For a country obsessed with rapid economic growth, it is disheartening that basic requirements such as food & nutrition continue to be a distant dream for the most vulnerable classes of Indian society
It was just before the 2009 general elections when the issue of ensuring food security in India became one of the major issues for all political parties in their manifestos. With an almost defunct Public Distribution System (PDS), high food inflation figures, poor nutrition rates and corresponding issues, it was probably for the first time that India saw politicians seriously eager to address matters that required radical interventions to help the hungry and the starving class. But, months have passed since then and there has been no concrete forward movement on those tall promises made around a Food Security Bill by the ruling alliance. In fact, while there were a lot of expectations from the government to make sufficient provisions in this regard in this year’s budget proposals, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee did not back it with any concrete allocations. All that he delivered is yet another promise when he said, “After detailed consultations with all stakeholders including state governments, we are close to finalising the National Food Security Bill, which will be introduced in Parliament during the course of the year.”
However, according to sources in the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution, the Bill is still in a very nascent stage with the contours of the same currently being deliberated upon. The proposed National Food Security Bill, which promises cheaper food grains – aimed at easing a prolonged pricing pressure that has battered low-income groups – is still unresolved at the policy level as the government and the UPA-II’s National Advisory Council (NAC) are in disagreement over the ambit of the proposed Bill. While the government seems to be pressing on restricting the benefits of food security only to people below the poverty line (BPL), Congress President Sonia Gandhi is apparently advocating for a universal public distribution system in the NAC. After several rounds of discussions and deliberations, the NAC has failed to produce a draft, which proves good enough for an effective Food Security Act. After having rejected the Bill in the form proposed by the NAC, it is fairly evident that after all the effort, the government is not convinced over the need and feasibility for extending the benefits of a PDS beyond the BPL (a targeted number that has been found to be severely flawed in terms of estimating the existence of hunger and deprivation across India), thus denying eligibility to the right to food to a huge portion of the country’s population.
As per the findings of the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted in 2005-06, 46% children below the age of 3 years are underweight; 79% children aged 6-35 months have anaemia, as do 56% of married women aged 15-49 years and 24% of similar men; 33% women and 28% of men have a Body Mass Index (BMI) below normal and 58% of pregnant women have anaemia. Indicators are much worse in rural India. But the disheartening fact is that these indicators have only marginally changed since the previous NFHS in 1998-99. In terms of calorie consumption, the picture is even worse. According to a 2004-05 study by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), average daily intake of calories by the rural population has dropped from 2,153 Kcal in 1993-94 to 2,047 Kcal in 2004-05 indicating 4.9% fall, as against a fall of 2.5% (from 2071 Kcal to 2020 Kcal) in urban areas.
But then, if you go by the Ministry of Agriculture, well, there is ‘no crisis as such’ in India, in terms of access and availability of food grains to all at all times (something that the Bill proposes to address). However, “The proposed Food Security Bill was not conceptualised in recognition to any crisis in terms of food security in India,” says Mukesh Kullar, Joint Secretary, Agriculture Ministry and National Director of the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) to B&E. He clarifies, “It is more a measure that intends to extend the government’s welfare initiatives to a right, just like MNREGA. It is not in response to any crisis.”
While there are several figures to indicate the extent of corruption and leakages under the PDS, the fact remains that the system has definitely failed to deliver. In fact, the SC-appointed Justice D. P. Wadhwa committee has even dubbed the running PDS as a ‘bogus programme’. Citing references to several states where the PDS has either collapsed or languishing, it has clearly brought out that the PDS is a system engulfed in corruption, leakages and inefficiency. “Much of the food from the PDS is diverted to the open market. PDS grains are also diverted to neighbouring countries like Nepal, Burma and Bangladesh,” the Wadhwa committee report says, adding that 80% of the leakages occur before the grain reaches the ration shops.
UPA’s display of a sense of urgency in addressing the problem of hunger and food insecurity in the country offers some relief. However, serious concerns have been raised over the government’s perspective and understanding on how this multi-faceted and deep-rooted problem can be addressed. At a time when the government is planning to bring out a National Food Security Bill, which aims at granting differential legal entitlement of food grains to nearly 800 million people through a reformed PDS network, the question is whether the proposed legislation will mean anything for the poor and hungry or not. Expert opinions suggest that hunger needs more than PDS ration, which is where the government is failing to focus on. “Unless we remove the structural causes that exacerbate hunger, most of them relating to agriculture and management of natural resources, India would not be able to make any significant difference in reducing hunger,” says Devinder Sharma, Senior Agricultural Scientist adding that the contradictions between the government and the NAC threatens to dilute the impact of any such legislation. Even the latest Economic Survey states that increasing agriculture production and productivity is a condition necessary not only for ensuring food security, but also for sustaining the high levels of growth. The survey further calls for concerted efforts for addressing the challenge of stagnating productivity levels in agriculture and suggests the inclusion of renewed agricultural research, dissemination of technology, better inputs such as quality seeds, fertilizers and modern irrigation facilities.
