The Food Minister has recently unveiled a plan that could potentially alter the landscape of food security in India. The ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme, set to be implemented by July 2020, is aimed at ensuring nationwide portability of food security benefits. This initiative stands to redefine welfare provisions for poor migrant workers across the country.
Key Features of the Scheme
At its core, the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme is designed to provide subsidized rice and wheat to poverty-stricken migrant laborers anywhere within India’s borders; however, there are certain conditions. For migrants to avail these benefits, they must have their ration cards linked to Aadhaar, India’s unique identity program. Furthermore, migrants would only be entitled to subsidies provided by the Central government – a rice subsidy at Rs. 3/kg and a wheat subsidy at Rs. 2/kg. State-specific subsidies will not carry over if the beneficiaries move to a different state.
With this system, the aim is to ensure that no indigent individual is denied access to subsidised grains.
The Infrastructure for Implementation
The ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme holds promise for effective implementation given the pre-existing infrastructure – 77% of all ration stores in India are equipped with PoS machines. Furthermore, more than 85% of individuals protected under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) have their ration cards linked to Aadhaar. For the remaining beneficiaries, the states have been granted an additional year to install PoS machines in the ration shops and fully implement the scheme.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Percentage of ration shops with PoS machines | 77% |
| Percent of NFSA beneficiaries with Aadhaar linked ration cards | 85% |
| Subsidized rate for rice | Rs. 3/kg |
| Subsidized rate for wheat | Rs. 2/kg |
The National Food Security Act (NFSA) and Its Role
The NFSA is instrumental in shaping the offensive against food insecurity. By guaranteeing access to basic food provisions for a healthy and active life, it maintains that food security is a global imperative characterized by stable, available, accessible, and utilizable food.
The concept of food security stems from the fundamental right to life as laid out in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. This right to life has been broadly interpreted to encompass living with dignity, which encapsulates the right to access food along with other basic necessities.
The enactment of the NFSA in 2013 signified a pivotal shift in the approach to food security, transitioning from a welfare orientation to a rights-based approach. It legally mandates up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population to receive subsidized food grains under the Targeted Public Distribution System.
