Odisha tops state ranking for implementation of National Food Security Act

Odisha has topped in the state ranking for implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) through ration shops, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, the government said on Tuesday.

Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal released the 'State Ranking Index for NFSA' 2022 during a conference of state food ministers on food and nutrition security in India.

Among the special category states (the North Eastern states, Himalayan states, and the Island states), Tripura has obtained the first rank. Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim are at the second and third positions.

Despite the logistical limitations in these areas, they displayed a high degree of accomplishment in competing with the general category states as well, the report said.

As per the government's ranking, Odisha is at first position with a score of 0.836, followed by Uttar Pradesh (0.797) and Andhra Pradesh (0.794).

Gujarat is at fourth place, followed by Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand.

Kerala has been ranked at the 11th position, Telangana (12th), Maharashtra (13th), West Bengal (14th) and Rajasthan (15th).

Punjab is at the 16th position, followed by Haryana, Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Goa.

The current version of the Index measures the effectiveness of NFSA implementation majorly through operations and initiatives under TPDS (Targeted Public Distribution System).