CPI(M) Demands Government Withdraw Proposed Food Security Act Amendment
The CPI(M) Polit Bureau on Tuesday demanded the immediate withdrawal of a proposed amendment to the National Food Security Act (NFSA) that would change the food grain entitlement under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY). The party termed the proposal "anti-poor" and accused the Union government of trying to weaken the landmark legislation.
Under the proposed amendment, the Union government plans to change the entitlement criteria from a household-based system to a per capita system, increasing the food grain entitlement to 7 kg per person from the current 5 kg per person.
However, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau pointed out in a statement that this change does not help larger households. The total entitlement would continue to remain capped at 35 kg per month, regardless of the family size.
At the same time, the party warned that the amendment would substantially reduce the food grain entitlement of smaller, vulnerable households. Currently, these households are guaranteed the full 35 kg of food grains under the existing AAY scheme.
According to the CPI(M), the amendment would disproportionately affect the poorest sections of society. This includes elderly couples, widows, persons with disabilities, tribal families, landless agricultural labourers, daily wage workers, persons with chronic illnesses, and small nuclear families whose food security depends on the AAY.
The Left party also highlighted that the amendment would adversely impact states, particularly southern states, that have successfully implemented family planning programmes. Because these states have achieved population stabilisation and have smaller average household sizes, they would suffer a significant reduction in their overall foodgrain allocations.
Furthermore, the CPI(M) stated that the Union government has ignored demands for years to revise the beneficiary lists under the NFSA. The lists continue to be based on outdated 2011 Census data. The party noted that, according to some estimates, nearly 14 crore eligible persons remain excluded from the benefits of the legislation due to this outdated data.
