NationalSunday, 12 July 2026·The Hindu - Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu’s AAY rice drawal and NFSA entitlement: 35 kg per household, 18.64 lakh cards
Tamil Nadu drew less rice than its AAY quota in five of the last seven years, while the Centre’s proposed change from 35 kg per household to 7 kg per person has raised concern.
Key highlights
Direct fact
In July 2026, Tamil Nadu’s AAY foodgrain issue came into focus after Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking that the existing 35 kg per household entitlement under the National Food Security Act, 2013, not be changed.
Key specifics
- Tamil Nadu drew less rice than its AAY quota in five of the last seven years from 2019-20 to 2025-26.
- During 2020-21, the off-take was about 98% of the allocated figure of around 6.99 lakh tonnes.
- In 2022-23 and 2023-24, utilisation was around 73%, while in 2024-25 it was about 79%.
- The Centre’s proposed amendment seeks 7 kg per person per month, subject to an overall ceiling of 35 kg per household.
- As of now, Tamil Nadu has 18,64,600 AAY ration cards covering 69,26,983 beneficiaries.
Exam lens
TNPSC polity and welfare question type: scheme entitlement, NFSA 2013, AAY, PMGKAY, 35 kg versus 7 kg, and Tamil Nadu’s 18.64 lakh cards are the key one-liners.