement the Act effectively and check price rise and black marketing?

## A N S W E R MINISTER OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI RAM  VILAS PASWAN)

(a) to (e): Central  Government  enacted  the  National  Food  Security  Act 2013 (NFSA) to provide for 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. Salient features of the Act are at Annexure.

Before  implementation  of  NFSA,  States/Union  Territories  (UTs)  are required to identify the eligible households and complete other preparatory activities.  Based  on  the  preparedness  and  identification  of  beneficiaries reported by 12 States/ UTs, foodgrains under the Act are being allocated to them.  Remaining  24  States/UTs  have  not  completed  all  the  preparatory measures  required  for  implementation  of  the  Act.  Foodgrains  under existing Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) is continuing in these States/UTs.

NFSA entitles upto 75% of the rural population and upto 50% of the urban population to receive foodgrains at subsidised prices of Rs. 3/2/1 per kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains under TPDS, thus covering about two thirds of the population of the country. The large coverage and highly subsidized prices of foodgrains under the Act is likely to help in checking prices of

foodgrains.

Implementation  of  the  Act  is  reviewed  on  a  regular  basis  and necessary advisories are issued to States/UTs, wherever required. Various meetings/conferences have also been held with the States/UTs to review their  status  of  preparedness  for  implementation  of  the  Act  and  to  urge them  to  implement  the  Act  at  the  earliest.  In  order  to  ensure  proper implementation  of  the  Act,  States/UTs  are  impressed  upon  to  ensure proper identification of beneficiaries through a transparent and participative process, delivery of foodgrains by designated State agencies upto the door-steps of fair price shops, availability of adequate scientific storage  facilities  at  various  levels,  end-to-end  computerisation  of  TPDS operations  and  setting  up  of  effective  grievance  redressal  mechanism, among others.

The  Central  Government  is  implementing  the  'Prevention  of  Blackmarketing  and  Maintenance  of  Supplies  of  Essential  Commodities  Act, 1980'  through  States/UTs  for  taking  action  against  black-marketing  of essential commodities. Central Government also delegated powers to the State Governments/UT Administrations to issue Control Orders for regulating production, distribution, pricing and other aspects of trading in respect  of  the  commodities  declared  as  essential.  Under  the  Essential Commodities Act, 1955, States/UTs declare  stock  limit  in  respect  of  the commodities declared as essential and notify it after taking concurrence of the Central Government. The States/UTs are requested from time to time to strictly enforce the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and Prevention of Black-marketing  and  Maintenance  of  Supplies  of  Essential  Commodities Act, 1980.

Recently, a National Consultation meeting of Ministers of all States/UTs in-charge of Food and Consumer Affairs was held on 07.07.2015 in New  Delhi to inter alia discuss measures  necessary to ensure availability of essential commodities at reasonable prices and implementation of NFSA.

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## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (e)  OF  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 28 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 21.07.2015 IN THE LOK SABHA

## SALIENT FEATURES OF THE NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY ACT, 2013

- a) Seeks to address the issue of food security in a life cycle approach
- b) Coverage of upto 75% and 50% of rural and urban population, respectively under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), with entitlement of 5 kg per person per month.
- c) Entitlement of existing AAY households protected at 35 kg per household per month.
- d) Subsidised prices - Rs. 3/2/1 per kg for rice, wheat and coarse grains for a period of three years  from  the  date  of  commencement  of  the  Act  and  to  be  suitably  linked  to  Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) thereafter.
- e) Protection of average annual offtake of foodgrains during 2010-11 to 2012-13 under normal TPDS in case annual allocation of foodgrains under the Act to any State/UT is less.
- f) Corresponding to the all India coverage, State-wise coverage to be determined by Central Government
- g) Number of persons to be covered calculated on the basis of the population estimates as per the census of which the relevant figures have been published.
- h) Within the coverage determined for each State, State Government to identify households.
- i) Pregnant  women  and  lactating  mothers  entitled  to  nutritious  meals  free  of  charge  and maternity benefit of not less than Rs. 6,000.
- j) Children in the age group of 6 months to 14 years entitled to nutritious meals free of charge under Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Mid-day Meal (MDM) schemes.
- k) Eldest woman of the household of age 18 years or above to be the head of the household for the purpose of issuing of ration card.
- l) Grievance redressal mechanism at the District and State levels. States have the flexibility to use the existing machinery or set up separate mechanism.
- m) Central Government to provide assistance to States in meeting the expenditure incurred by them on transportation of foodgrains within the State, its handling and Fair Price Shop (FPS) dealers margin as per norms to be devised for this purpose.
- n) Provisions for transparency and accountability such as placing PDS related records in public domain, Social audit, Vigilance Committees at various levels.
- o) Provision  for  food  security  allowance  to  entitled  beneficiaries  in  case  of  non-supply  of entitled foodgrains or meals.
- p) Provision  for  penalty  on  public  servant  or  authority,  to  be  imposed  by  the  State  Food Commission,  in  case  of  failure  to  comply  with  the  relief  recommended  by  the  District Grievance Redressal Officer.

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