Within the NFSA, Antyodaya Anna Yojana (Aay) houses are the poorest of the poor, legal authorized to receive 35 kg of food food food for a month and a priority household is entitled to 5 kg per person per month. File | Photo Credit: Hind
States can add 79 Lakhs more recipients under the National Food Security Act, which provides legal entitlement to food groups, the Center said on Tuesday (July 22, 2025).
The National Food Safety Act (NFSA), which was approved by Parliament in 2013, ensures coverage of up to 75 % of the rural population and up to 50 % of the city population.
This includes about two -thirds of the country’s total population that comes to 81.35 Crore based on the 2011 census, the government said in the written response of Rajya Sabha.
“Currently, against the intended coverage of 81.35 crore, states/UT have only identified 80.56 people of Crore. There is still an identification range of 0.79 crore more recipients within NFSA,” Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, Minister of Consumer and Public Distribution.
She reported that Section 9 of the Act stipulates that the total number of persons to be covered in rural and urban areas of the state should be calculated on the basis of the estimates of the population according to the published census.
“Any revision in coverage is therefore possible only after the publication of the relevant data on the census in the population,” the Minister said.
She also mentioned that states are responsible for identifying recipients and issuing their ration cards.
“States are updating their recipients’ database so that incapable ration cards are removed and better targeting to justified recipients are ensured. This is to remove incapable recipients and adding eligible recipients under the law,” the Minister said.
Under the NFSA or the Food Act, Antyodaya Anna Yojana (Aay) houses are the poorest of the poor, legal authority to obtain 35 kg of food sirongin for a family per month, and a priority household is entitled to 5 kg per month.
Currently, the center provides free rations (wheat and rice) to all recipients.
Published – July 22, 2025 9:16
