Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: NFSA

Mains level: Food and nutrition security of India

Odisha has topped the list of 34 states and Union territories (UTs) in the first-ever NFSA State Ranking Index. Ladakh was ranked last on the index.

The GoI has come up with a first-ever state ranking index to capture the implementation of the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
The states and UTs were ranked for 2022 on the basis of three parameters:

NFSA coverage, rightful targeting and implementation of all provisions under the Act
The delivery platform while considering the allocation of food grains, their movement and last-mile delivery to fair price shops
Nutrition initiatives of the department

NFSA is a crucial policy instrument to ensure food security. It covers nearly 800 million people.
However, NFSA’s implementation through TPDS has not been uniform in the country.
While some states and Union territories lead, others are yet to pick up in terms of coverage, beneficiary satisfaction, digitisation and overall system efficiency.
The index has been developed to create an environment of competition, cooperation and learning among states while addressing matters of food security and hunger.

The NFS Act, 2013 aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two-thirds of India’s 1.2 billion people.
It converts into legal entitlements for existing food security programs of the GoI.
It includes the Midday Meal Scheme, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme and the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Further, the NFSA 2013 recognizes maternity entitlements.
The Midday Meal Scheme and the ICDS are universal in nature whereas the PDS will reach about two-thirds of the population (75% in rural areas and 50% in urban areas).
Pregnant women, lactating mothers, and certain categories of children are eligible for daily free cereals.

Key provisions of NFSA

The NFSA provides a legal right to persons belonging to “eligible households” to receive foodgrains at a subsidised price.
It includes rice at Rs 3/kg, wheat at Rs 2/kg and coarse grain at Rs 1/kg — under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). These are called central issue prices (CIPs).