The National Food Security Act, 2013

(1) This Act may be called the National Food SecurityAct, 2013. (2) It extends to the whole of India. (3) Save as otherwise provided, it shall be deemed to have come into force on the 5th day of July,2013.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, (1) "anganwadi" means a child care and development center set up under the Integrated ChildDevelopment Services Scheme of the Central Government to render services covered under section 4,clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 5 and section 6; (2) "central pool" means the stock of food grains which is,-- (i) procured by the Central Government and the State Governments through minimumsupport price operations; (ii) maintained for allocations under the Targeted Public Distribution System, other welfareschemes, including calamity relief and such other schemes; (iii) kept as reserves for schemes referred to in sub-clause (ii); (3) "eligible households" means households covered under the priority households and theAntyodaya Anna Yojana referred to in sub-section (1) of section 3; (4) "fair price shop" means a shop which has been licensed to distribute essential commodities byan order issued under section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (10 of 1955), to the rationcard holders under the Targeted Public Distribution System; (5) "foodgrains" means rice, wheat or coarse grains or any combination thereof conforming tosuch quality norms as may be determined, by order, by the Central Government from time to time; (6) "food security" means the supply of the entitled quantity of foodgrains and meal specifiedunder Chapter II; (7) "food security allowance" means the amount of money to be paid by the concerned StateGovernment to the entitled persons under section 8; (8) "local authority" includes Panchayat, municipality, district board, cantonment board, townplanning authority and in the States of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripurawhere Panchayats do not exist, the village council or committee or any other body, by whatever namecalled, which is authorised under the Constitution or any law for the time being in force for self-governance or any other authority or body vested with the control and management of civic services,within a specified local area; (9) "meal" means hot cooked or pre-cooked and heated before its service meal or take homeration, as may be prescribed by the Central Government; (10) "minimum support" price means the assured price announced by the Central Government atwhich foodgrains are procured from farmers by the Central Government and the State Governmentsand their agencies, for the central pool; (11) "notification" means a notification issued under this Act and published in the OfficialGazette; (12) "other welfare schemes" means such Government schemes, in addition to the TargetedPublic Distribution System, under which foodgrains or meals are supplied as part of the schemes; (13) "person with disability" means a person defined as such in clause (t) of section 2 of thePersons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995(1 of 1996); (14) "priority households" means households identified as such under section 10; (15) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (16) "ration card" means a document issued under an order or authority of the State Governmentfor the purchase of essential commodities from the fair price shops under the Targeted PublicDistribution System; (17) "rural area" means any area in a State except those areas covered by any urban local body ora cantonment board established or constituted under any law for the time being in force; (18) "Schedule" means a Schedule appended to this Act; (19) "senior citizen" means a person defined as such under clause (h) of section 2 of theMaintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 (56 of 2007); (20) "social audit" means the process in which people collectively monitor and evaluate theplanning and implementation of a programme or scheme; (21) "State Commission" means the State Food Commission constituted under section 16; (22) "State Government", in relation to a Union territory, means the Administrator thereofappointed under article 239 of the Constitution; (23) "Targeted Public Distribution System" means the system for distribution of essentialcommodities to the ration card holders through fair price shops; (24) "Vigilance Committee" means a committee constituted under section 29 to supervise theimplementation of all schemes under this Act; (25) the words and expressions not defined here but defined in the Essential Commodities Act,1955 (10 of 1955), or any other relevant Act shall have the meaning respectively assigned to them inthose Acts.

(1) Every person belonging to priority households,identified under sub-section (1) of section 10, shall be entitled to receive five kilograms of foodgrains perperson per month at subsidised prices specified in Schedule I from the State Government under theTargeted Public Distribution System: Provided that the households covered under Antyodaya Anna Yojana shall, to such extent as may bespecified by the Central Government for each State in the said scheme, be entitled to thirty-five kilogramsof foodgrains per household per month at the prices specified in Schedule I: Provided further that if annual allocation of foodgrains to any State under the Act is less than theaverage annual off take of foodgrains for last three years under normal Targeted Public DistributionSystem, the same shall be protected at prices as may be determined by the Central Government and theState shall be allocated foodgrains as specified in Schedule IV. Explanation.For the purpose of this section, the "Antyodaya Anna" Yojana means, the scheme bythe said name launched by the Central Government on the 25th day of December, 2000; and as modifiedfrom time to time. (2) The entitlements of the persons belonging to the eligible households referred to in sub-section (1)at subsidised prices shall extend up to seventy-five per cent. of the rural population and up to fifty percent. of the urban population. (3) Subject to sub-section (1), the State Government may provide to the persons belonging to eligiblehouseholds, wheat flour in lieu of the entitled quantity of foodgrains in accordance with such guidelinesas may be specified by the Central Government.

Subject to such schemes asmay be framed by the Central Government, every pregnant woman and lactating mother shall be entitledto (a) meal, free of charge, during pregnancy and six months after the child birth, through the localanganwadi, so as to meet the nutritional standards specified in Schedule II; and (b) maternity benefit of not less than rupees six thousand, in such instalments as may beprescribed by the Central Government: Provided that all pregnant women and lactating mothers in regular employment with the CentralGovernment or State Governments or Public Sector Undertakings or those who are in receipt ofsimilar benefits under any law for the time being in force shall not be entitled to benefits specified inclause (b).

(1) Subject to the provisions contained in clause (b), everychild up to the age of fourteen years shall have the following entitlements for his nutritional needs,namely: (a) in the case of children in the age group of six months to six years, age appropriate meal, freeof charge, through the local anganwadi so as to meet the nutritional standards specified in ScheduleII: Provided that for children below the age of six months, exclusive breast feeding shall bepromoted; (b) in the case of children, up to class VIII or within the age group of six to fourteen years,whichever is applicable, one mid-day meal, free of charge, everyday, except on school holidays, in allschools run by local bodies, Government and Government aided schools, so as to meet the nutritionalstandards specified in Schedule II. (2) Every school, referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (1), and anganwadi shall have facilities forcooking meals, drinking water and sanitation: Provided that in urban areas facilities of centralised kitchens for cooking meals may be used,wherever required, as per the guidelines issued by the Central Government.