Prashant Mavani, is an expert in current affairs analysis and holds a MSc in Management from University of Surrey (U.K.).

Transcription

1 Prashant Mavani, is an expert in current affairs analysis and holds a MSc in Management from University of Surrey (U.K.). Above all he is a passionate teacher.

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3 A recent incident aren t we lucky that we can have food of our choice? Parents used to chasten us if we wasted food. We were given example of Ethiopia Ethiopia was the country stricken with famines (भ खमर ). World Peace Foundation: , nearly 115 million starved to death But the era of starvation deaths has ended World Bank: It is fastest growing economy to : GDP 10.8%/annum How? A peace dividend Improved infrastructure A switch to market economy Globalization A few sound policies (including better management of food) A little bit of luck

4 12 th Global Hunger Index is out for the year 2017 Prepared by: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Criteria 1. Undernourishment (अल पप षण/म दप षण) 2. Child Mortality (ब ल म त य -दर) 3. Child Wasting (low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition) (शक त ह न) 4. Child Stunting (low height for their age, reflecting chronic under nutrition (अव कस )

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7 Facts and India Type of countries: Developing Total countries assessed: 119 Nearly half the countries fell in the extremely alarming, alarming, or serious categories of hunger levels. Rank of India: 100 out of 119 In 2014 we were Rank 55 Score: 31.4 (Higher the score the worst it is) Category: Serious Almost 1/3 rd of our population go hungry Every 3 rd child of India is malnourished Under 5 mortality: 10 lakh every year As per Global Food Security Index: 68.5% population of India is malnourished We have food but accessibility is the main issue

8 This year we had a tie with Djibouti and war ravaged Rwanda.

9 It is a matter of shame for India to find that part from Pakistan (106) we are behind all our neighbors. Nepal 72 Myanmar 77 Bangladesh 88 China 27 (score of 7.1 means normal) North Korea 93 Iraq 78 We take pride in being one of the fastest growing major economy in the world. Report indicates Even though our GPD growth has been high since last 1.5 decade, we are not able to tame hunger. This also means that growth benefits are not reaching all, particularly poor. As per IFPRI more than half of the wealth is in the hands of 1% of population. Rich is getting richer, the poor is getting poorer What should I eat? What can I eat? Jan 2012: Then PM Dr. Singh termed it as national shame. India accepted that despite rapid economic growth it is lagging far behind in this area. World Health Organization (WHO): Hunger is the extreme form of malnourishment.

10 India has made considerable strides in improving these metrics. Data from the early 1990s reveals A. Proportion of undernourished population from 21.7% to 14.5% B. Stunting: children under five years of age from 62% to 38.4% C. Under-five mortality rate from almost 12% to 4.8% D. Wasting under 5: India has become worse over this long period. Only three other countries in the world Djibouti, Sri Lanka, and South Sudan show child wasting levels worse than India s. With more than a fifth of the country s children under five suffering from wasting low weight for height (शक त ह न) India is among the very few countries that have made no progress, over the past 20 years, in arresting the problem. The report draws on India s National Family Health Survey to show that the proportion of children in the country suffering the problem has increased from 17% in to 21% in

11 Worse: Nutritional Inequality Typically those with the least social, economic, and political power such as women and girls, ethnic minorities, and the rural poor are far more malnourished than what these dreadful aggregate figures suggest 1 out of 2 women is victim of anemia (रत ह न ) Poverty Expenses Health

12 India s rural to urban migration By 2050, nearly 50% of India s population will be living in urban area Current trend of migration is throwing 3 types of challenges in terms of nutrition 1. Hunger: Lack of required calories due to insufficient diet 2. Less nutrition: both macro and micro nutrient deficiency 3. Obesity: more calorie intake Other challenges of migration Employment Social security House Potable water Clean environment This also means that it bring huge opportunities for rural area Rural area can become a source of reliable supply for urban necessities

13 Demand Supply

14 Reasons and Solutions Agriculture is source of 99% of our food security We are no longer food deficient. It is the thing of the past May 2016: Courts of our country has stressed that there is no point of Food Security Act 2013 if the States are not implementing it. Deadline of implementation was extended by Central Government in 2014 Food security does not mean just giving food Wholesome food it must Recently, there was a case of diversion and leakage of food for PDS in Rajasthan. India has many schemes for to improve nutritional status of its people. Unfortunately, this topic has never acquired adequate urgency. Many of India s social welfare schemes including those related to food security have been dogged by challenges related to identifying and reaching targeted groups. In the last three years, the government has claimed that it is trying to resolve this conundrum by linking targeted welfare schemes to instruments such as Aadhaar. Red tape

15 Food Wastage : A big issue 40% of our post harvest production is wasted i.e. loss of Rs 92,000 crore Rs 450 crore loss due to rotting of wheat Indian Institute of Public Administration: 23 crore tons of Dals, 12 crore tons of fruits, 21 crore tons of vegetables is wasted due to lack of handling Wastage of food is high in functions and ceremonies Nearly 30% of wheat production fails due to pollution and climate change effects Wastage of water: This concept is called Virtual Water SAMPADA: Scheme for Agro Marine Produce and Agro Processing Cluster Farmer to fork Accessibility and affordability of energy is a must

16 More land, less production Land share of farmer is shrinking Non agricultural activities are encroaching farm land We need modern technologies as we are still using outdated methods Harvesting, handling the grains, storage We have to make every farmer an entrepreneur They buy in retail and sell in wholesale Eliminate middlemen: Prices will come down & farmers will get his due share too

17 All States and U.T.s should share knowledge with each other One India and not as competitors Implementing best practices from around the world Israel: Less water more crop Ethiopia: Infrastructure helps in easy transport of food to every nook and corner of the country Netherlands: Greenhouse for food production Denmark: A supermarket is allowed to sell outdate food France has become the first country in the world to ban supermarkets from throwing away or destroying unsold food, forcing them instead to donate it to charities and food banks.

18 Vagaries of weather continue to disrupt agriculture, causing occasional food shortages. Flood and drought in same year, this is not going to change We used to have a vibrant cooperative movement Too much political interference has killed cooperatives Skill mission for farmers Reduce the growing gap between rich and poor Charities and philanthropy institutes can be roped in Until we solve agricultural issues we will not be able to solve other issues and that includes lack of nutrition We can add 2-3% to our GDP if we tame malnourishment.

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