CPI(M) opposes proposed NFSA amendment, says it will reduce foodgrain entitlements

New Delhi, Jul 7 (PTI) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday opposed the Centre's proposed “anti-poor” amendment to the National Food Security Act (NFSA), alleging that it would reduce foodgrain entitlements for the poorest beneficiaries and weaken the landmark food security law. In a statement, the CPI(M) Politburo demanded the immediate withdrawal of the proposed amendment, which seeks to change the entitlement criteria under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) from a household-based system to a per capita system. The government is considering shifting the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) foodgrain entitlement from a fixed 35 kg per household per month to 7 kg per person per month, capped at 35 kg – a move claimed to benefit larger poor families. "The proposed change of enhancing food grains to 7 kg per person offers no benefit to larger households, as their entitlement will continue to remain capped at 35 kg per month regardless of family size. At the same time, it will substantially reduce the foodgrain entitlement of smaller households, which are currently guaranteed the full 35 kg under the existing scheme," the party said. It said the amendment would "disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable sections of society", including elderly couples, widows, persons with disabilities, tribal families, landless agricultural labourers, daily wage workers, people with chronic illnesses and small nuclear families whose food security depends on the AAY irrespective of household size. The CPI(M) also alleged that the proposed amendment would adversely affect states with smaller average household sizes, particularly the southern states. "The amendment will adversely impact states, particularly the southern states that have successfully implemented family planning programmes and consequently have smaller average household sizes. These states will suffer a significant reduction in their overall foodgrain allocations despite their achievements in population stabilisation," it said. The Left party argued that instead of addressing the long-pending demand to revise NFSA beneficiary lists, which continue to be based on the 2011 Census, the Union government had chosen to reduce food entitlements. "For years, there has been a legitimate and widely supported demand to revise the beneficiary lists under the NFSA, which continues to be based on the outdated 2011 Census. As a result, millions of eligible people remain excluded from the Act's benefits," it said. "Instead of addressing this long-pending demand by updating the beneficiary database and expanding coverage in line with current population figures, the Modi government has chosen to introduce an amendment that effectively reduces the food entitlements of the poorest sections of the population," the statement said. Describing the proposal as an "anti-poor amendment", the CPI(M) said it exposed the Union government's attempt to "gradually dilute and weaken the National Food Security Act, a landmark legislation enacted as a result of sustained people's struggles to establish food as a legal right." The party demanded that the proposed amendment be withdrawn immediately. The Department of Food and Public Distribution proposed an amendment to the National Food Security Act, 2013, and the Food Ministry has invited public comments on the National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026 until July 13. Under the current law, AAY households -- designated as the poorest of the poor -- receive a flat 35 kg per family per month, regardless of household size. Priority Households, by contrast, receive 5 kg per person per month. PTI AO KSI KSI