The findings gather weight as per capita availability of food grains and cereals has been a burning issue in India. Latest data from the Agriculture ministry show that the per capita availability of food grains was 444 grams in 2009 against 436 grams per day in 2008, 442.8 grams in 2007 and 445.3 grams in 2006. The average daily intake of protein has also decreased from 60.2 gms to 57 gms in rural India between 1993-94 and 2004-05.
In the current scenario, where the system has definitely failed to reach to the needy, simply ensuring the requisite food entitlements on paper cannot sustain the humongous requirements of the right to food. According to Suvrokamal Dutta, Senior Economic & Political analyst, “If India has to overcome this problem, there has to be a joint effort from the Centre and state governments who agree to work on a common agenda.” There has to be an understanding within the political circles that there is absolutely no room for negligence in this matter. Unlike most other cases where the government usually portrays the success of its flagship schemes through confusing numbers to avoid critics, need for food affects the lives of all Indians across all sections of society. Bold measures will be required to ensure that this issue is not allowed to grow into a crisis like sub-Saharan African nations. The problem of hunger and static levels of malnutrition is an outcome of policies and denial in accepting that the delivery system is not functioning. Currently, over twenty government programmes including the Mid-day Meal Programme, National Food Security Mission, Antyodaya Anna Yojna and the Annapoorna Yojana exist to provide food and nutritional security under the ambit of various ministries. But the problem of hunger and the number of starvation deaths have only multiplied. Above all, the issues plaguing the delivery mechanisms have to be addressed non-politically. Factors directly affecting right to food such as implementation, urban poverty, starvation deaths and the now common issues of absence of transparency and accountability need to be addressed before we really try to move towards ensuring access and availability of food for all.
It was just before the 2009 general elections when the issue of ensuring food security in India became one of the major issues for all political parties in their manifestos. With an almost defunct Public Distribution System (PDS), high food inflation figures, poor nutrition rates and corresponding issues, it was probably for the first time that India saw politicians seriously eager to address matters that required radical interventions to help the hungry and the starving class. But, months have passed since then and there has been no concrete forward movement on those tall promises made around a Food Security Bill by the ruling alliance. In fact, while there were a lot of expectations from the government to make sufficient provisions in this regard in this year’s budget proposals, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee did not back it with any concrete allocations. All that he delivered is yet another promise when he said, “After detailed consultations with all stakeholders including state governments, we are close to finalising the National Food Security Bill, which will be introduced in Parliament during the course of the year.”
However, according to sources in the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution, the Bill is still in a very nascent stage with the contours of the same currently being deliberated upon. The proposed National Food Security Bill, which promises cheaper food grains – aimed at easing a prolonged pricing pressure that has battered low-income groups – is still unresolved at the policy level as the government and the UPA-II’s National Advisory Council (NAC) are in disagreement over the ambit of the proposed Bill. While the government seems to be pressing on restricting the benefits of food security only to people below the poverty line (BPL), Congress President Sonia Gandhi is apparently advocating for a universal public distribution system in the NAC. After several rounds of discussions and deliberations, the NAC has failed to produce a draft, which proves good enough for an effective Food Security Act. After having rejected the Bill in the form proposed by the NAC, it is fairly evident that after all the effort, the government is not convinced over the need and feasibility for extending the benefits of a PDS beyond the BPL (a targeted number that has been found to be severely flawed in terms of estimating the existence of hunger and deprivation across India), thus denying eligibility to the right to food to a huge portion of the country’s population.
