Is there a national food security policy with implementation/action?

The Constitution of the Republic of India has directive principles that contribute to the realization of the right to adequate food.

The Republic of India has become a State party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1979 by way of accession.

YES.

The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA 2013) converts into legal entitlements for existing food security programmes of the Government of India. It includes the Midday Meal Scheme, Integrated Child Development Services scheme and the Public Distribution System. Further, the NFSA 2013 recognizes maternity entitlements. The Midday Meal Scheme and the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme are universal in nature whereas the PDS will reach about two-thirds of the population (75% in rural areas and 50% in urban areas).

Under the provisions of the bill, beneficiaries of the Public Distribution System (or, PDS) are entitled to 5 kilograms (11 lb) per person per month of cereals at the following prices:

• Rice at ₹3 (4.5¢ US) per kg
• Wheat at ₹2 (3.0¢ US) per kg
• Coarse grains (millet) at ₹1 (1.5¢ US) per kg.

Pregnant women, lactating mothers, and certain categories of children are eligible for daily free cereals.

Ministry of Agriculture's Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) has referred to the Bill as the "biggest ever experiment in the world for distributing highly subsidized food by any government through a ‘rights based’ approach. The Commission concluded that the total bill for implementation of the Bill "….may touch an expenditure of anywhere between Rs 125,000 to 150,000 crores," i.e., 1.25 to 1.5 trillion rupees.

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.

The Act also has a special focus on the nutritional support to women and children. Besides meal to pregnant women and lactating mothers during pregnancy and six months after the child birth, such women will also be entitled to receive maternity benefit of not less than Rs. 6,000. Children upto 14 years of age will be entitled to nutritious meals as per the prescribed nutritional standards. In case of non-supply of entitled foodgrains or meals, the beneficiaries will receive food security allowance. The Act also contains provisions for setting up of grievance redressal mechanism at the District and State levels. Separate provisions have also been made in the Act for ensuring transparency and accountability.

Status of implementation of the Act

32 States/UTs, namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhatisgarh, Daman & Diu, Delhi, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya, Jammu & Kashmir Andaman & Nicobar, Mizoram, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh are implementing the Act at present. Out of these, Chandigarh and Puducherry are implementing the Act in DBT mode i.e. they are providing direct cash transfer of food subsidy to the beneficiaries.^[1]