Arrange the food security related programs in India in chronological order:
A. Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS)
B. Antyodaya Anna Yojana
C. Integrated Food Security Scheme
D. Food Security Act

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 2:
The correct chronological order of the food security programs is A, B, D, C. To arrive at this sequence, we must recall the initiation years of these major government interventions.

Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) (A) was launched first in June 1997. This marked a major shift from the universal PDS to a system focused on the poor (Below Poverty Line) and non-poor (Above Poverty Line).

Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) (B) followed, launched on December 25, 2000. This scheme was specifically aimed at providing highly subsidized food grains to the poorest of the poor households, building upon the framework of TPDS.

The National Food Security Act (NFSA) (D) came much later, being signed into law in September 2013. This Act institutionalized the right to food as a legal entitlement, converting many existing food security programs into legal rights for beneficiaries.

Finally, the Integrated Food Security Scheme (C), also known by its new name Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), has its roots in 2020 but the term "Integrated Food Security Scheme" itself refers to the revamped, free-of-cost distribution of food grains under NFSA starting January 1, 2023, making it the most recent in implementation changes compared to the others on the list. Therefore, the sequence is A (1997), B (2000), D (2013), C (2023).

The incorrect option is 1 (A B C D): This sequence places the Integrated Food Security Scheme (C) directly after Antyodaya Anna Yojana (B) (2000). This is incorrect because the NFSA (D) was enacted in 2013, which is a decade before the official implementation of the Integrated Food Security Scheme (C) in its modern, streamlined form in 2023. This sequence fails to recognize the legislative milestone (D) that precedes the final integrated program (C).

The incorrect option is 3 (D C A B): This sequence is chronologically inaccurate as it places the latest programs, Food Security Act (D) (2013) and Integrated Food Security Scheme (C) (2023), at the beginning. The programs A (1997) and B (2000), which formed the foundation of targeted PDS, were introduced long before the comprehensive legal framework (D) was put in place.

The incorrect option is 4 (B A C D): This sequence incorrectly places Antyodaya Anna Yojana (B) (2000) before the Targeted Public Distribution System (A) (1997). TPDS (A) was an essential precursor that introduced the concept of targeting the poor, upon which AAY (B) was later developed to serve the 'poorest of the poor' section of the BPL category. Placing B before A fundamentally misrepresents the evolution of India's PDS.