A big change is coming for Antyodaya Ration Card holders under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). The central government is planning to give a fixed amount of food grains to each person instead of giving it family-wise. Along with free ration items, every person will now get 7.5 kg of rice and wheat every month.
The primary purpose of this change is to eliminate inequality in the distribution. The Food Ministry has recently conducted a review that found many families have several members and some with very few members to feed. This unequal number of people is the reason that food is not evenly distributed across families.
Existing System and Issues in the Antyodaya Scheme
Currently, the Antyodaya Ration Card holders are being provided with 35 kg of food grains per family, every month. The system was established as part of the Food Security Act, 2013. The issue is that this quantity is provided to all families, regardless of family size. For example, families with 2 members are provided with the same amount as families that have 7 members.
The review conducted at the Food Ministry discovered that roughly 1.71 Crore families in the country have fewer than 5 members, with many that are just two individuals that do not need quantity of 35 kg in rice and wheat. Because of this disparity, the cost of food distribution on behalf of the government is becoming unequal.
Details of the New Proposed Rule
The central government is now planning to give 7.5 kg of food grains per person every month as free ration. In this system, small families with fewer than four members will get less than before, but large families will get more benefit. This plan is included in the Food Ministry’s action plan and may be implemented by next March.
If this new rule starts, the government will save money on food storage, and big families will get more ration.
Under the National Food Security Scheme, other ration cardholders already get 5 kg of food grains per person. The Antyodaya Ration Card category covers the poorest families, so special arrangements were made earlier. Now, the government wants to bring equality by giving food per person in this category too.
In the 2013 Act, 35 kg per family was fixed for Antyodaya. Now, reports say that the process to change that rule has started. This step will make the government’s food security policy stronger.
Government Objectives and Impact
The central government wants to make food distribution more fair and transparent. The new per-person rule will help stop food wastage. Many small families do not need 35 kg of ration every month. With this rule, every family will get the amount they actually need. Families with more members will get more ration, while smaller families will get less.
According to the Food Ministry’s report, more than 25 lakh families in the country have over five members. These families will benefit from this change. The rule will take effect after a legal amendment. Overall, this step will make the National Food Security Scheme stronger and more useful.
Future Plans and Challenges
The Food Ministry plans to start this new rule in the first half of next year. For this, the states will need to work together with the Centre. The list of Antyodaya scheme holders will also need to be updated. This change will improve the lives of poor families, but the legal process may take some time.
Once implemented, this move will modernize India’s food security system and make it fairer for everyone.