New Delhi
Congress has expressed concern over the commencement of the 18th summit under India’s rotational presidency, highlighting what it views as one of the major failures of the NDA (No Data Available) government. This failure stems from the government’s inability to conduct the decadal Census, which was originally scheduled for 2021. As a result, an estimated 140 million citizens have been excluded from their food entitlements. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh criticized the government for its failure to conduct the Census, noting that most other G20 countries, including developing nations like Indonesia, Brazil, and South Africa, have managed to do so despite the challenges posed by COVID-19. Ramesh described this failure as unprecedented in India’s history. The consequences of not conducting the Census are significant. The Modi government is currently providing NFSA coverage to only 81 crore people based on the 2011 Census, even though an estimated 95 crore Indians are entitled to such coverage based on current population estimates. New beneficiaries are not being added, and despite a Supreme Court directive in July 2022 to rectify this issue using population projections, no action has been taken. The Congress party also raised concerns about the government’s reluctance to collect data that contradicts its narrative, citing examples such as unemployment data from the National Sample Survey 2017-18 and health-related data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) of 2019-20. Congress demands that the government take immediate steps to address these issues, including ensuring food security for the excluded population, conducting a comprehensive Census, and restoring faith in India’s statistical system by ceasing data suppression and manipulation.
