Section 2 — Definitions.

2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— 

(1) "anganwadi" means a child care and development center  set up under the Integrated Child 

Development Services Scheme of the Central Government to render services covered under section 4, 

clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 5 and section 6; 

(2) "central pool" means the stock of food grains which is,— 

(i) procured by the Central Government and the State Governments through minimum 

support price operations;  

(ii) maintained for allocations under the Targeted Public Distribution System, other welfare  

schemes, including calamity relief and such other schemes; 

(iii) kept as reserves for schemes referred to in sub-clause (ii); 

(3) "eligible households" means households covered under the priority households and the 

Antyodaya Anna Yojana referred to in sub-section (1) of section 3; 

(4) "fair price shop" means a shop which has been licensed to distribute essential commodities by 

an order issued under section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (10 of 1955), to the ration 

card holders under the Targeted Public Distribution System;  

(5) "foodgrains" means rice, wheat or coarse grains or any combination thereof conforming to 

such quality norms as may be determined, by order, by the Central Government from time to time; 

(6) "food security" means the supply of the entitled quantity of foodgrains and meal specified 

under Chapter II; 

(7) "food security allowance" means the amount of money to be paid by the concerned State 

Government to the entitled persons under section 8; 

(8) "local authority" includes Panchayat, municipality, district board, cantonment board, town 

planning authority and in the States of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura 

where Panchayats do not exist, the village council or committee or any other body, by whatever name 

called, which is authorised under the Constitution or any law for the time being in force for self-



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governance or any other authority or body vested with the control and management of civic services, 

within a specified local area; 

(9) "meal" means hot cooked or pre-cooked and heated before its service meal or take home 

ration, as may be prescribed by the Central Government; 

(10) "minimum support price" means the assured price announced by the Central Government at 

which foodgrains are procured from farmers by the Central Government and the State Governments 

and their agencies, for the central pool; 

(11) "notification" means a notification issued under this Act and published in the Official 

Gazette; 

(12) "other welfare schemes" means such Government schemes, in addition to the Targeted 

Public Distribution System, under which foodgrains or meals are supplied as part of the schemes; 

(13) "person with disability" means a person defined as such in clause (t) of section 2 of the 

Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 

(1 of 1996); 

(14) "priority households" means households identified as such under section 10; 

(15) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; 

(16) "ration card" means a document issued under an order or authority of the State Government 

for the purchase of essential commodities from the fair price shops under the Targeted Public 

Distribution System; 

(17) "rural area" means any area in a State except those areas covered by any urban local body or 

a cantonment board established or constituted under any law for the time being in force; 

 (18) "Schedule" means a Schedule appended to this Act; 

(19) "senior citizen" means a person defined as such under clause (h) of section 2 of the 

Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 (56 of 2007); 

(20) "social audit" means the process in which people collectively monitor and evaluate the 

planning and implementation of a programme or scheme; 

(21) "State Commission" means the State Food Commission constituted under section 16; 

(22) "State Government", in relation to a Union territory, means the Administrator thereof 

appointed under article 239 of the Constitution; 

(23) "Targeted Public Distribution System" means the system for distribution of essential 

commodities to the ration card holders through fair price shops; 

(24) "Vigilance Committee" means a committee constituted under section 29 to supervise the 

implementation of all schemes under this Act; 

(25) the words and expressions not defined here but defined in the Essential Commodities Act, 

1955 (10 of 1955), or any other relevant Act shall have the meaning respectively assigned to them in 

those Acts. 

CHAPTER II 

PROVISIONS FOR FOOD SECURITY