Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing concerns over proposed amendments to the National Food Security Act. The amendments could reduce food grain entitlements for around 70 lakh vulnerable people in the state. The draft National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aims to change the entitlement from a household-based system to a per-person allocation with a household ceiling.
The current entitlement of 35 kilograms of food grains per household per month under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) would be replaced with 7 kilograms per person per month, capped at 35 kilograms per household. Vijay argued that this change would disproportionately impact Tamil Nadu, where the average family size is 3.54 members. He highlighted that the state has 18.64 lakh AAY ration cards covering 69.27 lakh beneficiaries, including various vulnerable groups.
Tamil Nadu currently receives 65,261 metric tonnes of food grains monthly for AAY beneficiaries. However, under the proposed amendment, this allocation would drop to around 42,040 metric tonnes. Vijay emphasized the importance of maintaining a robust Public Distribution System (PDS) in the state, especially given that rice is a staple food. Any reduction in subsidised rice could lead to financial burdens for poor families, forcing them to buy food from the market.
Vijay urged the Prime Minister to retain the existing provision of 35 kilograms of food grains per household per month under the AAY, regardless of family size. He emphasized the impact on nearly 70 lakh poor citizens in Tamil Nadu and hoped that the concerns raised would be considered by the Centre.
