India, according to many Western countries, has always been addressed as a poor country. As seen in Western media for the longest time, India suffers from severe poverty, and children lack proper nutrients. But is it really true? To an extent, India still suffers from poverty, and there are still people who cannot afford a healthy meal thrice a day. India is a leading producer of various food products, including milk, rice, wheat, and more. Despite this, the people of various parts of India suffer from a lack of proper meals. This is due to the unequal distribution of food. It does not reach to every part of the country, thus causing deficiency. In addition to this, there are price fluctuations in essential food commodities and grains, including rice. This makes it difficult for people to purchase them during high inflation. To curb many such shortcomings, India passed the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in 2013, which addresses most of the significant issues concerning food. The NFSA divides its beneficiaries into 2: i) Priority Household and ii) Antyodaya Anna Yojana. The Antyodaya Anna Yojana households are those households headed by widows or, disabled persons or persons aged above 60 years of age. Each household is entitled to 5 kg of rice, free of cost, every month.
When it comes to wheat and pulses, they range from Rs. 2 to Rs. 5 per kg. These goods are distributed through the Targeted Public Distribution System. In 2022, it was recorded that there were around 81 crore beneficiaries under the NFSA. The Act explicitly mentions the obligations of the Central and State governments and the local authorities. The NFSA faces a few criticisms, including storage issues, the quality of the food grains as the price is way below the market value, the credibility of the Public Distribution System and their maintenance, etc. Although there are various setbacks, 24.82 crore Indians have come out of multidimensional poverty in the last decade, and the poverty ratios have decreased from 29.17% to 11.28%. This shows effective growth, and with a steady and sturdy execution of laws, India can reach better numbers.
Done By: Anoushka Samyuktha, B.A LL.B (Hons), LLM (Criminal Law), Junior Legal Consultant
For Origin Law Labs
