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Only half of the targeted beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) have been identified by States and Union Territories so far, according to an audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Old databases of beneficiaries are still in use in these regions, the CAG found.
It has directed the Centre to assure itself that the States/UTs have identified beneficiaries by following transparent processes before allowing them revised and enhanced entitlements.
“In Bihar, for instance, Group D government employees have been identified as beneficiaries under the scheme. Now, you cannot have government employees enrolled under a scheme targeted for the poor,” pointed out Rakesh Jain, Deputy CAG, at a press meet on Friday.
The NFSA, which came into effect from July 5 2013, aims to provide foodgrains to 81.34 crore beneficiaries — 75 per cent rural and 50 per cent urban population as per Census 2011 — at highly subsidised rates.
Horse before the cart? As per the CAG report, only 18 States/UTs are reported to have begun implementation of NFSA. In many of them, the identification of beneficiaries is not complete, and yet the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has allotted them the revised allocation of foodgrains.
Most of the implementing States did not identify the Antyodaya Anna Yojana and priority household beneficiaries as per the provisions of the NFSA, but used the old database of beneficiaries, the report observed.
The ineligible get food In Himachal Pradesh, 6.9 lakh old ration cards were stamped as priority household and AAY households and re-issued as NFSA compliant. In Karnataka, 8.90 lakh bogus and ineligible ration cards were found (June 2015) during the seeding of voter identity card details. Instead of cancelling these bogus ration cards, the State continued to issue foodgrains to them.
In Maharashtra, the ration cards were revalidated by merely affixing stamps on the existing ration cards under different categories.
The delay in the implementation of NFSA in some States/UTs was blamed on non-finalisation of figures under Socio Economic Caste Census, lack of infrastructural facilities and insufficient funds and manpower.
Parliamentary nod As there is no enabling provision in the NFSA, the Centre should obtain Parliament approval for extending the timeline (which has already been thrice extended without approval) laid down for its implementation.
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