The Proposed Reset: National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026

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Context: Leading public health and nutrition experts—including Dr. Soumya Swaminathan and Dr. V. Mohan—jointly highlighted the policy implications of the draft National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

About The Proposed Reset: National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026

What it is?

• The proposed reset aims to resolve structural inequities between individual and household entitlements under the NFSA. Currently, Priority Households (PHH) receive 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month, whereas Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households (the poorest of the poor) receive a flat quota of 35 kg per household per month.

Key Features of the Draft National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026:

• Amends NFSA, 2013: Proposes to amend the first proviso to Section 3(1) of the National Food Security Act, 2013.
• Per-Person AAY Entitlement: Every person belonging to an Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) household will be entitled to 7 kg of foodgrains per month.
• 35-kg Household Ceiling: The total entitlement of an AAY household will be capped at 35 kg per month, irrespective of household size.
• Shift from Household to Individual Basis: Replaces the existing uniform 35 kg per household entitlement with a per-person allocation, subject to the overall ceiling.
• Addressing Intra-Category Inequity: Seeks to correct disparities under which smaller AAY households receive more foodgrain per capita than larger households.
• Rational & Nutrition-Linked Allocation: Aims to provide a more rational distribution of foodgrains and better align entitlements with individual nutritional requirements.
• Government-Determined Implementation: The extent of AAY coverage will continue to be specified by the Central Government for each State, while the amendment will take effect from a date notified in the Official Gazette.

Key Data & Statistics:

• Drop in Healthy Diet Inaffordability: Household consumption surveys indicate that the share of Indian households unable to afford the ICMR-NIN recommended healthy diet fell from ~52% in 2011–12 to ~25% in 2023–24.
• Impact of Draft Proposal on Small Households: In Tamil Nadu, 84.5% of AAY households (15.75 lakh out of 18.64 lakh) have fewer than 5 members. Capping their entitlement at 7 kg/person would reduce the state’s monthly AAY allocation by 35.6% (from 65,261 to 42,040 tonnes).
• Outdated Population Ceiling: The NFSA beneficiary ceiling remains capped at 81.35 crore people based on the 2011 Census. Against an estimated 2025 population of 146.4 crore, the current system covers only 55.6% of the population, falling short of the intended statutory targets (75% rural and 50% urban).
• Double Burden of Malnutrition (NFHS-6 & ICMR-INDIAB Data):
  • Under-5 stunting fell to 29.3%, but child wasting (19.0%) and underweight rates (31.8%) remain largely stagnant.
  • Only ~15% of infants (6–23 months) receive a minimally adequate diet.
  • Over 101 million Indians have diabetes and 136 million have prediabetes.
• Carbohydrate Intake & Glycemic Risk: The ICMR-INDIAB study revealed that carbohydrates supply 62.3% of daily energy nationally (versus 12% from protein). Adults with the highest carbohydrate intake face 30% higher odds of developing type 2 diabetes.

Key Issues & Concerns Surrounding the Amendment:

• The Small Household Vulnerability Trap: Capping AAY allocations at 7 kg per person disproportionately penalizes small households consisting of single elderly individuals, widows, or persons with disabilities who heavily rely on the full 35 kg quota.
• Stagnant Beneficiary Ceilings: Delaying the recalculation of beneficiary ceilings until the post-2026/2027 Census excludes millions of eligible rural and urban poor who have entered the population since 2011.
• Cereal-Centric Over-Reliance: Providing carbohydrates alone fails to reverse wasting, micronutrient deficiencies, and NCD risks. ICMR-NIN 2024 guidelines recommend that cereals/millets supply at most 45% of total daily energy, with the remainder coming from pulses, milk, vegetables, and fats.
• Digital Authentication & Last-Mile Friction: Biometric failures on Electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices or lack of offline workarounds risk denying food access to elderly and mobile beneficiaries.

Recommendations & The Way Forward:

• Enforce an Explicit No-Loss Safeguard: Ensure that any revised per-person formula preserves the existing 35 kg  monthly baseline for all AAY households, treating support above 35 kg for larger households as a separate entitlement.
• Separately Budget and Finance Dietary Diversification: Expand the Public Distribution System (PDS) basket to include subsidized pulses, local millets, and healthy edible oils without reducing cereal allocations.
• Recalculate Coverage Ceilings Post-Census: Update NFSA beneficiary limits using the 2027 Census figures and revised deprivation criteria to eliminate exclusion errors.
• Leverage PDS Outlets for NCD Screening & Awareness: Use Fair Price Shops to distribute multilingual nutrition information and voluntarily link beneficiaries to local Ayushman Arogya Mandirs for diabetes and hypertension screenings.
• Strengthen Last-Mile Delivery Protocols: Enforce reliable offline authentication mechanisms, assisted delivery, and doorstep delivery for mobility-impaired individuals to guarantee dignified access.

Conclusion:

Resetting the National Food Security Act provides an opportunity to transition from basic calorie security to holistic nutrition security. Preserving the 35 kg AAY baseline while separately funding dietary diversification ensures that India’s safety nets protect vulnerable families from both hunger and non-communicable diseases. Ultimately, the success of India’s food security policy must be evaluated not merely by the volume of grain distributed, but by whether every family can access a healthy diet with dignity.