Food Subsidy and the National Food Security Act

Jenny Susan John , Avani Kapur
(2022)

Food Subsidy is provided by the Government of India (GoI) for the supply and distribution of foodgrains and other essential commodities.

With the passing of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in 2013, nutritional security became a right. Under the Act, adequate quantities of quality food at affordable prices are to be provided to two-thirds of India’s population.

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, this brief uses government data to analyse:
■ Allocations and releases under Food Subsidy;
■ Trends in storage/stocking and procurement of foodgrains;
■ Trends in foodgrain allocation, offtake, and distribution under NFSA and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY); and
■ Coverage under NFSA.

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