CPI(M) slams Union Government over proposed NFSA amendment
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday strongly opposed the Union Government’s proposed amendment to the National Food Security Act (NFSA), accusing the Centre of attempting to dilute and weaken the landmark legislation.
The Left party demanded the immediate withdrawal of the proposed bill, which seeks to alter the entitlement criteria under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) from a household-based system to a per capita system. Under the proposed changes, the foodgrain allocation would shift to 7 kg per person per month while capping the overall monthly ration at 35 kg per household. In a press statement issued from the CPI(M) Central Committee Office, the party argued that the restructuring offers absolutely no benefit to larger households while substantially reducing the legal food entitlements of smaller families.
“The amendment will disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable sections of society, including elderly couples, widows, persons with disabilities, tribal families, landless agricultural labourers, and small nuclear families whose food security depends entirely on the AAY,” the Polit Bureau stated. The party also flagged a regional disparity, noting that the amendment would penalise southern states that have successfully implemented family planning programmes. “These states will suffer a significant reduction in their overall foodgrain allocations despite their achievements in population stabilisation,” the statement added.
Criticising the Modi Government for failing to update the NFSA beneficiary lists — which are still based on the outdated 2011 Census data — the CPI(M) highlighted that millions of eligible people remain excluded from the food safety net.
The party maintained that instead of addressing the long-pending demand to expand coverage based on current population figures, the Centre has chosen to introduce an “anti-poor” measure that further reduces the food entitlements of the marginalised.