Chattisgarh Food Security Act, 2012

Chattisgarh govt. has enacted the Chattisgarh Food Security Act. 2012 which provide for food entitlements to all (35kg per month) as below:

Type of Household	Hunger Need	Nutritional Need
Antyodaya Households (Poorest of Poor)	Rs. 1 per kg	Iodized salt- 2 kg Pulses 2kg@Rs. 10 Black Chana 2kg @ Rs. 5
Priority Households (BPL)	Rs. 2 per kg
General Households (APL)	Rs. 15 per kg

While the Centre has gone for a socio-economic caste census to identify the poor and is dithering on who would be the beneficiaries, the Chhattisgarh government has clearly stated that it was not fixing any percentage limits of beneficiaries and “will bear all additional costs’’.

Ø This act will provide the food security to 90% of state population

Ø Act says that the entitlements are based on the households not on individuals – whereas the central govt. PDS is based on person

Ø Going beyond the Centre’s definition of Antyodaya, the Chhattisgarh government has declared as “Antyodaya households” all families of vulnerable social groups-including

o   tribal groups

o   widows or single women

o   terminally ill persons

o   physically challenged persons

o   elderly-headed households with no assured means of subsistence

o   persons freed from bonded labor.

Ø Pregnant women, lactating mothers, malnourished children, children between six months and 14 years and all students in hostels or ashrams will get mandatory subsidised foodgrains