The roll-out of the Centre’s new integrated food security scheme is set to begin on January 1, 2023. As per the decision made by the cabinet, led by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, the new scheme would provide free foodgrains to 81.35 crore beneficiaries under National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013, for the year 2023. The scheme would also ensure effective and uniform implementation of NFSA, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said in a statement today.
Under NFSA-2013, the Government of India has a social and legal commitment to the people of the nation- a dignified life by ensuring them access to food and nutritional security through the availability of an adequate quantity of quality foodgrains. For fulfilling this commitment to the most vulnerable 67 per cent of the population i.e. 81.35 crore persons covered under NFSA, the cabinet decided to launch a new Central sector scheme to fulfill the vision of One Nation – One Price – One Ration.
Under the scheme, the Government of India will provide free foodgrains to all NFSA beneficiaries i.e. Antyodaya Ann Yojana (AAY) households and Priority Household (PHH) persons for the next year through the widespread network of 5.33 lakhs fair price shops across the country. The decision will strengthen the provisions of NFSA, 2013 in terms of accessibility, affordability and availability of foodgrains for the poor, the ministry further said.
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The new integrated scheme will subsume two current food subsidy schemes of the Department of Food and Public Distribution- a) Food Subsidy to Food Corporation of India (FCI) for NFSA, and b) Food Subsidy for decentralised procurement for states, dealing with procurement, allocation and delivery of free foodgrains to the states under NFSA.
Free foodgrains will concurrently ensure uniform implementation of portability under the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) across the country and will further strengthen this choice-based platform. Central Government will bear the food subsidy of more than Rs. 2 lakh crores for the year 2023. The new scheme is aimed at bringing uniformity and clarity to food security under NFSA at the beneficiary level.
To implement the decision on the ground
- Secretary, Food & Public Distribution (DFPD) has taken a meeting with all state food secretaries on 29.12.2022. The issues related to the distribution of free foodgrains were discussed including technical resolutions. All states and union territories (UTs) are assured to implement the free foodgrain scheme from 1st January 2023.
- Notification of modified Schedule-I reflecting zero price of foodgrains for AAY and PHH beneficiaries from 1st January 2023 to 31st December 2023 has been issued today and shared with the states and UTs.
- Also, an order is issued for all general managers of FCI to visit three ration shops every day in different areas of their jurisdiction mandatorily from 01.01.2023 to 07.01.2023 and submit a report to the DFPD nodal officer on a daily basis, in the given format for review and taking corrective action.
- In view of free foodgrains, an advisory is also issued to the states and UTs on the mechanism to provide dealers’ margins for distributing foodgrains to the beneficiaries.
