PDS has scope to add 10 million more people: Centre
A review by the Centre has found that 10.58 million additional people in the country can be enrolled as recipients of subsidised food handouts under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 without breaching the overall limit prescribed by the law, which currently stands at about 800 million.
A review by the Centre has found that 10.58 million additional people in the country can be enrolled as recipients of subsidised food handouts under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 without breaching the overall limit prescribed by the law, which currently stands at about 800 million.
The landmark NFSA 2013, which made subsidised foodgrain a legal entitlement, prescribes coverage of up to 75% of rural population and 50% of the urban population. Based on this, the total coverage stands at 67% of the country’s population as mandated by the Act.
Although the country’s public distribution system covers nearly two-thirds of the population who get federally stocked cheap wheat or rice on a monthly basis, food-security activists have often cited exclusions, such a homeless poor, inter-state migrants and mobile domestic workers.
A review by the food ministry shows that while 14 states currently have full coverage under the food security law, 22 states have scope to include 10.58 million additional people who are left out of the food-safety net but are otherwise eligible.
One reason for additional room for taking up the coverage is that more than 47 million ineligible ration cards – the document that allows beneficiaries to access cheap foodgrains on a monthly basis -- were cancelled between 2013 and 2021.
The elimination was enabled with the linking of Aadhaar cards of beneficiaries to their food accounts, according to officials. Also, beneficiaries dying of natural causes created scope for more people to be added in their place.
Under NFSA, the responsibility for identification of beneficiaries lies solely with the state governments and the Centre has no role in this regard. However, in view of the scope to add additional beneficiaries across 22 states, the Union government has launched a common registration facility, which is a nationally trackable online platform, to help states enrol more people, food secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said.
“This facility is a common application or a registration facility to expeditiously enable the states to get the data of people who might be waiting for coverage under NFSA,” Pandey added.
The common registration facility is aimed at signing on more beneficiaries, especially people who are mobile and do not usually stay in their home town.
Despite the country’s rapid economic growth and surplus food output, a large number of children and women still suffer from significant levels of hunger and malnutrition. According to the 2016 National Family Health Survey-4, which provides some data on health and nutrition, 38.4% of children in the country are stunted (low height for age) and 21% were wasted (low weight for height).
Children’s poor health often begins in their mothers’ womb. The survey showed that prevalence of anaemia among Indian women had seen only a small decline from 55% in 2005-06 to 53% in 2015-16.
“The software is designed to help states in identifying and including people as per inclusion and exclusion criteria subject to the applicable ceiling under the NFSA,” Pandey said.
To begin with the common registration facility will be available in 11 states and Union territories: Assam, Goa, Lakshadweep, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab Tripura and Uttarakhand. By the end of this month, the facility will be available across the country.
“The purpose is that many homeless poor don’t get ration card easily because for purposes of livelihood they move from one place to another and at their current place of residence, they don’t get ration card issued because they are not resident of that place,” Pandey added.
The common registration facility will enable such people to apply for a ration card through Ration Card Mitras, who could be representatives of panchayats or state governments. Beneficiaries will still need the biometric Aadhaar and in case it is not available, the common registration facility is designed to push the enrolling person’s basic data to her native state from where Aadhaar can be issued.