New Delhi: Nearly one in every two persons from Gujarat are dependent on subsidised foodgrain support under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), a fact that busts the claim that Gujarat is India’s “growth engine”, reported New Indian Express.Comparing fresh parliamentary data with the state’s projected 2026 population, the newspaper reported the contradiction between the state’s development narrative and ground-level economic dependence.As per the parliamentary data, at present 3.38 crore people are receiving highly subsidised or free foodgrains under the NFSA or PMGKAY. When this figure is compared with Gujarat’s projected 2026 population of 7.43 crore (Unofficial), it means that more than half of the projected population is covered under NFSA and PMGKAY, highlighting the dependence of more than half of the state’s public on subsidised foodgrains.The opposition Congress has questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has governed the state for more than three decades over the contradiction between the party’s narrative about the “Gujarat model” and the disparity that the data reveals.“The fact that nearly half the population is covered under food subsidy schemes suggests that a large segment of Gujaratis may still be struggling with low incomes, unemployment, informal labour conditions, or economic instability,” Congress Spokes Person Hiren Banker told New Indian Express.“This contradiction becomes even more pronounced when viewed against Gujarat’s reputation as a “developed state”. If economic progress were reaching all sections of society, the dependence on food subsidies should gradually decline rather than remain at such a massive scale,” he added.