Hindi English Translation || Editorial || A welcome move: On the free grains scheme under food security law

A welcome move: On the free grains scheme under food security law

The Centre’s taking up (शुरू करना, स्वीकार करना) the burden for free food grain distribution in 2023 will provide relief to States

The Government has decided not to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, (PMGKY), a scheme that ran between April 2020 to December 2022 (except for a short period in between), and provided additional allocation (supplying, giving, providing, distribution) of food grains, i.e., rice or wheat from the central pool at five kilograms a month free of cost to beneficiaries (लाभभोगी, प्राप्तकर्ता) under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) (राष्ट्रीय खाद्य सुरक्षा अधिनियम). PMGKY absorbed the shock (झटका) of the pandemic (महामारी) for the extremely poor and also brought in political dividends (लाभांश) for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in many States that had elections this year, including Uttar Pradesh in particular (विशेष रूप से). While discontinuing the scheme, the Government has said that it will bear the expenses of food grains under the NFSA for 2023 and ensure free ration (the practice of having a fixed allowance of provisions or food) under the Act for the estimated 81.35 crore beneficiaries for that year. In other words, ration card holders can now avail (to make use of something; use, utilize, take advantage of) 5 kg of wheat or rice per month for free rather than (इसके बजाय) at a subsidised (रियायती, छूट प्राप्त) rate, while Antyodaya Anna Yojana (Antyodaya Anna Yojana was introduced to reduce hunger among India’s Below Poverty Line (BPL) population. Launched in December 2000, the AAY scheme targeted more than 1 crore low-income families in India. Using the Antyodaya Anna Yojana scheme, low-income families can purchase food items at a highly subsidised cost) cardholders will receive 35 kg of free foodgrains (a grain (rice, wheat, etc.) produced for human consumption). As the estimated number of 81.35 crore beneficiaries is still based on Census (जनगणना) 2011 numbers and Public Distribution System (सार्वजनिक वितरण प्रणाली) entitlements (पात्रता, अधिकार) have been limited to ration card holders and quotas framed (formulate, draw up, plan, devise, create, coordinate) by the Union Government, some States have gone on to expand benefits to others through the NFSA and other schemes. By taking on the burden of the expenditure for this distribution, the Union government, which has estimated an additional amount of ₹2 lakh crore for the scheme, has provided limited but welcome relief in monetary (fiscal, financial, money) terms for States.

While the expenditure numbers on food distribution and subsidy (also called subvention; a financial contribution granted to help an industry or business, mostly given by a government, in order to keep the price of service/goods at a low level) provisions (supplying, supplying, distribution, allocation) seem fiscally (financially) expensive, the schemes have provided distress (hardship, adversity, trouble, poverty, destitution, deprivation) relief ((financial) help, aid, assistance, succour) to the most needy (poor/poverty-stricken, underprivileged, impoverished), helped the Government control its food buffer stocks (a large supply of a commodity stored (as reserve/extra) by the government for the purposes of stabilizing prices in an entire economy) better, and also reduced wastage of procured (purchased) food grains at a time when procurement (the action of procuring/purchasing/buying something) figures for rice and wheat by the Food Corporation of India (The Food Corporation of Indi (FCI) is an organization created and run by the Government of India. It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, formed by the enactment of Food Corporation Act 1964. It was set up on 14 January 1965 to implement the following objectives of the National Food Policy. Effective price support operations for safeguarding the interests of the farmers, Distribution of foodgrains throughout the country for public distribution system & Maintaining a satisfactory level of operational and buffer stocks of foodgrains to ensure National Food Security) remain high. The PDS and the PMGKY have not only enabled basic food security but have also acted as income transfers for the poor by allowing them to buy other commodities that they could not have afforded if not for the benefits. There is, of course (certainly, definitely, absolutely; obviously, clearly), the question of whether targeted distribution, including the identification of priority households (family, house) and the “poorest of the poor (Women, old people and children are the poorest of the poor in the society because they are systematically denied equal access to resources available to the family)”, has really helped the benefits reaching the deserving (justify, be worth, be qualified for, have a right to) with concerns about diversion (deviation, deflection, turning aside, digression, divergence) of foodgrains. But as rights activists (a person who supports a political change or cause; (or societal change/cause)) have argued, the more robust (strong, powerful) solution could be a universalisation (the process of making something available for all) of the PDS, which has already worked well in a few States such as Tamil Nadu, as the scheme would be availed by anyone in need (not having enough food, money etc. needing (something)) instead of a flawed (defective, faulty, distorted, inaccurate) targeting system.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.welcome (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - स्वागत, मनभावन
English Meaning - pleasing, agreeable, heartening, promising, much needed.

2.move (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कदम, उपाय
English Meaning - measure, action, initiative, step.

3.food security (noun)

Hindi Meaning - खाद्य सुरक्षा
English Meaning - food security is a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

4.National Food Security Act, (NFSA) 2013 (noun)

Hindi Meaning - राष्ट्रीय खाद्य सुरक्षा अधिनियम
English Meaning - An Act to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. It provides subsidised food grains to 75% of India’s rural population and 50% of its urban population. NFSA 2013 includes almost two-thirds of the Indian population in its entirety.

