Answer of the day(NFSA)

Q-1. MMR and IMR ratio of India is 167 and 40 respectively.To improve this status, India has passed National Food Security Act(NFSA), which is still fought with issues in implementation. What are the issues involved with its implementation, role of state in its implementation and way to improve the outcome of the act?

Framework of the answer-

1.Introduction with What is NFSA and How it is helpful in reducing IMR and MMR

2.Issues with implementation

3.Role of states in its implementation

4.Way to improve outcome

5.Conclusion with How improvement in NFSA will benefit society, govt and economy in just 1-2 line.

India with a population of 1.2 billion is home to quarter of undernourished population of the world, as per FAO.

           This make availability of food necessary to masses, which is aimed to achieve through National Food Security Act,2013 by providing subsidies food grains to 2/3rd of population. It convert into legal entitlement the existing food security programme like Mid day meal, Integrated Child development Service

But act is facing implementation issue in following ways

1.Limited resources--Soil due to soil erosion(53% of land in india is effected by soil erosion), Water(depleting water table, irrigation-only 35% agricultural land is irrigated in india) etc

2.exponentially increasing population----India's pop is increasing at rate of 1.2% as compared to .5% of china and .7% of US

3.lack of infrastructure(access to market, connectivity to farm, road connectivity, storage capacity etc are lacking, no end to end computerisation by shanta kumar committee)

4.operational inefficiencies-----Centralised procurement by FCI is not operational productI've and no pro-active liquidation policy for buffer stock----by shanta kumar committee

5.poor performance of the PDS(leakage in PDS is around 40-50% , role of PDS dealer, inclusion and exclusion error, lack of transparency, monitoring and control mechanism associated with PDS)

6.implementation by states-directIves in Swaraj Abhayan Case state thatbswveral statesbhave not met the key requirement of the act like Grievance redressal mechanism and state food Commission not setup or setup only in name

7.political will is lacking

Role of state in implementation of NFSA

1.Identification of household

2.Grievance redressal mechanism at state and district level

3.Penalty on public servant and authority by State Food Commission

4.Set-up State Food Commission for monitoring and review of act

Way to improve outcome of NFSA

1.end to end computerization of PDS

2.scientific identification of priority househilds

3.Agriculture and Biotechnology intervention like Bt crops etc

3.decentralized procurement by FCI--Shanta Committee

4.Augmentation of storage capacity by silos, cold storage chain

5.national policy on handling, transportation and storage

6.promotion of agriculture society of farmers

7.DBT, food coupons and BAPU(Biometric Authenticated Physical Upgrade) at PDS end.

8.flexible targeting according to specific time

With better implementation of NFSA our demographic dividend can be realised, india can become really a superpower by empowering its people and governance system would be improved with reduced corruption in distribution system.