At present, the government provides 5 kg free foodgrains per person per month under the food security law.
Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi urged the government on Monday to expedite the completion of the population census, asserting that approximately 14 crore people are being denied their entitled benefits of free and subsidized foodgrains under the food security law.
During her first Zero Hour intervention in the Rajya Sabha, Gandhi explained that the identification of beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) is based on the 2011 Census, rather than the current population data, resulting in many people being left out.
"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," she said in the Upper House.
Gandhi also claimed that the Budget allocations reveal that the 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 the NFSA," she said.
The senior Congress leader said the NFSA, introduced by the UPA government in September 2013, was a landmark initiative aimed at ensuring food and nutritional security for the country's 140 crore population. The legislation, Gandhi said, played a crucial role in protecting millions of vulnerable households from starvation, particularly during the Covid-19 crisis.
She also said the quota for the beneficiaries is still determined based on the 2011 Census, which is now well over a decade old. 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 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.