FEDERAL IMPLEMENTATION FAILURES UNDER THE NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY ACT: A STUDY OF CENTRE–STATE ALLOCATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

AUTHORS – ARYAVEER SINGH, STUDENT ATCHRIST (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY), BENGALURU

BEST CITATION – ARYAVEER SINGH, FEDERAL IMPLEMENTATION FAILURES UNDER THE NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY ACT: A STUDY OF CENTRE–STATE ALLOCATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (3) OF 2026, PG. 121-130, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344. DOI – https://doi.org/10.65393/OEXB5970

Abstract

The National Food Security Act, 2013 represents one of the most significant legislative interventions undertaken by the Indian State to address food insecurity through a rights-based statutory framework. The Act seeks to secure food and nutritional security by guaranteeing access to subsidised food grains for a large segment of the population through the Public Distribution System. Notwithstanding the existence of this statutory entitlement framework, persistent concerns regarding implementation continue to arise within India’s food governance system. This paper examines the structural challenges associated with the implementation of the National Food Security Act within India’s federal administrative framework. It analyses the constitutional foundations of the right to food, the statutory architecture of the National Food Security Act, and the allocation of institutional responsibilities between the Union Government and State Governments. Drawing upon institutional assessments; particularly the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Performance Audit Report on the Food Corporation of India, the paper identifies systemic inefficiencies in procurement, storage management, and movement of food grains that affect the effective functioning of the statutory food distribution system. The paper argues that the federal distribution of responsibilities under the National Food Security Act produces fragmented accountability structures that weaken the realisation of statutory food security entitlements. It concludes by examining institutional reforms necessary to strengthen coordination, transparency, and administrative accountability within India’s food security governance framework.

Keywords: National Food Security Act, Right to Food Jurisprudence, Federal Governance and Welfare Implementation, Public Distribution System, Centre–State Accountability, Food Corporation of India.