Unions call for protests against NFSA amendments

Four major mass organisations on Wednesday jointly called for nationwide protests against the Centre’s proposed amendments to the National Food Security Act (NFSA), which they claimed would drastically reduce ration quotas and severely threaten food security for the country’s poorest populations.

The joint call was issued by the All India Agricultural Workers’ Union (AIAWU), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). The bodies are protesting a proposal by the Department of Food and Public Distribution to alter the current ration allocation from a fixed 35 kg per household to 7 kg per person, while retaining a maximum cap of 35 kg per household.

In a joint statement, the unions strongly condemned the National Food Security Amendment Bill, terming it an “anti-people move” that exposes the Government’s apathy towards the working class. They argued that the proposed restructuring would end up penalising larger families. Under the new rules, any household with more than five members would see its per capita allocation drop significantly below the promised 7 kg mark due to the rigid 35 kg household ceiling.

The organisations pointed out that nearly 236.9 lakh Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households — comprising roughly 939.4 lakh individuals — rely entirely on these subsidised foodgrains for daily survival. This highly vulnerable demographic includes landless agricultural labourers, traditional artisans, unorganised sector workers, Dalits, Adivasis, widows, and persons with disabilities.

Citing expert consensus, the statement noted that medical professionals and nutritionists have long maintained that marginalised populations require more than the current baseline to sustain healthy lives. The unions highlighted that historical benchmarks from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) previously recommended at least 14 kg of foodgrains per person for proper physical development.

The joint front also criticised the reliance on outdated data, noting that public distribution system (PDS) quotas remain tethered to the 2011 Census despite significant population growth over the last decade and a half. Citing a 2021 study by prominent economists, the unions stated that over 100 million eligible individuals are already excluded from the PDS network.

Highlighting severe nutritional deficiencies documented in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), which revealed that 35.5 per cent of children under five are stunted and 67.1 per cent are anaemic, the unions alleged that the Centre’s actual motivation is to artificially slash the national food subsidy bill to benefit corporate interests.

Demanding an immediate rollback of the proposed amendment, the joint body urged the Union Government to instead universally expand the distribution network, incorporate essential high-calorie food items, and update NFSA coverage parameters to reflect the current population. The four organisations have called upon their extensive rank and file to take to the streets in massive numbers to register their protest.