Tamil Nadu drew lower quantity of rice than its share under Antyodaya Anna  Yojana in five of the last seven years

Tamil Nadu has drawn less rice under the public distribution system than the quota allocated to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cardholders in five of the last seven years. In this context, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to overturn the existing provision is important.

In five years (2019-20 to 2025-26), during the COVID-19 pandemic year (2020-21), the offtake was almost close to the allocated figure of around 6.99 lakh tonnes at around 98%. In the remaining four years, it increased from around 73% in 2022-23 and 2023-24 to 79% in 2024-25. In just two years (2019-20 and 2025-26), usage exceeded the allocated amount, approaching 108%.

free supply

Between 2020 and 2023, the Union government introduced Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) to provide free food grains in addition to regular allocation due to the pandemic. During those years, Tamil Nadu faced criticism that the Union government had used free foodgrains more than its normal allocation, as rice was then supplied to the State at ₹ 3 per kg for AAY and priority household (PHH) cards.

Since January 1, 2023, the Union government has not charged any fee for rice for the two categories of cards. The distribution period of free food grains, whose arrangement is called PMGKAY, has been extended for five years starting from January 1, 2024.

In a recent letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. Vijay appealed to the Center to maintain the existing monthly entitlement of 35 kg of food grains for every household under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), irrespective of family size, as has been the practice since the National Food Security Act (NFSA) came into force in 2013.

Change suggested

The amendment proposed by the Center aims to provide 7 kg per person per month, subject to the general ceiling of 35 kg per household. Mr. Vijay understood that the move, if implemented, would “reduce food security” for around 70 lakh of the most vulnerable people in the state and result in a reduction in the monthly quota from 65,261 tonnes to around 42,040 tonnes.

Inquiries with field officials reveal that many undeserving people have been added to the list of AAY beneficiaries over the years. These need to be sorted out and a study is ongoing. As of now, there are 18,64,600 AAY ration cards covering 69,26,983 beneficiaries. Of these, the number of AAY card holders with family size below 5 is 15.75 lakh and 58.51 lakh beneficiaries.

Abuse coverage

A former policymaker who has dealt with the food issue for a long time feels that the Centre’s move is well-intentioned as the existing 35 kg entitlement for AAY ration card irrespective of the size of the family creates enormous scope for misuse and it is almost impossible for the authorities to stop it.

T. Sadagopan, president of Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Centre, suggests fixing the amount at 30 kg per family, irrespective of the number of family members, as the average family size in the state is around 3.5.

Food Minister P. Venkataramanan’s response is awaited.