NEW DELHI: Raising delay in conducting census by more than four years, Congress MP Sonia Gandhi, in her maiden intervention in Rajya Sabha Monday, said around 14 crore people are being deprived of benefits under National Food Security Act (NFSA). She said the quota for beneficiaries is still determined based on the 2011 census, which is now well over a decade old.
In her Zero Hour intervention, Sonia said NFSA enacted by UPA govt in September 2013 was a “landmark initiative aimed at ensuring food and nutritional security for the country’s poor” and the legislation played a crucial role in protecting millions of vulnerable households from starvation, particularly during Covid-19 crisis.
“For the first time in the history of independent India, the decennial census has been delayed by more than four years. Originally scheduled for 2021, there is still no clarity as to when the census will be conducted. The Budget allocation reveals that updated census is unlikely to be conducted this year as well. Around 14 crore eligible Indians are thus being deprived of their rightful benefits under NFSA,” she said. NFSA provides for coverage of up to 75% of rural and up to 50% of urban population for receiving highly-subsidised foodgrains, which according to the 2011 census comes to about 81.4 crore.
The Congress functionary urged govt to prioritise completion of the census as soon as possible and ensure that all deserving individuals receive the benefits guaranteed to them under NFSA. “Food security is not a privilege. It is a fundamental right,” she said. The Narendra Modi govt has made foodgrain distribution to the poor free under PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and has extended the scheme for five years till December 2029.