Odisha was sentenced to the top of the list, followed by Uttar Pradesh in second place and Andhra Pradesh in third place among the General Category States in the NFSA’s State Ranking Index. Among the special regions / divisions, Tripura came first followed by Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim respectively. In addition, among the 3 UTs where Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) – Cash operates, Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu are ranked high in UT.
The Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Distribution, Fabric and Trade and Industry, Shri PiyushGoyal unveiled the first version of the ‘State Ranking Index of the NFSA’ during the Ministerial Conference on Food, Food and Security in India. ‘organized by the Department of Food and Distribution here today. Ms Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Distribution and Rural Development and DFPD Secretary, Shri Sudhanshu Pandey and the Minister of Food and senior regional officials were present at the day’s conference.
This “State ranking Index for the NFSA” seeks to document the status and progress of the implementation of the NFSA and various reform programs across the country, after consultation with the provinces. It highlights the changes made by States and UTs and creates a diverse learning environment and measures to enhance the development of all provinces and union areas. The current Index is heavily focused on NFSA Distribution and will include purchases, PMGKAY Distribution in the future. The provincial and UT measurement index is built on three key pillars that include the implementation of the NFSA end-to-end TPDS. These pillars are: i) The NFSA— Coordination, guidance and provisions of the Act, ii) Delivery forum, and iii) Nutrition programs. A detailed list of Nations is in Appendix I.
The National Food Security Act (NFSA) was enacted on July 5, 2013 and to mark the day, the conference was scheduled to discuss and discuss food security, food security, best practices in the distribution system, crop diversity, changes in PDS and the storage sector.
Speaking at the event, Shri Goyal said India is now 100% connected under the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC). He filled in the blanks for His Excellency the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi by visualizing this devastating move and all those involved. He said 45 crore reforms have been taken so far to give the beneficiaries the freedom to collect a share in any State / UT in the country. He said during COVID, ONORC supported immigrants.
Shri Goyal said going forward, the digital input system, which is linked to Aadhaar Public Distribution, will be used to issue an Ayushman Bharat card. He pointed out that Uttar Pradesh was using the system to issue an Ayushman Bharat card. He urged other provinces to consider the plan to provide nutritious food security as well as health safety. He said immunization of migrant children could also be linked to the program to ensure a medical facility in them.
Commenting on food aid to the provinces, Shri Goyal announced that the deadline for submitting pending claims claims for the year 2019-20 is August 15, 2022. He also stressed that no fees will be enjoyed after the deadline. He added that pending States / UTs debts that will finalize audited accounts with supporting documents by August 15, 2022, will be written off within 60 days (October 15, 2022). However, States / UTs will provide information for the next 3 months (July-Sept 2022), their debts will be paid on January 31, 2023. And States / UTs will be longer than that, will not be charged any interest.
He added that funding applications were pending not because funds were not available at the Center, but because States / UTs did not provide the necessary details. As many participating countries / UTs expressed concern about the CAG audit delays, he instructed officials to contact the CAG to expedite the investigation. Add that all claims after April 2020, will be digitized. Shri Goyal said the absence of Telangana, Orissa, Jharkhand, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Nagaland provinces was a bad omen.
