National Food Security Act,2013: Challenges in Securing Right to Food for the People (Recommendations of the Seminar)

Abstract

With 194 million people designated as food insecure, India has the world’s largest number of hungry people. Despite this inordinately high figure, the state till 2013 did not recognise the need for a law-based entitlement to food. It was in September 2013 that the National Food Security Act (NFSA) was enacted. Though a landmark legislation, and despite its life-cycle approach, the NFSA falls short of realising this objective due to lack of universalised coverage, non-inclusion of pulses and edible oils in the food basket, inadequate quantity of food grains provided in it and non-inclusion of entitlements of the homeless, destitute and disabled persons. With a change in the political regime and its overriding thrust on reducing fiscal deficit, there are apprehensions of entitlements and coverage getting reduced and food grains entitlement being replaced with cash transfer. Concerns exist about the inordinate delay in implementing the law as the tasks of framing rules and identifying beneficiaries, converting Integrated Child Development Scheme into a legal entitlement and redesigning Maternity Entitlement to incorporate universalisation and portability have not been accomplished. Taking into account these concerns, the Council for Social Development organised a national seminar to comprehensively discuss challenges faced by the NFSA in securing the Right to Food for millions of Indians who face food insecurity.