The Comptroller and Auditor General,CAG has criticised the Centre for delay in implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and extending its rollout thrice without Parliament approval. <br/><br/>In its audit report which was tabled in Parliament today, the CAG attributed the delay in implementation by non-implementing states to non-finalisation of beneficiaries. It said, the States have not identified beneficiaries of NFSA in a systematic manner. <br/><br/>The CAG has evaluated preparedness of 18 States and Union Territories for implementation of the law in its audit report. However, the Act, which came into force from July 2013, has been rolled out in 33 states so far. <br/><br/>The CAG noted that most implementing States used the old database for extending the benefits. To check anomalies in identification of beneficiaries, the CAG recommended that the Centre may issue, in consultation with state governments, guidelines on identification of beneficiaries to maintain transparency.