Here's a comprehensive summary of the National Food Security Act, 2013:
The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA 2013), signed into Indian law on September 12, 2013, is a landmark act designed to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two-thirds of India's population. It transforms existing government initiatives, such as the Public Distribution System (PDS), Midday Meal Scheme, and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), into legal entitlements for beneficiaries.
Under the NFSA, eligible individuals receive 5 kilograms of cereals per person per month at highly subsidized prices: rice at ₹3/kg, wheat at ₹2/kg, and coarse grains at ₹1/kg, with Antyodaya households receiving 35 kg per month. Crucially, the Act also introduced universal maternity entitlements for the first time, later operationalized as the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana in 2017. Additionally, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children aged 6 months to 14 years are entitled to daily free meals through the ICDS and Midday Meal schemes. This legislation significantly advanced food and nutritional security by establishing these crucial provisions as legal rights for a vast segment of the Indian populace.