Food Security is a fundamental concept defined as the state where all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for an active and healthy life. In India, this concept was institutionalized by the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, an Act of Parliament signed into law on September 12, 2013, retroactive to July 5, 2013. The historical concern for food security in India dates back to events like the Bengal Famine in 1943. The NFSA was created to solve the problem of food insecurity by shifting the approach from a welfare measure to a rights-based approach, transforming the right to food into a legal entitlement. This legal right is connected to the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.
The Act works by legally entitling up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population to subsidized food grains through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). Priority Households (PHH) are entitled to 5 kg of food grains per person per month, while the poorest Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households receive 35 kg per household per month. The original subsidized prices were fixed at ₹3/kg for rice, ₹2/kg for wheat, and ₹1/kg for coarse grains. The NFSA also mandates a maternity benefit of not less than ₹6,000 for pregnant women and lactating mothers.
The NFSA connects directly to the TPDS, the Midday Meal Scheme (now PM-POSHAN), and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is the central agency responsible for procurement and storage. A key mechanism is the establishment of a grievance redressal system and State Food Commissions for monitoring. The Act has recently changed: the subsidized prices of ₹3/2/1 per kg were replaced by a provision for free foodgrains for NFSA beneficiaries for a period, with the Union Government bearing the entire cost. This change, which made the foodgrains free of cost to the beneficiary, followed the discontinuation of the COVID-19 relief scheme, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY).