New Delhi: The Union Department of Food and Public Distribution has released a draft amendment to the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, proposing a shift in entitlements for Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries from a fixed 35 kg of foodgrains per household per month to 7 kg per person per month, subject to a maximum of 35 kg per household.AAY cardholders will continue to receive the foodgrains free of cost.Although the AAY is intended to protect the most vulnerable families, the 35 kg per household allocation means smaller households receive a bigger per capita entitlement than larger ones, the department said.Its amendment is thus intended to “remove intra-category inequities, provide for more rational food grain allocation and better align entitlements with nutritional requirements”, the department said, inviting comments from the public until July 13.However, the proposal has drawn criticism from non-BJP ruled states and right-to-food activists. Activists have also demanded 14 kg of grains per person and called for the inclusion of pulses and edible oils under the AAY’s entitlements.Kerala food minister Anoop Jacob has stated that his government would write to the Union government opposing the amendment and argued that the existing 35 kg per AAY household allocation must continue. He said the change would result in reduced allocation to states like his own.Anuradha Talwar of the Right to Food Campaign too described the move as potentially creating a “North-South divide” in food grain allocation while speaking to The Hindu.Economist Dipa Sinha speaking to Down to Earth said that if the scheme is pivoting to a per-person entitlement, then the household cap of 35 kg must be done away with.The outlet noted that if the amendment is implemented, large households, with six people for instance, will receive a per capita allocation of roughly 6 kg a month, which is only slightly higher than the benefits that better-off persons under the NFSA’s Priority Household scheme receive.Instead, said Sinha, the scheme should provide AAY households with a full package of macronutrients alongside cereal levels that actually match their requirements.Down to Earth cited activists as pointing out that though the 7 kg per person allocation would meet the Indian Council for Medical Research’s monthly cereal consumption recommendation for adults, this figure, a downward adjustment from its earlier norm meant to promote diversity of diets, is based on an assumption that people are able to substitute a portion of cereals for other foods. And families under the AAY are unlikely to be able to buy pulses, edible oils and protein-rich foods due to their poverty.Talwar also warned that the amendment comes even as the increased number of India’s households has not been factored in because of the inordinate delay conducting the decennial census.