The National Food Security Bill - India

The Indian Central Government Cabinet finalised the Food Security bill which is going to benefit 64% of the total population of India. If the passed and implemented, the food subsidy bill is expected to rise by Rs.28,000 crore at nearly Rs.1,15,000 crore, while foodgrains requirement would go up to 61 million tonnes from 55 million tonnes, as per the Cabinet proposal.
The National Food Security Bill is to provide for food and nutritional security, in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices, for people to live a life with dignity.
Every person belonging to priority households and general households, identified under the definition of the bill, shall be entitled to receive every month from the State Government, under the Targeted Public Distribution System, such quantity of food grains at such prices as may be specified in bill.
With this bill, the government also bill planning to implement some reforms in the Agriculture, PDS/FPS (Public Distribution System or Fair Price Shop) and other storage and distribution mechanism. The government also going to use the benefit of “Aadhaar” for unique identification, with biometric information of entitled beneficiaries for proper targeting of benefits under this Act.

Who is going to benefit from the Bill

 Destitute Person - Person who has no resources, means and support required for dignified living.
 Homeless Persons - Persons who do not have homes and live as such on the roadside, pavements, or in such other places, or in the open, including persons living in shelters for homeless, beggars’ home etc
 Senior Citizen
 Persons under Priority Household – Identified & defined by Central Govt and provided Ration Card
 Persons under General Household – Identified & defined by Central Govt and provided Ration Card
All the above identified person or as identified and defined by the government are entitled to the below given benefits (indicative only)

> Pregnant Woman will get Free Meal during pregnancy and first six months after the child birth
> Free meal for children in the age group of Six Months - Six years through Anganwadi and thereafter upto age 14 years mid day meal through school on every working day
> All Destitute Person As per Govt policy will get One free meal every day
> All Homeless One free meal every day Free Meal through Community Kitchen
> Emergency & disaster affected persons Through state govt mechanism Two free meals upto three months Free Meal
> Person living in Starvation Through state govt mechanism Meals, two times a day, free of charge, for six months from the date of identification Free Meal
> Priority Household PDS Foodgrains at subsidised price Not exceeding Rs. 3,2 or
1 per kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains 7 Kg per person
> General Household PDS Foodgrains at subsidised price Not exceeding 50 per cent Of the minimum support price for wheat and coarse grains, and derived minimum support price for rice. 3 Kg per person


Allowance: In case of failure to supply the entitled quantities of food grains or meal to entitled persons, such persons shall be entitled to receive food security allowance from the concerned State Government, paid within such time and manner as may be prescribed by the Central Government.

How many people are going to get the benefit from the Bill:

 In Rural areas up to 75% of the total population subject to minimum of 46% population belonging to Priority household
 For Urban areas up to 50% of the total population subject to minimum of 28% population belonging to Priority household

Hope the objective listed in the Act realised and poor receive the benefit we see no news of death due to starvation and have healthy children.