Food Security Act ensures justice to poor: Minister

Highlighting the growing importance of food security, Minister for Agriculture and Mandya district-in-Charge N. Chaluvarayaswamy on Friday said that everyone must understand the value of food, observing that India has moved from a phase of food scarcity to becoming a food-exporting nation.

He was speaking after inaugurating the National Consumers’ Day–2025 and Food Safety and Legal Awareness Programme at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Bhavan here. The event was jointly organised by the District Consumer Information Centre, the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, the Legal Metrology Department, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Karnataka State Food Commission, the District Legal Services Authority and the District Advocates’ Association.

The Minister said the Food Security Act, introduced during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, aimed at ensuring food security for all citizens by providing quality food to the poor at affordable prices. Under the Act, five kg of food grains per person was distributed. In Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah enhanced the allocation to 10 kg of rice per person to make the State hunger-free.

To prevent irregularities in rice distribution, the government has decided to provide alternatives such as ragi, wheat and edible oil, he said. “While some people still lacked access to food, others were misusing the benefits,” he added, stressing that it was the government’s responsibility to ensure that consumers did not face hardship.

Mr. Chaluvarayaswamy said the Food Commission was taking steps to ensure justice to consumers and that the district administration must implement food security measures. “Protecting consumer rights through proper enforcement of laws was the government’s duty,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Karnataka State Food Commission Chairperson H. Krishna said awareness programmes were being conducted to prevent consumers from being cheated and to educate them about consumer laws. He said providing food security at affordable prices was the core objective of the Food Security Act.

He emphasised that scientific food safety practices must be followed at fair price shops. Issues related to the cancellation of ration cards were being addressed, and consumers could lodge complaints in cases of injustice, with strict action to be taken against erring officials. Action would be initiated if poor-quality food was found in the mid-day meal scheme, he said.

He said nutritious food and financial assistance were being provided to pregnant women and lactating mothers through anganwadi centres, while malnourished children were being treated and given nutritional supplements.