THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Feb 10: Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today raised the issue of delay in the census in the Rajya Sabha.
She also discussed the National Food Security Act (NFSA), stating that it was introduced by the UPA government in September 2013 as a historic initiative aimed at ensuring food and nutritional security for the country’s 140 crore population. She emphasized that the act played a crucial role in preventing millions of families from starvation during the COVID-19 crisis.
Continuing her statement, Sonia Gandhi said that the same Act provided the foundation for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.
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She noted that under the NFSA, 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population are entitled to subsidized food grains. However, the beneficiary quota is still based on the 2011 Census, which is over a decade old.
She pointed out that, for the first time in independent India’s history, the census has been delayed by more than four years, even though it was supposed to be conducted in 2021.
Sonia Gandhi stated that food security is not a privilege but a fundamental right. She emphasized that the beneficiary quota is still determined based on the 2011 Census, which is now over a decade old. As a result, nearly 14 crore eligible Indians are being deprived of their rightful benefits under the NFSA.
