The centre has directed the state governments and union territories to provide subsidised foodgrains to all eligible disabled persons under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). The Union Food Ministry wrote a letter in this regard to all concerned governments on August 23, 2020.
The centre directed the states/UTs to issue fresh ration cards for the eligible disabled persons not covered under the NFSA. The disabled persons who do not have ration cards will be covered under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Package scheme.
Under the National Food Security Act, the central government distributes highly subsidised foodgrains to more than 81 crore beneficiaries in the country. Under the scheme, each beneficiary gets up to 5 kg of foodgrains at a rate of Rs 1-3 per kg.
Key Highlights
• The centre has directed all states/ UTs to ensure that all eligible disabled persons have been covered under the NFSA Act. The centre also asked the states to provide foodgrains to the eligible disabled persons not only under the NFSA but also under the PMGKAY scheme ( Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana).
• Under PMGKAY, the government is providing an additional 5 kg foodgrains to each NFSA beneficiary along with 1 kg pulses to beneficiary families free of cost. The scheme was implemented initially for three months till June but was later extended till November.
• The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana was introduced to provide support to the NFSA beneficiaries amid the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The centre further asked the states to cover disabled persons who do not have ration cards under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Package scheme. The scheme was launched during the COVID-19 lockdown for the period between May and June to mainly benefit the migrant workers.
• The Aatmanirbhar Bharat Package scheme is expected to end on August 31, 2020. With one week left, the centre has asked the states/ UTs to swiftly identify disable persons who do not have ration cards and include them as beneficiaries of the scheme.
• The Union Food Ministry’s letter mentioned that since the scheme had been launched in May 2020, it was presumed that all eligible beneficiaries without ration cards including the disabled should have been covered.
Disability one criteria to include beneficiaries under Antyodaya Anna Yojana: Food Ministry
The Ministry said in its letter that “disability” is one of the criteria to include beneficiaries under AAY households, as disabled persons are vulnerable sections of the society. The Antyodaya Anna Yojana is a centrally sponsored scheme, which aims to provide highly subsidised food to the poorest families.
The Ministry advised that disabled persons should also be covered by states/UTs under the priority households as per the identification criteria evolved by them.
Section 10 of the NFSA Act provides for coverage of persons under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) as per the guidelines applicable to the said scheme and the remaining households as priority households in accordance with the guidelines specified by the state governments.
The ration provided so far has been used by the states to distribute to eligible beneficiaries without ration cards including the disabled. All the states have been requested to undertake proactive steps in this regard.
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