In a bid to improve the nutrition status of children below six years, pregnant women and lactating mothers from scheduled areas of the state, Governor C Vidyasagar Rao has amended the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 by issuing an ordinance.
According to the amendment, the children would get eggs four times a week and cooked hot food for the women.
In a notification issued by the Governor, the word ‘Take Home Ration’ used in the NFSA (Schedule II) has been replaced by the words ‘Hot Cooked Meal’, the Governor’s office said.
The notification issued using powers under Schedule V of the Constitution was published on November 5. The Governor has also asked the state government to formulate schemes for provisioning eggs and hot cooked meals to these groups of persons.
The Governor had taken serious cognisance of the malnutrition related deaths in the state and had expressed concern with the state government. The state had accordingly initiated the APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Ahar Yojana for pregnant and lactating women; and for children in the age group of seven months to six years. The Governor felt that the above schemes could be converted into rights-based entitlements to the beneficiary groups so that there shall be continuity and effectiveness in the implementation of these schemes.
According to the notification, “the word ‘meal’ shall be replaced by ‘Hot cooked meal, including eggs’ in section 4 and clause (a) of the NFSA, 2013. The state government shall make adequate financial provisions to meet the additional expenditure to be incurred in scheduled areas while providing hot cooked meal to lactating and pregnant women.
