Free Foodgrains Scheme:
The Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution issued a notification to provide free foodgrains (rice, wheat and coarse grains) to all eligible households under the National Food Security Act, 2013, for one year from January 1, 2023.
- The government, however, discontinued the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.
- Coarse cereals are traditionally grown in resource-poor agro-climatic regions of the country.
- Agro-climatic zone is a land unit in terms of major climates suitable for a certain range of crops and cultivars.
- Sorghum, pearl millet, maize, barley, finger millet and several small millets such as kodo millet, little millet, foxtail millet, proso millet and barnyard millet together called coarse cereals.
- Sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, maize and small millet (barnyard millet, proso millet, kodo millet and foxtail millet) are also called nutri-cereals.
- Coarse cereals are known for their nutri-rich content and having characteristics like drought tolerance, photo-insensitivity and resilient to climate change etc.
NFSA:
- Notified On 10th September, 2013.
- Objective:
- To provide for food and nutritional security in the human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantities of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity.
- 75% of the rural population and upto 50% of the urban population for receiving subsidised foodgrains under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
- Eligibility: Priority Households are to be covered under TPDS, according to guidelines by the State government.
- Households are covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana.
