Tamil Nadu has drawn less rice than allocated under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) for five of last seven years. Raises questions about state's public distribution system and ability to serve its most vulnerable populations.
From 2019-20 to 2025-26,2020-21 stood out. During height of COVID-19 pandemic, state nearly met its allocation of 6.99 lakh tonnes with 98% off-take rate. Other years? Not so much . Utilization rates fell — just 73% drawn in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, slightly better at 79% in 2024-25.
But Tamil Nadu exceeded its quota in two years — 2019-20 and 2025-26 — hitting nearly 108%. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay formally asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep current AAY provisions,stressing need to maintain 35 kg foodgrains per household monthly .
Since January 1, 2023, Union government has provided free rice to AAY and Priority Household (PHH) cardholders,extended for five years under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). Initially pandemic support,now criticized as Tamil Nadu might rely more on these free provisions than its regular share .
Vijay warned in letter to PM that proposed changes could cut food security for about 70 lakh vulnerable residents,reducing monthly quota from 65,261 tonnes to around 42,040 tonnes . A steep drop.
Officials noted many ineligible people added to AAY list over years. Currently, 18,64,600 AAY ration cards cover 69,26,983 beneficiaries. Of these, 15.75 lakh cardholders belong to families with fewer than five members,making up 58.51 lakh beneficiaries.
Concerns about misuse of AAY provisions have surfaced . Former policymaker called current system ripe for exploitation,as 35 kg given regardless of family size. T. Sadagopan,president of Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Centre,suggested 30 kg per family instead .
State grapples with these issues. What will Food Minister P . Venkataramanan do? Complexities of ensuring food security while juggling distribution and eligibility…
