State Food Secretaries to review implementation of National Food Security Act

Food secretaries of 25 states and union territories, which have not yet started implementing the National Food Security Act, will meet here tomorrow to review the status of preparedness and progress in end-to-end computerization of the targeted public distribution system (TPDS).

Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan will preside over the conference.

The Act, which came into force from July 5, 2013, provided for a period of one year for identification of eligible households for receiving subsidized foodgrains, as per criteria which was also to be evolved by them.

However, as many states and union territories had not completed the exercise of identification at the end of one year, the period had to be extended first by three months and then by another six months i.e. upto first week of April, 2015. They have been requested to complete the identification and ensure implementation of the Act in the extended period.

During the conference, apart from the status of preparedness to implement the Act, the food secretaries will review identification of eligible households through a participative and transparent process and computerisation of PDS in a time-bound manner.

The last review took place on December 3, 2014, an official release said.