A summit of the state food ministers on the food and nutrition security of India saw the publication of the State Ranking Index for NFSA 2022 by Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal.
State Ranking Index for National Food Security on three key parameters :
- NFSA— Coverage, targeting and provisions of the Act,
- Delivery platform, and
- Nutrition initiatives
Top 3 states
- Rank 01 : Odisha (0.836)
- Rank 02 : Uttar Pradesh (0.797)
- Rank 03 : Andhra Pradesh (0.794)
Top 3 in a special category
Special category consists of the north-eastern states, Himalayan states, and island states.
- Rank 01 : Tripura
- Rank 02 : Himachal Pradesh
- Rank 03 : Sikkim
What is the National Food Security Act?
The fundamental idea behind food security is to guarantee that everyone has access to the necessities for an active and healthy life. It is characterized by the accessibility, consumption, and stability of food.
According to this law, up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population are eligible to receive subsidized food grains through the targeted public distribution system. It outlines the shared accountability of the federal and state governments. The centre is in charge of providing central assistance to states and UTs for the delivery of food grains, as well as allocating the necessary food grains to states and UTs, transporting those grains up to specified depots in each state and UT, and coordinating the transportation of those grains.
Identification of eligible households, ration card issuance, distribution of food grain entitlement to eligible households through fair price shops, license issuance to fair price shop dealers, oversight and establishment of an efficient grievance redressal mechanism, and necessary strengthening of the targeted public distribution system are all state responsibilities (TPDS).
Number #01 Odisha
As the top-ranked state in India, Odisha has transformed its food security tale into one that will serve as a model for the rest of the globe. Prior to 2000, the state was known for its hunger problems.
From importing rice from other states in the pre-2000 era, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s food security model has transformed Odisha into the No. 1 state in India’s food security domain.
The Patnaik-led state administration has effectively implemented the National Food Security Programme and provided food to 3.24 crore people in Odisha, in addition to more than doubling the state’s food grain production. Odisha is currently the third-largest rice supplier to India’s PDS system.
Naveen Patnaik was recently asked by the Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP) to discuss the transformative progress made by Odisha in bolstering livelihood and food security, focusing on marginalized populations and women in particular.
A key tool for ensuring food security is the NFSA.
Nearly 800 million people are covered by it.
However, the country has not always used the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) to implement the NFSA. In terms of coverage, beneficiary satisfaction, digitization, and overall system efficiency, some states and Union territories are in the lead while others have not yet caught up.
NFSA is essential in preventing hunger and preserving the nation’s food security. The report continued, “However, the unequal application of the Act throughout the States emphasized the need for a uniform framework to assess the efficacy and impact of NFSA-sponsored food security projects across all states and union territories.
The government said that while addressing issues of food security and poverty, the index was developed to foster competition, cooperation, and learning among nations.
It has also been established to increase transparency in the system by regularly publishing data that Indian and international organizations can use for their research and analysis as well as to publish trustworthy and standardized data in the public domain for citizens.