5.take up (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - शुरू करना, स्वीकार करना
English Meaning - accept, say yes to, agree to, adopt, absorb.

6.beneficiary (noun)

Hindi Meaning - लाभभोगी, प्राप्तकर्ता
English Meaning - recipient, receiver.

7.shock (noun)

Hindi Meaning - झटका
English Meaning - disturbance causing volatility/uncertainty in an economy.

8.pandemic (noun)

Hindi Meaning - महामारी
English Meaning - the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.

9.dividend (noun)

Hindi Meaning - लाभांश
English Meaning - benefit, advantage, gain.

10.in particular (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - विशेष रूप से
English Meaning - particularly, specifically, especially.

11.rather than (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - इसके बजाय
English Meaning - instead of.

12.subsidised (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - रियायती, छूट प्राप्त
English Meaning - paid part of the cost of something (for example, food), so that it is available at a lower price.

13.census (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जनगणना
English Meaning - an official survey, particularly of a population.

14.Public Distribution System (PDS) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सार्वजनिक वितरण प्रणाली
English Meaning - The Public Distribution System (PDS) in the country facilitates the supply of food grains and distribution of essential commodities to a large number of poor people through a network of Fair Price Shops at a subsidized price on a recurring basis. With a network of more than 400,000 Fair Price Shops (FPS), the Public Distribution System (PDS) in India is perhaps the largest distribution machinery of its type in the world.

15.entitlement (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पात्रता, अधिकार
English Meaning - right, prerogative, claim.

16.foodgrain (noun)

English Meaning - a grain (rice, wheat, etc.) produced for human consumption.

17.Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) (noun)

English Meaning - The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana scheme was part of the Centre’s initial COVID-19 relief package, back in March 2020 when the first lockdown was announced. It provides for 5 kg of rice or wheat per person per month to be distributed free of cost to the 80 crore beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act.

18.allocation (noun)

English Meaning - supplying, giving, providing, distribution.

19.pool (noun)

English Meaning - group.

20.bring in (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - provide, give, yield, generate, produce, fetch.

21.bear the cost/expense (verb)

English Meaning - to pay for something; foot the bill.

22.ration (noun)

English Meaning - the practice of having a fixed allowance of provisions or food.

23.avail (verb)

English Meaning - to make use of something; use, utilize, take advantage of.

24.Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) (noun)

English Meaning - Antyodaya Anna Yojana was introduced to reduce hunger among India’s Below Poverty Line (BPL) population. Launched in December 2000, the AAY scheme targeted more than 1 crore low-income families in India. Using the Antyodaya Anna Yojana scheme, low-income families can purchase food items at a highly subsidised cost.

25.frame (verb)

English Meaning - formulate, draw up, plan, devise, create, coordinate.

26.go on to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to advance to doing something; to progress to something.

27.take on (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - undertake, accept, assume, shoulder, adopt, bear.

28.monetary (adjective)

English Meaning - fiscal, financial, money.

29.subsidy (noun)

English Meaning - also called subvention; a financial contribution granted to help an industry or business, mostly given by a government, in order to keep the price of service/goods at a low level.

30.provision (noun)

English Meaning - supplying, supplying, distribution, allocation.

31.fiscally (adverb)

English Meaning - financially.

32.distress (noun)

English Meaning - hardship, adversity, trouble, poverty, destitution, deprivation.

33.relief (noun)

English Meaning - (financial) help, aid, assistance, succour.

34.needy (adjective)

English Meaning - poor/poverty-stricken, underprivileged, impoverished.

35.buffer stock (noun)

English Meaning - a large supply of a commodity stored (as reserve/extra) by the government for the purposes of stabilizing prices in an entire economy.

36.procured (adjective)

English Meaning - purchased

37.procurement (noun)

English Meaning - the action of procuring/purchasing/buying something.

38.Food Corporation of India (FCI) (noun)

English Meaning - The Food Corporation of Indi (FCI) is an organization created and run by the Government of India. It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, formed by the enactment of Food Corporation Act 1964. It was set up on 14 January 1965 to implement the following objectives of the National Food Policy. Effective price support operations for safeguarding the interests of the farmers, Distribution of foodgrains throughout the country for public distribution system & Maintaining a satisfactory level of operational and buffer stocks of foodgrains to ensure National Food Security.

39.commodity (noun)

English Meaning - material, product, item, thing.

40.afford (verb)

English Meaning - have the money for.

41.of course (phrase)

English Meaning - certainly, definitely, absolutely; obviously, clearly.

42.household (noun)

English Meaning - family, house.

43.poorest of the poor (phrase)

English Meaning - Women, old people and children are the poorest of the poor in the society because they are systematically denied equal access to resources available to the family.

44.deserve (verb)

English Meaning - justify, be worth, be qualified for, have a right to.

45.the deserving (noun)

English Meaning - a person who deserves/be entitled for something.

46.diversion (noun)

English Meaning - deviation, deflection, turning aside, digression, divergence.

47.activist (noun)

English Meaning - a person who supports a political change or cause; (or societal change/cause).

48.robust (adjective)

English Meaning - strong, powerful.

49.universalisation (noun)

English Meaning - the process of making something available for all.