To provide free food grains to over 81 crore beneficiaries under National Food Security Act (NFSA) in 2023, the Central government has brought the Integrated Food Security Scheme.
Key points
- The Scheme comes into force from January 1, 2023.
- It ensures effective and uniform implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA), according to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
- The new integrated scheme subsumes or combines two current food subsidy schemes of the Department of Food and Public Distribution- a) Food Subsidy to Food Corporation of India (FCI) for NFSA, and b) Food Subsidy for decentralized procurement states, dealing with procurement, allocation and delivery of free foodgrains to the states under NFSA.
- It is a scheme to strengthen the provisions of NFSA, 2013 in terms of accessibility, affordability and availability of foodgrains for the poor and the vulnerable section of society.
- The Centre has social and legal commitment to the people of the nation- a dignified life by ensuring them access to food and nutritional security through availability of adequate quantity of quality foodgrains. To fulfill this commitment to the most vulnerable 67% of population i.e. 81.35 crore persons covered under NFSA, the Cabinet decided to launch a new Central Sector scheme to stand by the vision of One Nation – One Price – One Ration.
- Under the scheme, the Centre will provide free food grains to all NFSA beneficiaries i.e. Antyodaya Ann Yojana (AAY) households and Priority Household (PHH) people for the next one year through the widespread network of 5.33 lakhs Fair Price Shops across the country.
- Fair Price Shops, also commonly known as ration shops in localities of rural and urban areas. Fair Price Shops are stores that give immense subsidies on necessary food commodities.
- Free foodgrains will concurrently ensure uniform implementation of portability under One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) across the country and will further strengthen this choice-based platform.
- The Central Government will bear the food subsidy of more than Rs. 2 Lakh crore for the year 2023. The new scheme is aimed at bringing uniformity and clarity on food security under NFSA at beneficiary level.
