About NFSA

• The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) provides for food and nutritional security in the country, by ensuring access to adequate quantities of quality food at affordable prices.
• The Act enacted in 2013 marks a paradigm shift in the approach to food security from welfare to rights based approach. 
• The Act is in line with Goal Two of the Sustainable Development Goals (which seeks sustainable solutions to end hunger in all its forms by 2030 and to achieve food security) set by the United Nations General Assembly.
• The implementation of the scheme comes under the ambit of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

Key Features

• The Act legally entitled up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population to receive subsidized foodgrains under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
• The eligible persons (Primary Households) are entitled to receive 5 Kgs of foodgrains per person per month at subsidised prices of Rs. 3/2/1 per Kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains. 
• The Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, which constitute the poorest of the poor, receive 35 Kgs of foodgrains per household per month.
• About two-thirds of the population, therefore, is covered under the Act to receive highly subsidized foodgrains.
• One of the guiding principles of the Act is its life-cycle approach wherein special provisions have been made on the nutritional support to women and children. 
• Pregnant women and lactating mothers will be entitled to meals and maternity benefits of not less than Rs 6000. 
• Children upto 14 years of age will be entitled to nutritious meals as per the prescribed nutritional standards. In case of non-supply of entitled foodgrains or meals, the beneficiaries will receive food security allowance. 
• The eldest women of the household of age 18 years or above will be the head of the household for the purpose of issuing ration cards.

Beneficiaries

• Corresponding to the all India coverage of 75% and 50% in the rural and urban areas, State-wise coverage under NFSA was determined by the erstwhile Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog).
• Within the coverage determined for each State, the work of identification of eligible households is to be done by States/UTs. 

Implementation

• It is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and the State/Union Territory (UT) Governments.
  • The Central Government is responsible for procurement, allocation and transportation of food grains up to the designated depots of the Food Corporation of India.
  • States/UTs hold the operational responsibilities for allocation and distribution of food grains.
• The NFSA currently covers 81 crore people which was determined on the basis of the 2011 census, and has not been revised since the law was passed in 2013.