Ration to Old Age Homes : Antyodaya Anna Yojana Households and the Priority Households
LOK SABHA
RATION TO OLD AGE HOMES
1749. SHRI ANTO ANTONY
Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government is providing ration under Food Security Act to the Old Age Homes and other such institutions in the country;
(b) if so, the details of number of such institutions and the expenditure incurred by the Government to provide rations to that institutions during the last eight years, year-wise and State-wise;
(c) whether the Government has withdrawn ration being provided under the Food Security Act to the old age homes and other such institutions;
(d) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
(e) whether the Government has received representations/requests to restore the facility to these organisations; and
(f) if so, the details and the steps taken by the Government in this regard?
(SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)
(a): The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) aims to provide food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity.
The Act provides for coverage of upto 75% of the rural and upto 50% of the urban population, i.e. about two-thirds of the total population of the country, for receiving foodgrains at highly subsidized prices of Rs.3/2/1 per kg for rice/ wheat/ coarsegrains respectively. Under the Act, there are two categories of beneficiaries – Antyodaya Anna Yojana Households and the Priority Households. While Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households that constitute the poorest of the poor are legally entitled to receive 35 kg of foodgrains per family per month, priority households are entitled to 5 kg per person per month.
In addition to this, the Act provides that pregnant women and lactating mothers and children in the age group of 6 months to 14 years are entitled to meals as per prescribed nutritional norms under Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Mid-Day Meal (MDM) schemes. Higher nutritional norms are prescribed for malnourished children upto 6 years of age.
Provision to provide ration to Old Age Homes and other such institutions is outside the purview of NFSA 2013. However, under welfare Institutions and Hostels Scheme for SC/ST/OBC, beggars homes, Hostels for SC/STs and backward classes students, homes for street children, destitute, neglected, delinquent and abundant children, juveniles, older persons, Nari Niketan etc. are provided food grains at subsidized rates.
(b) to (f): Does not arise.
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