The Government of India accords high priority to the issue of hunger and has been providing foodgrains at highly subsidized prices to the targeted population through State Governments/Union Territory Administrations under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) in accordance with the provisions of National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 and Other Welfare Schemes (OWS) such as Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme, Scheme for Adolescent Girls, Annapurna Scheme and Allocation of foodgrains under Welfare Institutions and Hostels Scheme.
NFSA provides for coverage of upto 75% of the rural population and upto 50% of the urban population for receiving foodgrains under TPDS, thus covering about two-thirds of the population or atleast 81.35 crore persons, as per Census 2011 population. Corresponding to the above coverage at all India level, State-wise percentage coverage has been determined by the then Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog). Identification of beneficiaries under the Act is under two categories- households covered under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PHH), within the coverage determined for the State/UT. PHH are to be identified by State Governments/Union Territory Administrations as per criteria evolved by them. AAY families are to be identified by States/UTs as per the criteria prescribed by the Central Government:
- Households headed by widows or terminally ill persons or disabled persons or persons aged 60 years or more with no assured means of subsistence or societal support.
(ii) Widows or terminally ill persons or disabled persons or persons aged 60 years or more or single women or single men with no family or societal support or assured means of subsistence.
(iii) All primitive tribal households.
(iv) Landless agriculture labourers, marginal farmers, rural artisans/craftsmen such as potters, tanners, weavers, blacksmiths, carpenters, slum dwellers, and persons earning their livelihood on daily basis in the informal sector like porters, coolies, rickshaw pullers, hand cart pullers, fruit and flower sellers, snake charmers, rag pickers, cobblers, destitutes and other similar categories in both rural and urban areas.
(v) All eligible Below Poverty Line families of HIV positive persons.
Under the Act, eligible households are entitled to receive foodgrains @ Rs 1/2/3 per kg for nutri-cereals/wheat/rice respectively. While Priority Households are entitled to receive 5 kg per person per month, AAY households, which constitute the poorest of the poor, continue to receive 35 Kg of foodgrains per household per month. The Act is being implemented in all the 36 States/UTs. Coverage under the act has been delinked from the poverty estimates and is substantially high to ensure that all the vulnerable and needy sections of the society get its benefit. There is no BPL or APL category under the Act.
Further, this Department has issued advisories to all States/UTs to identify and cover the weakest sections of the society under PDS and launch special drives to issue ration cards to them.
This Department in collaboration with all States/UTs is implementing a scheme on ‘End-to-End Computerization of PDS Operations’. The scheme comprises digitization of ration cards/beneficiary and other databases, online allocation, computerization of supply-chain management, setting up of transparency portal and grievance redressal mechanisms in all States/UTs. Under the scheme, ration cards/beneficiaries database (NFSA) have been completely digitized in all States/UTs.
This information was given in a written reply by the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shri Danve Raosaheb Dadarao in the Rajya Sabha today.
