Year: 2014 | Month: September | Volume 3 | Number 3
Impact of Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) on the Food Security of the Poorest of the Poor in Rural Areas – A Study Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand
Abstract:
One of the Public Distribution System schemes namely ‘Antyodaya Anna yojana’ (AAY) has been implemented in India from the end of the year 2000. This scheme ensures‘food security’, to create a hunger free India and to reform and improve the Public Distribution System so as to serve the poorest of the poor in rural and urban areas. Various reports and estimates reported around 5% of population of the country are unable to get two square meals a day throughout the year. This scheme proposed to cover poorest of the poor by supply of food grains free of cost and other important commodities on subsidized rates. Over a period of time, the performance of the scheme has been improved due to evolving various monitoring mechanism and other vigilance committees. Even though, the criticism of the various civil society organizations and reports of press on the status of implementation of the scheme by the different states brings out number of problems in the identification of beneficiaries and distribution of benefits. In this context, a study on the impact of the AAY programme on the food security of the poorest of the poor was conducted to bring out various untouched issues on the status of implementation, ability of the distributing agencies, problems faced by the implementing agencies and beneficiaries. The study was carried out in the states of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand in India. This article brings field realities of the functioning of the scheme.
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