Wheat-based Nutrition Programme

This Scheme is implemented by the Department of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Human Resource Development. The foodgrains allotted under this Scheme are utilised by the States/UTs under Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) for providing nutritious and energy food to children below six years of age and expectant lactating women. The Department of Food and Public Distribution allocates foodgrains, which is kept at the disposal of Department of Women and Child Development for making further State/UT-wise allocation. Foodgrains are supplied to States/UTs at BPL rates under the Scheme.

Scheme for SC/ST/OBC Hostels/Welfare Institutions

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the nodal Ministry for implementation/monitoring of the Scheme introduced in October 1994. The residents of the hostels having two-third students belonging to these categories are eligible to get 15 kg foodgrains per resident per month.

Since 2002-03, States/UTs have been allocated foodgrains equal to five per cent of BPL allocation to meet their requirement of foodgrains for the inmates of above mentioned Hostels and Welfare Institutions, etc.

Annapurna Scheme

The Ministry of Rural Development launched the scheme in 2000-01. Indigent senior citizens of 65 years of age or above who though eligible for old-age pension under the National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS) but were not getting the pension were covered under the Scheme. Ten kgs of foodgrains per person per month is supplied free-of-cost under the scheme.


From 2002-03 it has been transferred to State Plan along with the National Social Assistance Programme comprising the National Old Age Pension Scheme and the National Family Benefit Scheme. The funds for the transferred scheme are being released by the Ministry of Finance as Additional Central Assistance (ACA) to the State Plan and the States have the requisite flexibility in the choice of beneficiaries and implementation of the Scheme. The implementation of the Scheme at the ground-level rests with the States/UTs.

Nutritional Programme for Adolescent Girls

In this pilot project launched by the Planning Commission, foodgrains are provided to the families of the identified undernourished adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating mothers at the rate of six kg of foodgrains per head per month in two of the backward districts in each of the fifteen major States and most populous districts (excluding the capital district) in remaining smaller States/UTs.

A quantity of 0.62 lakh MT of foodgrains was allocated to States/UTs during 2002-03 under the Scheme. During 2003-04, annual allocation of 2.51 lakh MT of foodgrains (wheat and rice) was made under the scheme.

Emergency Feeding Programme

The Emergency Feeding Programme is a food-based intervention targeted for old, infirm and destitute persons belonging to BPL households to provide them food security in their distress conditions. The Scheme is being implemented only in the eight KBK Districts, namely, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nawarangpur, Naupada, Rayagada and Sonepur of Orissa covering two lakh beneficiaries. Foodgrains (rice) at BPL rates is being allocated to Orissa since May 2001 on the recommendation of nodal Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment under the Scheme.

Grain Bank Scheme

It is one of the welfare schemes of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Under the scheme, a one time supply of foodgrains is provided to each Grain Bank at the rate of one quintal per family. Normally a Grain Bank in a village stores 10 MT of foodgrain from which villagers can borrow in times of calamity and then repay after harvest or after receiving wages. Allocation of foodgrains was made for the first time during 2002-03 under the scheme.

The objective of the scheme is to provide safeguard against starvation during the period of natural calamity or during the lean season when the rural people do not have the purchasing power. The targeted beneficiaries are people living below poverty line.

Targeted Public Distribution System

In order to ensure availability of minimum quantity of foodgrains to the families living below the poverty line, the Government launched the TPDS in June 1997. It was intended to benefit about six crore poor families in the country for whom a quantum of 72 lakh tonnes of foodgrains was earmarked annually at the rate of 10 kg per family per month.

The allocation was increased from 10 kg to 20 kg from 1 April 2000. This was increased from 20 to 25 kg per family per month from July 2001. From 1 April 2002, this allocation has been further increased from 25 to 35 kg per family per month. The Central Issue Price (CIP) for BPL families is Rs 4.15 per kg for wheat and Rs 5.65 per kg for rice. This is about 45 per cent of the economic cost of the Food Corporation of India. The increased level of allocation of foodgrains for 6.52 crore BPL families is 195.6 lakh tonnes per annum. During 2002-03, 343.14 lakh tonnes of rice and 369.18 lakh tonnes of wheat have been allotted under TPDS (Antyodaya, BPL and APL). A quantity of 119.65 lakh tonnes of rice and 105.63 lakh tonnes of wheat were lifted against this allocation.