Inclusion of the Disabled in National Food Security Act 2013

• 24 Aug 2020

Why in News

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution has asked State Governments/UTs to include all eligible disabled persons under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.

Key Points

• The disabled persons should get their entitled quota of food grains under NFSA & Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) as per provisions of the Act.
  
  • Those not already covered should be issued fresh ration cards as per the eligibility criteria.
  • The disable person should also be covered by States/UTs under the priority households as per the criteria of identification evolved by them.
  • PMGKAY is a part of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) to help the poor fight the battle against Covid-19.
    
    • The scheme is aimed at providing each person who is covered under the National Food Security Act with an additional 5 kg grains (wheat or rice) for free, in addition to the 5 kg of subsidised foodgrain already provided through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
    • The beneficiaries are also entitled to 1 kg of pulse for free, according to regional preferences.
• The Section 10 of the NFSA provides for identification and coverage of persons under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and the remaining households as priority households by the State Government.
  
  • Disability is one of the criteria for inclusion of beneficiaries under AAY households.
• The Section 38 of the NFSA mandates that the Central Government may from time to time give directions to the State Governments for effective implementation of the provisions of the Act.
• The Atmanirbhar Bharat Package of the Government of India provides free food, along with other benefits, to the migrant labourers, who are not covered either under NFSA or any States Scheme Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) Cards (Under Economic Stimulus-II).
  
  • Hence, the disabled persons without ration cards are also eligible for getting benefits under Atmanirbhar Bharat package.

National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013

• Notified on: 10^th September, 2013
• Objective: To provide for food and nutritional security in the human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantities of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity.
• Coverage: 75% of the rural population and upto 50% of the urban population for receiving subsidized foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
• Eligibility:
  
  • Priority Households to be covered under TPDS, according to guidelines by the State government.
  • Households covered under existing Antyodaya Anna Yojana.
• Provisions:
  
  • 5 Kgs of foodgrains per person per month at Rs. 3/2/1 per Kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains.
  • The existing AAY household will continue to receive 35 Kgs of foodgrains per household per month.
  • Meal and maternity benefit of not less than Rs. 6,000 to pregnant women and lactating mothers during pregnancy and six months after the child birth,
  • Meals to children upto 14 years of age.
  • Food security allowance to beneficiaries in case of non-supply of entitled foodgrains or meals.
  • Setting up of grievance redressal mechanisms at the district and state level.

Antyodaya Anna Yojana

• It was launched in December, 2000.
• It involved identification of one crore poorest of the poor families from amongst the number of Below Poverty Line families covered under TPDS within the States and providing them food grains at a highly subsidized rate.
• Some target groups identified under AAY are:
  
  • Landless agricultural labourers, marginal farmers, rural artisans/craftsmen and persons earning their livelihood on a daily basis in the informal sector.
  • Households headed by widows/terminally ill persons/disabled persons/senior citizens.
  • Widows or terminally ill persons or disabled persons or senior citizens.
  • All primitive tribal households.

Source: PIB