Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the Union government to withdraw or reconsider the proposed amendments to the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, warning that the changes would significantly reduce food grain entitlements for nearly 70 lakh poor and vulnerable people in the state.
In his letter, the Chief Minister expressed concern over the draft National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026, published by the Union Department of Food and Public Distribution on June 24.
The proposed amendment seeks to replace the existing Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) entitlement of 35 kilograms of food grains per household per month, irrespective of family size, with 7 kilograms per person per month, subject to a maximum ceiling of 35 kilograms per household.
While the Union government has stated that the amendment aims to address inequities and align food allocations with nutritional requirements, Vijay argued that the proposal would adversely affect Tamil Nadu, where the average family size is only 3.54 members. As a result, many of the poorest households would receive substantially less food grain than they currently do.
The Chief Minister pointed out that Tamil Nadu currently has 18.64 lakh AAY ration cards covering 69.27 lakh beneficiaries, including widows, persons with disabilities, senior citizens without regular income, tribal families, landless agricultural labourers, daily wage earners and people suffering from life-threatening illnesses.
He said these were the very sections the National Food Security Act was intended to protect through assured and unconditional household-based food entitlements.
He further argued that changing the entitlement from a household-based system to a per-person allocation with a household ceiling would effectively penalise states such as Tamil Nadu that have successfully implemented family planning programmes and therefore have smaller family sizes.
According to the Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu currently receives 65,261 metric tonnes of food grains every month for AAY beneficiaries free of cost from the Union government.
Under the proposed amendment, this allocation would fall to approximately 42,040 metric tonnes, leading to a sharp reduction in food support for poor families across the state.
Vijay also highlighted Tamil Nadu’s long-standing commitment to maintaining a robust Public Distribution System (PDS), often extending food security benefits beyond the Centre’s prescribed norms.
He noted that rice is the staple food in Tamil Nadu and forms the basis of daily meals, including idli, dosa, pongal and regular lunches.
Any reduction in subsidised rice, he said, would force poor families to purchase food from the open market, increasing their financial burden and exposing them to hunger and malnutrition.
He added that the proposed amendment would particularly affect the 15.75 lakh AAY households in Tamil Nadu with fewer than five family members, covering nearly 58.51 lakh people, while similar impacts would also be felt in other states with smaller family sizes.
Urging the Prime Minister to intervene, the Chief Minister requested that the Union government retain the existing provision of 35 kilograms of food grains per household per month under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana, irrespective of the number of family members, as has been the practice since the enactment of the National Food Security Act in 2013.
He expressed hope that the concerns raised by Tamil Nadu on behalf of nearly 70 lakh poor citizens would receive favourable consideration from the Centre.
(IANS)
