Explanation:

State Ranking Index for National Food Security Act:

The Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has released the 1st edition of ‘State Ranking Index for NFSA’.

About the Index

The aim of the Index is to document the status and progress of implementation of NFSA and various reform initiatives across the country post consultation with States.

The States and UTs were ranked on the basis of three parameters:

• NFSA coverage, rightful targeting and implementation of all provisions under the Act;
• The delivery platform while considering the allocation of food grains, their movement and last-mile delivery to fair price shops;
• Nutrition initiatives of the department.

The index will help create an environment of competition, cooperation and learning among states and help address matters of food security and hunger. The Index denotes only the efficiency of Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) operations. It does not reflect the level of hunger, if any or malnutrition, or both, in a particular state or union territory.

Key Takeaways

General Category States: Odisha has been ranked as the top State followed by Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

Special Category States: (the North-eastern States, Himalayan States and the Island States): Tripura has obtained the first rank. Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim are in the second and third positions.

Source: EPIC July 2022