‘No clarity on when Census will be held’: Sonia Gandhi says 14 crore people deprived of NFSA benefits

Under the NFSA, Gandhi said, 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of the urban population are entitled to receive subsidised food grains. “However, the quota for beneficiaries is still determined based on the 2011 Census which is now well over a decade old. For the first time in independent India’s history, the decennial Census has been delayed for more than four years. Originally scheduled for 2021, there is still no clarity on when the Census will be conducted,” she said.

The allocations in the Union Budget 2025-26 reveal that the Census is unlikely to be conducted this year as well, Gandhi added.

Around 14 crore eligible Indians are thus being deprived of their rightful benefits under the NFSA, the Congress leader said, adding, “It is imperative that the government prioritises the completion of the Census as soon as possible and ensures that all deserving individuals receive the benefits guaranteed to them under the NFSA. Food security is not a privilege but a fundamental right.

Gandhi said that the Act, introduced by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in September 2013, was a landmark initiative aimed at ensuring food and nutritional security for the country’s 140 crore population. She added that the legislation played a crucial role in protecting millions of vulnerable households from starvation, particularly during the Covid-19 crisis and it provided the basis for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.