NFSA amendments: 7 kg of foodgrains for a person, and maximum 35 kg for a household
The story so far: The Union Food and Public Distribution Department on Wednesday (June 24, 2026) published a draft of the proposed amendments to the
The story so far: The Union Food and Public Distribution Department on Wednesday (June 24, 2026) published a draft of the proposed amendments to the Food Security Act (NFSA). The draft is uploaded on the department’s website. The public can comment on the amendments till July 13. The amendment: A new provision In Section 3 of the Food Security Act, 2013, proposes that every person belonging to households covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) shall be entitled to 7 kg of foodgrains every month to a maximum of 35 kg per household. For AAY cardholders, this allocation will be free of any charges. Earlier, it was 35 kg per AAY household, irrespective of the number of members in the household. Reason: The reason the Union government has given in the notice, along with the draft amendment, is that the existing household-based entitlement under the AAY, though intended as a protective measure for the most vulnerable families, results in significant inequities depending upon the size of the household.
“Smaller households receive a higher per-capita entitlement, whereas larger households receive a lower per-capita entitlement, which may fall below the entitlement available to priority households,” the notice adds. The government maintains that the aim and purpose are to remove “intra-category inequities, provide for more rational foodgrain allocation and better align entitlements with nutritional requirements.” Criticism: Certain non-BJP-ruled States and activists of the Right to Food Campaign have voiced concerns over the amendment. Kerala Food Minister Anoop Jacob told presspersons that the State government would write to the Union government against the proposed amendment. He said the allocation of 35 kg per AAY household must continue. The removal of this would result in decreased allocation to States such as Kerala, he added. Anuradha Talwar, an office-bearer of the Right to Food Campaign, said the amendment wouldl bring a “North-South divide” in foodgrain allocation.
She said families in the South had fewer people than those in North India and smaller families would get less allocations. “Also the number of AAY families has not been revised as the Census was delayed. A large section of the population, who must come under AAY, are not getting the benefits of the Food Security Act despite the increase in population,” she said adding that instead of increasing the allocation, the government is decreasing it. Another issue the activists are flagging is that they have been demanding allocation of 14 kg per person. They argue that if the government wants to base the allocation on the recommendations of the Indian Council of Medical Research, then pulses and edible oil must also be provided. “The poorest of the poor doesn’t have market access to buy essentials at the market rate.
The BriefWire