Sonia Gandhi has asked the government to complete the population census. She further claimed that around 14 crore people in the country are deprived of their rightful benefits of free and subsidised food grains under the food security law.
Gandhi said that the beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) are being identified based on the 2011 caste census in her maiden Zero Hour intervention in the Rajya Sabha.
She said, “For the first time in independent India’s history, the decennial census has been delayed by more than four years, despite originally being scheduled for 2021. There is still no clarity on when the census will be conducted. Around 14 crore eligible Indians are thus being deprived of their rightful benefits under the NFSA.”
The senior Congress leader mentioned NFSA as a landmark initiative introduced in September 2013 by UPA, which aimed to ensure food and nutritional security for the country’s 140 crore population. It also played an important role in protecting millions of vulnerable households from starvation, particularly during covid 19.
The National Food Security Act, 2013, provides for coverage of up to 75 per cent of the rural and up to 50 per cent of the urban population for receiving highly subsidised foodgrains under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), which, according to 2011 Census, comes to about 81.35 crore.
At present, the government provides 5 kg of free foodgrains per person per month under the food security law. “It is imperative that the government prioritises completion of the census as soon as possible and ensures that all deserving individuals receive the benefits guaranteed to them under the NFSA,” she said.
“Food security is not a privilege. It is a fundamental right,” the former Congress chief asserted.
The period for distribution of free foodgrains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) has been extended for five years from January 1, 2024.
(With PTI Inputs)