National Food Security Act
Introduction:
The Department of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, in its endeavour to reach and serve the people of the State, has come up with many innovative and technological initiatives. It is the overall objective of the Department to bring about transparency in the Public Distribution System (P.D.S.).
National Food Security Act 2013
The Act provides subsidized food grains to approximately two third of the State population.
Entitlements and Prices of foodgrains under National Food Security Act:
Priority households will be entitled to 5 kg. of foodgrains per person per month at
- Rs. 3 per kg for rice
For A.A.Y. scheme, each family is entitled to 35 Kg per month at the same rates as above.
| Commodity | Allocation from Government of India | Scales of Supply per Family per Month | Retail Prices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice for PHH Families | 9270.780 MT per month | 5Kgs per head | Rs. 3 per Kg |
| Rice for AAY Families | 2456.930 MT per month | 35Kgs per household | Rs. 3 per Kg |
Foodgrain Allocation under National Food Security Act:
The foodgrain allocation under National Food Security Act has been received by the Department from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution, Government of India. The allotment is generated on a monthly basis and is allocated to all D.Cs and S.D.Os.
Villages covered under National Food Security Act 2013:
Out of the total 6465 villages from the S.E.C.C. 2011 database, 6427 villages are covered under National Food Security Act 2013. Some villages (38 Numbers) did not fall under National Food Security Act 2013. The reason is because the inhabitants of those villages are well-off and are excluded based on the Exclusion Parameters.
Identification of Households:
The list of beneficiaries identified under National Food Security Act 2013 is taken from the Socio Economic and Caste Census (S.E.C.C.) 2011 database by applying Exclusion Parameters. The Exclusion Parameters are different for rural and urban areas. For urban areas, Exclusion Parameters are taken from the Report of the Hashim Committee submitted to the Planning Commission in December 2012. For the rural areas, the Exclusion Parameters are taken from the Socio Economic and Caste Census Booklet for identifying the Below Poverty Line in Rural Areas issued by the Ministry of Rural Development in July 2011.
Women Empowerment:
The eldest woman of eighteen years of age or above will be head of the household for issue of ration card, and if not available, the eldest male member is to be the head of the household.
Grievance Redressal Mechanism:
- Tollfree Number 1967 is in place for citizens to lodge complaints or to find out information about the Department
- Citizens can also lodge their complaints online via Meghalaya Public Grievance Redressal and Monitoring System (megP.G.R.A.M.S.). The website is www.megpgrams.gov.in
- To address complaints from citizens, the Department has identified Grievance Redressal Officers and Assistant Grievance Redressal Officers at each District and Subdivision
An independent three-tier mechanism- District Grievance Redressal Officer (DGRO), State Food Commission and National Food Commission- to redress grievances relating to delivery of entitlements and related issues.
The Act provides for penalty to be imposed on public servants or authority, by the State and National Food Commission if found guilty of failing to comply with the relief recommended by the District Grievance Redressal Officer (DGRO).
Population Coverage
The population coverage is 50.87% for Urban and 77.79% for Rural. For Rural areas, the number of beneficiaries are 18,45,542 and for the Urban areas, the number of beneficiaries are 3,03,485. The total population coverage is 21,49,027.