Centre Admits Plans to Revise AAY Foodgrain Entitlement; Attempt to Dilute Food Security Guarantees

New Delhi: The Centre has admitted plans to change the foodgrain entitlement for beneficiaries of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), replacing the existing household-based allocation with a per-person entitlement, according to a reply tabled in the Rajya Sabha by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

The issue was raised by Rajya Sabha MP Dr John Brittas, who, in a statement, alleged that the proposed amendment would dilute the food security guarantee available to the country's poorest households under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

According to the ministry's reply, the government admitted that it is planning to replace the current entitlement of 35 kg of foodgrains per AAY household per month with 7 kg per person per month, subject to a maximum ceiling of 35 kg per household. The Centre said the proposed change aims to ensure "equitable distribution", bring "uniformity" in foodgrain allocation and address "intra-category inequities" by shifting from a household-based system to a per-capita model.

Brittas, however, argued that the proposal would reduce the foodgrain allocation for lakhs of beneficiary families. He said a three-member household, which currently receives 35 kg of foodgrains every month, would receive only 21 kg under the revised formula, while a four-member family would be entitled to 28 kg. He also pointed out that larger families would continue to receive only 35 kg because of the proposed household ceiling, despite being eligible for a higher quantity on a per-capita basis.

The proposal specifically disadvantages southern States, where sustained investments in family planning have resulted in smaller family sizes.

At a time when India continues to report widespread malnutrition and food insecurity among vulnerable sections, the Centre has chosen to redefine entitlements in a manner that effectively reduces the guaranteed food support available to the poorest households.

The Centre's defence of the proposal rests on a deeply misplaced notion of equality – Equalise poverty; a philosophy that if people are poor, they should all be equally poor, instead of ensuring that every vulnerable household receives adequate food security.