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Tamil Nadu Urges Centre to Withdraw Draft That Would Change AAY Ration to 7kg Per Person

The proposed amendment retools Antyodaya benefits to a per-person formula that the Centre says evens out entitlements while critics warn it will cut supplies to states with smaller household sizes.

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Overview

  • The Union Food and Public Distribution department published a draft amendment on June 24 that would replace the current 35 kg per-household Antyodaya Anna Yojana entitlement with 7 kg per person and a 35 kg household cap and opened public comments until July 13.
  • Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asking the Centre to retain the 35 kg household entitlement and to reconsider the draft because it would reduce protections for the poorest.
  • Vijay and state officials say the per-capita formula would cut Tamil Nadu’s monthly AAY allocation from about 65,261 metric tonnes to roughly 42,040 metric tonnes, affecting about 69 lakh beneficiaries on 18.64 lakh AAY ration cards.
  • National and regional opposition, led by CPI(M) and CPI, and Kerala’s food minister have publicly opposed the amendment, arguing it would disproportionately hurt small nuclear families, elderly couples, widows and other vulnerable groups.
  • Analysts point to variable past drawal rates in Tamil Nadu, concerns about inclusion errors on beneficiary lists, and proposed compromise fixes such as a fixed 30 kg household floor as the consultation period closes and the Centre decides next steps.