food security act an analysis

National Food Security Act:An Analysis

Dr. D. Narasimha Reddy

Chetana SocietyPresented at National Seminar on “Food security and Food Production: Institutional Challenges in Governance Domain”, 31st October – 1st November, 2013, Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi


Act: Objective

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.


Act: Who gets?

• Percentage by central govt. based on census• 75% rural, 50% urban coverage

• State government to determine within this percentage

• Families under AAY – 35 kgs per family• Priority HH under TPDS


Act: How much?

5 kgs per person at subsidised prices

35 kgs per family AAY

Subsidised prices (for a period of three years)

Max.rs 3 per kg for rice Max rs. 2 per kg for wheat Max Rs.1 per kg for coarse grains

Subsidised prices, not exceeding MSP


Food Security Policies

Integrated Child Development Services

National Maternity Benefit Scheme

Mid-Day Meal Scheme

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

Antyodaya Anna Yojana

Targeted Public Distribution System

National Old Age Pension Scheme


Food Security Policies

Annapurna

National Family Benefit Scheme

National Food Security Mission

National Horticultural Mission

National Food Security Act


Human Life-cycle Approach

Pregnant women

Mother’s close to delivery

Child is born

Child in school

Adolescent girls


Human Life-cycle Approach

Adulthood

Adult gets old

Adult’s premature death

Aged 11 – 18 years!


Institutional design

State Food Commissions any commissionJoint State Food Commission

District grievance redressal officer

Vigilance Committees


Obligations: Central government

Procure grains for the central pool Allocate required quantity from central pool to

States (As per no. of identified persons by each State)

Provide for transportation provide assistance to the State Government in

meeting the expenditure create and maintain required modern and

scientific storage facilities


Obligations: State government

Identification of eligible personsImplementation and monitoring Implementing different schemes Can devise any more schemes Take delivery of grains Ensure actual delivery of grains If not, ensure food security allowance in cash


Obligations: Local authorities

Proper Implementation of the Act

State government can assign new responsibilities


Provisions for advancing food security (Schedule III)

Revitalisation of Agriculture agrarian reforms through measures for securing interests of small

and marginal farmers; increase in investments in agriculture, including research and

development, extension services, micro and minor irrigation and power to

increase productivity and production; ensuring livelihood security to farmers by way of remunerative

prices, access to inputs, credit, irrigation, power, crop insurance, etc.;

prohibiting unwarranted diversion of land and water from food production.



Procurement, storage and movement Incentivising decentralised procurement Geographical diversification of procurement Augmentation of storage (adequate, modern,

scientific, decentralised) Giving top priority to movement (railway

rakes)



Others… safe and adequate drinking water and sanitation health care nutritional, health and education support to

adolescent girls adequate pensions for senior citizens, persons

with disability and single women.


Questions and Concerns

What happens if it is not implemented?

Why a Act, and why not a scheme?

Too much of flexibility? Rules become important

Who has the liability?

Financial management – releases, approvals

Maintenance of records



Price determination by whom? What is the process of price determination?

Dynamism in eligibility – not institutionalised

Why not decentralised food security systems?

What about quality? No clauses/provisions on quality



No provision on food diversity

Provisions for protecting biodiversity? Or no reference to biodiversity


Threats

High flexibility in the Act

WTO Doha Round

National Foreign Trade Policy

Climate change and disasters

Political will

Institutional lethargy

Mismatch between 5Y Plan and NFSA


Scope

Framing rules

Food security policy

Involvement of gram panchayats


Thank

You

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