Food Security Act: How are India’s poorest states faring? -Jean Drèze, Prankur Gupta, Reetika Khera and Isabel Pimenta

-Ideas for India

The National Food Security Act was passed in 2013. This column reports findings from a recent survey on the status of the Act in six of India’s poorest states. Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal are doing quite well - the PDS is in good shape and most people are covered; however, Bihar and Jharkhand are yet to complete essential PDS reforms.

A survey of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) was conducted during 1-10 June 2016 by student volunteers in six of India’s poorest states: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. In each state, investigators went from house to house in six randomly-selected villages spread over two districts and enquired about people’s ration cards, PDS (Public Distribution System) purchases, and related matters. About 3,600 households were covered – further details are given here along with a brief introduction to the NFSA.

As expected, Chhattisgarh emerged as the leading state in food security matters. Chhattisgarh enacted its own Food Security Act in December 2012, and implemented it without delay. Prior to that, the state had carried out extensive PDS reforms. Today, Chhattisgarh has a well-functioning, near-universal PDS which guarantees 7 kgs of foodgrains (more than the NFSA’s 5 kgs norm) per person per month to rural households along with some pulses and fortified salt. Most of the sample households were receiving their full entitlements without fail.

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