Author: Meena Kumari
Author Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Kamala Nehru College, University of Delhi.
Abstract: This article is an attempt to explore major shifts in the food policy framework of India. Though the food policy in India experienced various changes in pre-reform period i.e before 1991and during the reform period i,e after 1991 onwards. But the momentous transformation in the food policy of India came after the Supreme Court verdict of 2001which formulated the policy of Right to food as a legal entitlement and directed the states to explore the mechanisms to make it more accessible to the people. Acknowledging this, the government of India explored the mechanism of Aadhaar, a technological initiative to provide effective, transparent and convenient access of Right to food to the intended beneficiaries. On the basis of existing literature, recent technology initiatives, the field experiences of few states and particularly with regard to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this article argues that the implementation of right to food specifically in the context of Aadhaar and its further extension beneath “One Nation One Ration Card” (ONORC) paved the way for the successful implementation of right to food on the part of states seeing its connection with right to life. Thus, overall the major thrust of food policy always remained towards the poor and vulnerable sections of Indian Population, predominantly in the wake of Aadhaar and ONORC program.
Keywords: Right to Food, India, PDS, Constitution, Aadhaar, ONORC, Pandemic, State.