STATE RANKING INDEX FOR NFSA

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Union Minister of Consumer Affairs has released the 1st edition of ‘State Ranking Index for NFSA’.
The Index was released during the conference on ‘Food Nutrition and Security in India’.
- It was organized by the Department of Food and Public Distribution, under the Ministery of Consumer Affairs.
Odisha emerged as the top-ranked state followed by Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh in the General Category States.
Tripura stood first followed by Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim in the Special Category States/UTs.
On the occasion, the minister highlighted that the state rankings for food distribution will encourage more competition to improve the systems.
The Index is an attempt to record the status and progress of the implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and various reform initiatives across the country.

National Food Security Act, 2013

The National Food Security Act, 2013 was notified to provide food and nutritional security.
The objective of the Act is to provide for food and nutritional security in the human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to an adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity.
The Act provides for coverage of up to 75% of the rural population and up to 50% of the urban population for receiving subsidized foodgrains under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), thus covering about two-thirds of the population.
The eligible persons will be entitled to receive 5 Kgs of foodgrains per person per month at subsidised prices of Rs. 3/2/1 per Kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains.
The existing Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, which constitute the poorest of the poor, will continue to receive 35 Kgs of foodgrains per household per month.
Corresponding to the all-India coverage of 75% and 50% in the rural and urban areas, State-wise coverage is determined by the Central Government.
The work of identification of eligible households is to be done by States/UTs.
Pregnant women and lactating mothers and children in the age group of 6 months to 14 years are entitled to meals as per prescribed nutritional norms under Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Mid-Day Meal (MDM) schemes.
Children up to 14 years of age are entitled to nutritious meals as per the prescribed nutritional standards. In case of non-supply of entitled food grains or meals, the beneficiaries will receive a food security allowance.
Besides meals to pregnant women and lactating mothers during pregnancy and six months after childbirth, such women are entitled to receive maternity benefits of not less than Rs. 6,000.
The eldest woman of the household age 18 years or above be the head of the household to issue ration cards.
Grievance redressal mechanism at the District and State levels. States will have the flexibility to use the existing machinery or set up separate mechanisms.