As per the findings of the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted in 2005-06, 46% children below the age of 3 years are underweight; 79% children aged 6-35 months have anaemia, as do 56% of married women aged 15-49 years and 24% of similar men; 33% women and 28% of men have a Body Mass Index (BMI) below normal and 58% of pregnant women have anaemia. Indicators are much worse in rural India. But the disheartening fact is that these indicators have only marginally changed since the previous NFHS in 1998-99. In terms of calorie consumption, the picture is even worse. According to a 2004-05 study by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), average daily intake of calories by the rural population has dropped from 2,153 Kcal in 1993-94 to 2,047 Kcal in 2004-05 indicating 4.9% fall, as against a fall of 2.5% (from 2071 Kcal to 2020 Kcal) in urban areas.
But then, if you go by the Ministry of Agriculture, well, there is ‘no crisis as such’ in India, in terms of access and availability of food grains to all at all times (something that the Bill proposes to address). However, “The proposed Food Security Bill was not conceptualised in recognition to any crisis in terms of food security in India,” says Mukesh Kullar, Joint Secretary, Agriculture Ministry and National Director of the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) to B&E. He clarifies, “It is more a measure that intends to extend the government’s welfare initiatives to a right, just like MNREGA. It is not in response to any crisis.”
While there are several figures to indicate the extent of corruption and leakages under the PDS, the fact remains that the system has definitely failed to deliver. In fact, the SC-appointed Justice D. P. Wadhwa committee has even dubbed the running PDS as a ‘bogus programme’. Citing references to several states where the PDS has either collapsed or languishing, it has clearly brought out that the PDS is a system engulfed in corruption, leakages and inefficiency. “Much of the food from the PDS is diverted to the open market. PDS grains are also diverted to neighbouring countries like Nepal, Burma and Bangladesh,” the Wadhwa committee report says, adding that 80% of the leakages occur before the grain reaches the ration shops.
UPA’s display of a sense of urgency in addressing the problem of hunger and food insecurity in the country offers some relief. However, serious concerns have been raised over the government’s perspective and understanding on how this multi-faceted and deep-rooted problem can be addressed. At a time when the government is planning to bring out a National Food Security Bill, which aims at granting differential legal entitlement of food grains to nearly 800 million people through a reformed PDS network, the question is whether the proposed legislation will mean anything for the poor and hungry or not. Expert opinions suggest that hunger needs more than PDS ration, which is where the government is failing to focus on. “Unless we remove the structural causes that exacerbate hunger, most of them relating to agriculture and management of natural resources, India would not be able to make any significant difference in reducing hunger,” says Devinder Sharma, Senior Agricultural Scientist adding that the contradictions between the government and the NAC threatens to dilute the impact of any such legislation. Even the latest Economic Survey states that increasing agriculture production and productivity is a condition necessary not only for ensuring food security, but also for sustaining the high levels of growth. The survey further calls for concerted efforts for addressing the challenge of stagnating productivity levels in agriculture and suggests the inclusion of renewed agricultural research, dissemination of technology, better inputs such as quality seeds, fertilizers and modern irrigation facilities.
The findings gather weight as per capita availability of food grains and cereals has been a burning issue in India. Latest data from the Agriculture ministry show that the per capita availability of food grains was 444 grams in 2009 against 436 grams per day in 2008, 442.8 grams in 2007 and 445.3 grams in 2006. The average daily intake of protein has also decreased from 60.2 gms to 57 gms in rural India between 1993-94 and 2004-05.
In the current scenario, where the system has definitely failed to reach to the needy, simply ensuring the requisite food entitlements on paper cannot sustain the humongous requirements of the right to food. According to Suvrokamal Dutta, Senior Economic & Political analyst, “If India has to overcome this problem, there has to be a joint effort from the Centre and state governments who agree to work on a common agenda.” There has to be an understanding within the political circles that there is absolutely no room for negligence in this matter. Unlike most other cases where the government usually portrays the success of its flagship schemes through confusing numbers to avoid critics, need for food affects the lives of all Indians across all sections of society. Bold measures will be required to ensure that this issue is not allowed to grow into a crisis like sub-Saharan African nations. The problem of hunger and static levels of malnutrition is an outcome of policies and denial in accepting that the delivery system is not functioning. Currently, over twenty government programmes including the Mid-day Meal Programme, National Food Security Mission, Antyodaya Anna Yojna and the Annapoorna Yojana exist to provide food and nutritional security under the ambit of various ministries. But the problem of hunger and the number of starvation deaths have only multiplied. Above all, the issues plaguing the delivery mechanisms have to be addressed non-politically. Factors directly affecting right to food such as implementation, urban poverty, starvation deaths and the now common issues of absence of transparency and accountability need to be addressed before we really try to move towards ensuring access and availability of food for all.
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