India: Farmer Welfare/Food Security

India’s Comprehensive Strategy to Achieve Food and Nutritional Equity for 810 Million Citizens

Dual Strategies for Achieving Food Security

India’s approach to food and nutritional security is based on two primary pillars:

1. Enhancing agricultural productivity to ensure the availability of sufficient food. Ensuring equitable distribution by providing affordable and nutritious food to vulnerable populations.

This comprehensive framework maintains food security through both increased production and equitable access, facilitated by legal entitlements and targeted delivery mechanisms.

1. Strengthening Agricultural Production

National Food Security & Nutrition Mission (NFSNM)

The National Food Security Mission (NFSM), launched in 2007–08, has undergone significant evolution over subsequent years.

Key interventions include the expansion of cultivated area, improvement of crop productivity, restoration of soil fertility, and enhancement of soil health.

• Promotion and adoption of certified seed varieties, implementation of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies.
• Capacity building for farmers through structured seasonal training programs.

2. Equitable Distribution: National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013

Legal Entitlements Covering Approximately Two-Thirds of the Population

• The Act covers 75 percent of the rural population and 50 percent of the urban population, totaling approximately 813.5 million individuals.
• The financial outlay for 2024 to 2029 is ₹11.80 lakh crore, fully funded by the central government.
• As of October 2025, the scheme benefits 789 million individuals.

Nutritional Interventions

• Pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children (6 months–14 years) receive meals under ICDS and PM POSHAN.
• A maternity benefit of ₹6,000 is provided to support nutrition and compensate for wage loss.

3. Delivery Backbone: Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS)

Roles and Responsibilities:

4. Beneficiary Categories

The scheme targets the poorest households, including Antyodaya households, widows, elderly, disabled without support, primitive tribal groups, and BPL families with HIV-positive members.

• • Widows, elderly, disabled without support
  • Primitive tribal groups
  • BPL families with HIV-positive members

Priority Households (PHH)

• Vulnerable families identified by state governments.

Identification Process: Ongoing removal of fake/ineligible cards under TPDS Control Order, 2015.

5. Special Initiatives Supporting NFSA

a. Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)

• The scheme was introduced in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• It provides free food grains to all beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
• Extended till 2029 with full central funding.
• Budget: ₹11.80 lakh crore.

b. Rice Fortification Initiative

• The initiative distributes rice fortified with iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12.
• Phased implementation:
  • Phase I: ICDS/PM POSHAN
  • Phase II: 269 aspirational districts (TPDS)
  • Phase III: Nationwide TPDS
• By March 2024, all central government schemes are mandated to distribute only fortified rice.

Beneficiaries receive a cash amount equivalent to the subsidy value of food grains.

• The scheme is implemented in Chandigarh, Puducherry, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (DNH&DD).

d. One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC)

• 81 crore beneficiaries can access rations from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) nationwide.
• As of October 2025, there have been 1.91 billion portability transactions under the scheme.

Nutritional Schemes for Children and Women: Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)

• The scheme serves children aged six to fifty-nine months, pregnant and lactating women, and adolescent girls.
• Supplementary nutrition is provided through Take-Home Rations (THR) and hot cooked meals.
• For the fiscal year 2024–25, 2.646 million metric tonnes of food grains have been allocated.

PM POSHAN (SHAKTI NIRMAN)

• The scheme provides mid-day meals to government school students under the age of fourteen.
• In fiscal year 2024–25, 2.296 million metric tonnes of food grains have been allocated.

7. Modernisation of PDS

Digital Reforms in the Public Distribution System

Key Digital Tools:

• The Mera Ration 2.0 application provides real-time entitlement data and a Fair Price Shop locator.
• The Anna Mitra application facilitates stock management and inspection processes.
• By December 2025, the SMART-PDS initiative will achieve full technological integration for procurement, distribution, and electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC) processes.

8. Procurement & Distribution: Supporting Farmers and Stocks

Procurement Highlights:

Foodgrain Stock (as on 1 July 2025)

9. Open Market Sales Scheme – Domestic (OMSS-D)

• Surplus food grains are sold in the open market to stabilize prices.
• Bharat Atta and Bharat Rice have been introduced to make staple foods available to general consumers.
• This initiative contributes to food security beyond the Public Distribution System (PDS).

Key Charts & Infographics

1. Annual Foodgrain Allocation under NFSA

• A significant increase in allocation occurred in 2024–25 as a result of pandemic recovery measures.

2. Paddy and Wheat Procurement Across Seasons

• Paddy procurement levels are substantially higher than those for wheat, primarily due to broader geographic coverage and greater dependence on irrigation.

3. Beneficiaries Over Years

• Slight decline due to ongoing clean-up of ineligible/fake cards via digitisation.

India’s food security model demonstrates the integration of agricultural capacity and distribution equity. Programs such as NFSA, PMGKAY, and NFSNM help ensure that over 810 million citizens receive adequate food, support farmers, address malnutrition, and increase transparency through technology.