Changes proposed in National Food Security Act
Under the current NFSA, 2013, households covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) — the poorest of the poor — receive a flat 35 kgs of food grains per family per month, regardless of how many people live in the household.
The draft National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026, by the Department of Food and Public Distribution, proposes to replace this with an entitlement of 7 kg per person per month, but with a capping of a maximum of 35 kg per household.
In effect, the government wants to make the entitlement per person rather than per family of the eligible poorest households.
Therefore, provision of subsidised food grains will depend on how many people live in the household, under the proposal of the Union government.
In the proposed draft, the government says the change is aimed at removing intra-category inequities and rationalising food grain allocation.
“The existing household-based entitlement under AAY, though intended as a protective measure for the most vulnerable families, results in significant inequities depending upon the size of the household. Smaller households receive a higher per-capita entitlement, whereas larger households receive a lower per-capita entitlement, which may fall below the entitlement available to priority households,” said the draft amendment publicised for comments.
Enacted with the aim to protect people against food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition, NFSA legally entitles 75 per cent of rural and 50 per cent of urban population — two-thirds of the country’s total population (covering 813 million people) — to subsidised food grains.
The Act categorises beneficiaries into two groups: the poorest of the poor under the AAY, and the remaining under Priority Households (PHH).
Beneficiaries in the PHH category are entitled to 5 kg of food grains per person per month at prices of Rs 3, Rs 2 and Rs 1 per kg for rice, wheat, and coarse grains respectively. For AAY beneficiaries, the entitlement is 35 kg of food grains a month, irrespective of family size.
The proposed amendments have been opposed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay as well as the Left Parties which have asked the government not to go ahead with the changes. (BVI)
