On October 1, 2013, the states' and
Union Territories' food ministers will convene to discuss the
implementation of the National Food Security Act, which got both
Parliamentary approval and the president's nod recently.
A day prior to the ministers' meet, the
state food secretaries would meet to set the agenda for it.
The states have been given a year's
deadline to implement the Act, which would ensure that about 82 crore
legally-entitled people receive foodgrains at heavily-subsidised
rates. However, states such as Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Mizoram, Rajasthan and Uttaranchal have already implemented it.
The meeting – at which the criteria
to be adopted for inclusion and actual identification of
beneficiaries by the states would be discussed – will be
inaugurated by agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, and K V Thomas,
minister of state (independent charge) for consumer affairs, food and
public distribution, will preside over it.
Senior officials of the prime
minister's office (PMO), the ministries of finance and agriculture
and the Planning Commission would also attend the meet.
They would be deliberating upon a host
of topics, including the issue of fresh ration cards; women's
empowerment under the Act; the doorstep delivery of foodgrains;
setting up of grievance redressal machinery at the district and state
levels; the computerisation of the targeted public distribution
system; the creation of scientific storage capacity at various levels
for the timely delivery of foodgrains, and the opening of new fair
price shops (FPS), wherever required, will also be taken up during
the deliberations.
Measures to ensure that local bodies
play a more effective role in the implementation of the National Food
Security Act; the revamping of vigilance committees at various levels
to keep a watch on the distribution system, and the norms for
identification of beneficiaries for the distribution of sugar and
kerosene under the public distribution system (PDS) – as the
National Food Security Act does not have a below-poverty line (BPL)
category – are also on the agenda.
Centre's role
Under the Act, the Centre will provide
financial assistance to the states and Union Territories to meet the
expenditure on intra-state transportation, handling and margins to be
paid to fair price shop dealers.
Clarifications to the issues raised by
the states in this regard will also be provided during the day-long
discussions.
Objectives and entitlements
The National Food Security Act would
ensures food and nutritional security to the people. It gives a right
to the people to receive adequate quantity of foodgrains at
affordable prices.
It seeks to address the issue of food
security in a life-cycle approach, giving separate entitlements for
pregnant and lactating women (a monetary benefit amounting to not
less than Rs 6,000) and children aged between 6 months and 14 years
[meals under the integrated child development scheme (ICDS) and
mid-day meal (MDM) scheme], and entitlements to a much larger
population to receive subsidised food grains under the targeted
public distribution system (TDPS).
It will cover about 75 per cent and 50
per cent of the rural and urban population respectively under the
TPDS as a single category, with a uniform entitlement of 5kg per
person per month. They will get rice, wheat and coarse grains at the
prices of Rs 3, 2 and Re 1 per kg.
The entitlement of
existing Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households will be protected at
35 kg per household per month under the Act. Corresponding to the
all-India coverage, state-wise coverage will be determined by Central
Government. But within the states, beneficiaries will be identified
by the concerned state.
The Act encourages women's empowerment,
as it provides that the eldest woman of the household (aged 18 years
or above) to be the head of the household for the purpose of issuing
of ration cards.
Grievance redressal mechanism at the
district and state levels will ensure an effective redressal of
grievances.
The Central government would provide assistance
to states in meeting the expenditure incurred by them on the
transportation of foodgrains within the state, its handling and FPS
dealers’ margins as per the norms to be devised for this purpose.
The Act has significant provisions for transparency and
accountability. PDS-related records would be placed in public domain,
social audit will be taken up and vigilance committees will be set
up.
A provision would for food security allowances to
entitled beneficiaries has been made in the case of non-supply of
foodgrains or meals.
Penalty on public servants or
authorities would be imposed by the state food commission, in case of
failure to comply with the relief recommended by the district
grievance redressal officers.
