Consider the following statements regarding “National Food Security Act” (NFSA) in India : A. It was enacted on July 5, 2013. B. Around 50 crore persons have been covered under NFSA at present. C. The Act legally entitles upto 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population to receive subsidized food grains. Choose the correct option using codes :

Correct — option (3), Both A and C are correct.

Check each statement against the NFSA portal of the Department of Food and Public Distribution: two match it, and one gives a different number.

A is correct. The portal dates the enactment of the NFSA to July 5, 2013. That was the day the National Food Security Ordinance was promulgated. Parliament passed the Bill later in 2013; the Act received assent on 10 September 2013 and is deemed to have come into force on 5 July 2013.

B is incorrect. The portal says around 80 crore persons are covered, out of a maximum coverage of 81.34 crore. Fifty crore is far below the actual figure.

C is correct. The Act legally entitles up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population to subsidised foodgrains under the Targeted Public Distribution System — about two-thirds of the population.

A and C are true and B is false, so the answer is option (3), Both A and C are correct.

The idea to remember: coverage is fixed as shares of population (up to 75% rural, up to 50% urban), and the portal puts the maximum this allows at 81.34 crore persons.

Why the others are wrong

• (1)
  Both B and C are correct. — C is correct, but B is not.

  The NFSA portal puts coverage at around 80 crore persons, against a maximum of about 81 crore. A figure of 50 crore understates it by some 30 crore.

  This code also leaves out A, which matches the portal's date of July 5, 2013.

• (2)
  Both A and B are correct. — A is correct, but B is not: coverage is around 80 crore persons, not 50 crore.

  This code also drops C, which is the Act's core entitlement: up to 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population receive subsidised foodgrains.

• (4)
  A, B and C are correct. — Only B spoils this code. The date in A and the coverage ratios in C match the official text.

  B's figure of 50 crore is wrong: the portal says around 80 crore persons are covered, out of a maximum of about 81 crore.

The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) turned subsidised foodgrains from a welfare measure into a legal right. It covers up to 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population through the Targeted Public Distribution System.

Beneficiaries fall in two groups. Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, the poorest of the poor, get 35 kg of foodgrains per family per month. Priority households get 5 kg per person per month.

State-wise coverage was worked out by the erstwhile Planning Commission from the NSS consumption survey of 2011-12. States then identify the households within that number.

The Act follows a life-cycle approach. Pregnant women, lactating mothers and children from 6 months to 14 years get free meals through anganwadis and schools.

Pregnant women and lactating mothers are also entitled to a maternity benefit of not less than ₹6,000. The Act excludes those in regular government or public-sector employment and those already receiving similar benefits under another law.

Key facts

• NFSA legally entitles up to 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population to subsidised foodgrains under the Targeted Public Distribution System.
• AAY households get 35 kg of foodgrains per family per month; priority households get 5 kg per person per month.
• The NFSA portal states that out of a maximum coverage of about 81 crore persons, around 80 crore are covered.
• Under the Act, the eldest woman of the household aged 18 or above is the head of household for issuing ration cards.
• Pregnant women and lactating mothers are entitled to a maternity benefit of not less than ₹6,000 under NFSA, except those the Act excludes, such as regular government employees.

Common traps

• Coverage is stated two ways: as shares (up to 75% rural, 50% urban) and as a head count (about 81 crore maximum, around 80 crore covered). A statement can get the ratio right and the head count wrong.
• 5 July 2013 is the ordinance date, from which the Act took effect; Parliament passed the Bill later in 2013. Check which event a statement names.
• AAY entitlement is per family (35 kg a month); priority-household entitlement is per person (5 kg a month). Swapping the unit makes a statement false.

UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2016 here once that paper is published on this site.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Under the National Food Security Act, 2013, a household covered by Antyodaya Anna Yojana is entitled to –

  • (a)5 kg of foodgrains per person per month
  • (b)35 kg of foodgrains per family per month
  • (c)25 kg of foodgrains per family per month
  • (d)35 kg of foodgrains per person per month
  Answer(2) — AAY households get 35 kg per family per month. Option (1) is the entitlement of priority households. Option (3) is not the NFSA figure, and option (4) keeps the right quantity but applies it per person instead of per family.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  For issuing ration cards under the National Food Security Act, 2013, the eldest woman of the household is treated as head of the household if she is at least –

  • (a)16 years old
  • (b)18 years old
  • (c)21 years old
  • (d)25 years old
  Answer(2) — The Act names the eldest woman aged 18 years or above as head of household. Options (1), (3) and (4) give ages that do not match the NFSA's provision.