SHILLONG, AUG 28: Minister in-charge Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Comingone Ymbon on Wednesday informed that the state government has made repeated requests to the Centre for increasing the coverage under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) to accommodate the growing population of the state.
Replying to a call attention, Ymbon said, “Despite repeated requests by the State Government to increase the coverage under the NFSA to accommodate the growing population and address discrepancies such as those faced by Domtynrong village, the Government of India has maintained that any changes to the coverage would have to wait until the next census.”
He said despite these efforts and procedures completed, the inclusion of Domtynrong village in the NFSA beneficiary list has been hindered by the fixed allocation ceiling imposed by the Government of India.
“The Government of India has maintained that the state has already reached its NFSA ceiling based on the SECC 2011 data, and any changes to the coverage would have to wait until the next census and the delay in conducting the new census was compounded with COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
According to him, the primary challenge in resolving this issue lies in the constraints imposed by the fixed allocation ceiling for NFSA beneficiaries, as determined by the Government of India. The State of Meghalaya, with a rural coverage of 77.79% and urban coverage of 50.87%, has reached its ceiling based on the SECC 2011 data.
Stating that the NFSA is a central act of parliament which aims to provide subsidised food grains to approximately two thirds of the country’s population, the minister however said, “I would also like express that the SECC 2011 data, while valid at the time of its collection, is now out-dated and does not accurately reflect the current demographic realities of the state.
Since 2011, Meghalaya has experienced significant population growth, with the projected population of 2023 is estimated to be around 38.16 Lakhs, compared to the 29.17 lakhs recorded in SECC 2011.
This population growth has resulted in an increased demand for food grains under the NFSA, further straining the existing allocation limits.”
Additionally, he said tht the digitisation of data and the introduction of online allotment mechanisms for NFSA beneficiaries have created efficient technological solution but it comes with administrative challenges in rectifying omissions such as the one faced by Domtynrong village.
“While these technological advancements have improved transparency and efficiency in the distribution of food grains, they have also made it difficult to tamper or incorporate new beneficiaries without exceeding the ceiling set by the Government of India,” he said
he said In light of these challenges, the Department has undertaken several initiatives to address the issue and ensure that the genuine citizens receive their rightful entitlements under the National Food Security Act.
Highlighting the initiatives taken to rectify the issues, Ymbon said that the Department has been in continuous dialogue with the Government of India, requesting an increase in NFSA coverage for the state.
“Given the significant population growth and the out-dated nature of the SECC 2011 data, it is imperative that the Government of India considers revising the coverage limits to accommodate the current needs of the state,” he said. he said “While the Government of India has indicated that changes to the coverage will only be considered after the next census, the Department is exploring interim measures to address the immediate needs of the left-out village.”
“I take this opportunity to appeal to everyone through you Speaker that the FPS Vigilance Committee constituted as per Section 17 of the Meghalaya Food Security Rules 2018 to actively participate in a drive by involving the village authorities to identify the poorest households in their locality through the claims and objections process SO that well-to-do families are replaced with genuine beneficiaries for inclusion under NFSA without breaching the NFSA ceiling set by Government of India,” he said
The Department is in touch with C&RD Department to address the issue and has directed the district administration to conduct a new physical verification of Domtynrong village to ensure that all eligible households are identified as per SECC 2011, he stated.