Lok Sabha Question No. 3821 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-22
Subject: Review of Food Policy
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: JYOTIRADITYA MADHAVRAO SCINDIA, SUSHMITA DEV

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3821

TO BE ANSWERED ON 22 ND    DECEMBER, 2015

## REVIEW OF FOOD POLICY

3821. SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA: KUMARI SUSHMITA DEV:

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

- (a) whether  the  eminent  agriculturists  have  urged  the  Government  to review  the  country's  food  policy  especially  the  distribution  system  to achieve 'Zero Hunger' across the country, if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government thereto; and
- (b) whether  people  living  in  rural  areas  have  to  depend  on  the  Public Distribution System due to the drought situation prevailing in the country?

## A N S W E R

## MINISTER OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI RAM  VILAS PASWAN)

(a) & (b):  with an objective to provide food and nutritional security to the people  of  the  country  at  affordable  prices,  Government  has  enacted National  Food  Security  Act  (NFSA)  w.e.f  05.07.2013  which  provides coverage  of  upto  75%  in  rural  areas  and  50%  in  urban  areas,  thereby covering  2/3rd  population  of  the  country.  Under  the  Act,  foodgrains  are allocated  to  the  States/Union  Territories  (UTs)  @  5  kg  per  person  per month belonging to priority category and 35 kg per family per month for Antyodya Anna Yojana (AAY) families at very low prices of Rs.1 per kg, Rs.2 per kg and Rs.3 per kg for coarse grains, wheat  and rice respectively.  The  Act  also  has  special  focus  on  nutritional  support  to women and children upto 14 years of age, pregnant women and lactating mothers  who  are  entitled  to  meals  as  per  nutritional  norms.  Pregnant women  and  lactating  mothers  are  also  entitled  to  receive  maternity benefit of not less  than  Rs.6000.    The  States/UTs  who  have  not implemented  the  NFSA  so  far  are  being  allocated  foodgrains  under  the existing Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) @ 35kg per family per month to the BPL [including AAY] families and @ 15-35kg per family per month  to  Above  Poverty  Line  (APL)  families. Apart from this, the Government has  been  providing  food  grains  at  subsidized  prices  to  the targeted population under various Other Welfare Schemes (OWS) such as Mid-Day  Meal  Scheme,  Integrated  Child  Development  Services  (ICDS) Scheme,  Rajiv  Gandhi  Scheme  for  Empowerment  of  Adolescent  Girls, Annapurna etc.

The Government also allocates additional foodgrains at subsidized  prices  for  distribution  to  the  people  affected  by  natural calamities like drought, flood etc. on request of the concerned States/UTs.

To meet the distributional requirement of foodgrains under TPDS/OWS and to maintain operational stock for this purpose in sustained manner  for  better  food  management,  the  Government  has  revised  food stocking norms w.e.f. 22.01.2015.

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