The concept of "Food & Nutrition" in India is a fundamental right and a legislative entitlement, rooted in the Constitution and formalized by the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. Its origin lies in Article 47 of the Directive Principles of State Policy, which mandates the State to regard the raising of the level of nutrition and the improvement of public health as primary duties. The right was made justiciable under the fundamental Article 21 (Right to Life) by the Supreme Court in PUCL v. Union of India (2001), which recognized the Right to Food as part of the right to live with human dignity.
The NFSA, 2013, signed into law on September 12, 2013, with retroactive effect from July 5, 2013, converted this welfare approach into a rights-based one. The Act legally entitles up to 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population to subsidized foodgrains through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). Key provisions include providing priority households with 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month at subsidized prices of ₹3/kg for rice, ₹2/kg for wheat, and ₹1/kg for coarse grains.
The Act connects to and provides legal backing for nutritional support schemes, including the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme. Pregnant and lactating women are entitled to a maternity benefit of not less than ₹6,000. Recently, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme was rebranded as PM POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) in 2021, and the POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission), launched in 2018, further strengthens the focus on improving nutritional status for women and children.