In
order to provide Food Security, in the current Agriculture Scenario,
India has to Focus on Supplies which are timely and Uninterrupted and
Affordable for the Poor
57
% of Households had Calorie intake below 2160 KCal/Consumer unit/day
Average
Protein intake Per Capita per day Rises Steadily
India
Has the Second Highest Number of Undernourished People
which Warrants Immediate Attention
The Economic
Survey 2015-16 presented here today in the Parliament by the Union Finance
Minister Shri Arun Jaitley emphasizes that the main aim of
food management policy is to provide food security to the population.
Providing food security entails making food available at affordable prices at
all times, without interruptions. In order to provide food security, in the
current agriculture scenario, India has to focus on supplies which are timely
and uninterrupted and affordable for the poor. Though India’s GDP growth has
been impressive and the agricultural production has also increased over the
past few decades, hunger and starvation still persist among the poorer section
of the population. There has been moderation of inflation including food
inflation during the last two years, but more needs to be achieved by freeing
up markets, augmenting supply of food and leveraging the use of IT.
According to the
data of the 66th round of the National Sample Survey (2009-10), the
average dietary energy intake per person per day was 2147 Kcal for rural India
and 2123 Kcal for urban India. As per the Report of Nutritional Intake in
India, 2011-12 (NSSO, 68th round), among the bottom 5 per cent of
rural population ranked by Monthly Per Capita Expenditure (MPCE), 57 per cent
of households had calorie intake below 2160 Kcal/consumer unit/day. The average
protein intake per capita per day rises steadily with MPCE level in rural
India from 43 gm for the bottom 5 per cent of population ranked by MPCE to 91
gm for the top 5 per cent, and in urban India from 44 gm for the bottom 5 per
cent to about 87 gm for the top 5 per cent.
Economic Survey
2015-16 states that India has the second highest number of undernourished
people at 194.6 million person (FAO, State of Food Insecurity in the World,
2015) which warrants immediate attention. Moreover, with 27 per cent of the
population below the poverty line, the rise in prices of food impacts the poor
adversely, with a greater proportion of their household incomes being spent on
food. Therefore, along with provision of food subsidy, stability in
agricultural commodity prices is essential for making poorer sections food
secure.
There is a
strong correlation between stability in agricultural production and food
security. Volatility in agricultural production impacts food supplies and can
result in spikes in food prices, which adversely affect the lowest income of
the population.
With a large
number of people who remain undernourished and the issues of volatility in
agricultural prices, Economic Survey 2015-16 states that India has one of the
largest scheme of food schemes in the World to ensure food security. There is
entitlement feeding programs like the Integrated Child Development Scheme
(ICDS) (All Children under six, pregnant and lactating mothers) and MDMS (Mid
Day Meal Schemes), food subsidy programmes like the Targeted Public
Distribution System, Annapurna ( 10 Kgs of free food grain for destitute poor)
and the Employment Programmes like Mahatama Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (100 days of employment at minimum wages) to
ensure food security.
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