Resource detail

This is an Act to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Under this Act every person belonging to priority households which would be identified by each state in the country shall be entitled to receive five kilograms of foodgrains per person per month at subsidised prices from the respective state government under the Targeted Public Distribution System.

Under this Act nutritional support and maternity benefit of not less than rupees six thousand would be provided to pregnant women and lactating mothers who are not in regular employment with the Central Government or State Governments or Public Sector Undertakings or those who are in receipt of similar benefits under any law for the time being in force.

The State Government shall, through the local anganwadi, identify and provide meals, free of charge, to children who suffer from malnutrition. Also, food security allowance will be provided in certain cases. Eligible households for the targeted public distribution system in both rural and urban areas will be identified and displayed prominently in the public domain. The Act empowers women by making the eldest woman who is not less than eighteen years of age, in every eligible household, as the head of the household for the purpose of issue of ration cards. Every State Government shall put in place an internal grievance redressal mechanism.

Every State Government shall, by notification, constitute a State Food Commission for the purpose of monitoring and review of implementation of this Act.

The Central Government would allocate from the central pool the required quantity of foodgrains to the State Governments for ensuring the regular supply of food grains to persons belonging to eligible households.