India, Nov. 11 -- The US Department of Agriculture has formally released a sweeping regulatory proposal designed to dramatically tighten eligibility standards for the nation's primary food assistance initiative, a shift that federal projections indicate could strip benefits from more than six million low-income individuals.

The proposed rule, published by federal agricultural regulators, takes direct aim at broad-based categorical eligibility, a policy mechanism utilised by dozens of states to streamline enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Under current guidelines, American households that receive supportive services funded through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program are automatically deemed elig...