New Delhi, Feb 10 (UNI) Claiming that as many as 14 crore eligible Indians remain deprived of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) benefits, senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Monday said that the government should prioritise the completion of the census as soon as possible and ensure that all deserving individuals receive the benefits guaranteed to them under the food security law.
Raising the concern during the zero hour in the Upper House, Gandhi said that the quota for the beneficiaries under the food security law is still determined based on the 2011 census, which is well over a decade old.
She further said that for the first time since Independence the decadal census has been delayed by more than four years.
"Originally scheduled for 2021, there is still no clarity on when the census will be conducted. The budget allocations revealed that the updated census is unlikely to be conducted this year as well," the senior Congress leader said.
"Around 14 crore eligible Indians are thus being deprived of their rightful benefits under NFSA," she stated.
Gandhi further said that it was imperative that the government prioritises the completion of the census as soon as possible and ensure that all deserving individuals receive the benefits guaranteed to them under the NFSA.
"Food security is not the privilege, it is a fundamental right," she noted.
During the zero hour, BJP member Ajeet M Gopchade raised the issue of timely updation of Aadhaar details, claiming that intruders from Bangladesh have been using Aadhaar details to cast their votes, and the number of such people is continuously rising.
"I request the government that Aadhaar details of people are timely updated and a stringent law should be enacted, and it should be mandated that all the citizens of the country must timely update their Aadhaar details," he said.
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha has extended work hours for two days to complete general discussion on Union Budget 2025-26. The general discussion on the budget will start today at 2 PM.
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