States can add 22.7 million more beneficiaries under Food Act: Centre

The Centre tells Parliament that states and Union Territories have identified 790.8 million beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act against the intended coverage of 813.5 million people

State governments still have the scope to identify around 22.7 million more beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) against the intended coverage of 813.5 million people, based on the 2011 Census, as states have so far identified only 790.8 million people, the Centre said in a written reply in Parliament on Wednesday.

 

The NFSA provides for coverage of up to 75 per cent of the rural population and up to 50 per cent of the urban population, which, based on the 2011 Census, totals 813.5 million people.

 

"The coverage under the Act is substantially high to ensure that all vulnerable and needy sections of society benefit. The states and Union Territories have identified only 790.8 million persons as on July 8, 2026, against the intended coverage of 813.5 million persons, which means that there is still scope for identification of 22.7 million rore more beneficiaries under the NFSA," Minister of State for Food Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya said.

 

 

Under the NFSA, identification of beneficiaries within the coverage determined for each state and the issuance of ration cards are the responsibility of the respective state governments. The minister said the Centre has issued advisories to all states from time to time to identify all eligible poor persons and households, including vulnerable sections of society, for inclusion under the NFSA.

 

"States undertake updating their beneficiary database so that ineligible ration cards are deleted, ensuring better targeting of rightful beneficiaries. Thus, the deletion of ineligible beneficiaries and the addition of eligible beneficiaries under the Act is a continuous process," the reply said.

 

The Centre provides 5 kg of free foodgrains per person every month under the NFSA, which has now been rechristened as the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).