HUNGER

Contents
What is hunger? 2
Food security and Constitution of India 3
Global Hunger Index (GHI) 3
What causes hunger? 4
India- Complex issue of surplus food and hungry mouths 6
What is malnutrition? 7
Effects of malnutrition 7
Types of Malnutrition 8
Other terms explained 9
MDG and SDG related to hunger 10
Government Schemes to tackle hunger 10
National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 11
Mid-day Meal Scheme 12
Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) 15
Double burden of malnutrition 16
Hidden Hunger 17
Shanta Kumar Committee on Restructuring of FCI(Food corporation of India) 18
Measures to eradicate hunger 19
Hunger
"When India achieved independence, more than 50 years ago, the people of the country were much
afflicted by endemic hunger. They still are."
Amartya Sen

There are 925 million undernourished people in the world today. That means one in seven people do
not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life. Hunger and malnutrition are in fact the
number one risk to the health worldwide greater than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

What is hunger?
The sensation of hunger, a lack of food in your stomach, is universal. But there are different
manifestations of hunger which are each measured in different ways:

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Under-nourishment is used to describe the status of people whose food intake does not include

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enough calories (energy) to meet minimum physiological needs for an active life. At present, there

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are 795 million undernourished people worldwide, most of them in developing countries.

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Malnutrition means 'badly nourished', but is more than a measure of what we eat or fail to eat.

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Malnutrition is characterised by inadequate intake of protein, energy and micronutrients and by

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frequent infections and diseases. Starved of the right nutrition, people will die from common
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infections like measles or diarrhoea.
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Malnutrition is measured not by how much food is eaten but by physical measurements of the
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body - weight or height - and age.

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Wasting is an indicator of acute malnutrition that reflects a recent and severe process that has led
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to substantial weight loss. This is usually the result of starvation and/or disease.
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For people across the world, food insecurity and hunger last all day, every day, year in, year out. They
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have insufficient food to be active and healthy and they dont get all the vitamins and minerals the body
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needs to function well. This leads to illness and temporary or permanent damage to their health.
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On average, a person needs about 1800 kcal per day as a minimum energy intake. If you dont get that
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you are likely to be suffering from chronic hunger and the human body will start to feed on itself: fat,
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muscle tissue and finally the organs. The body compensates for the lack of energy by slowing down its
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physical and mental activities. A hungry mind cannot concentrate, a hungry body does not take
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initiative, a hungry child loses all desire to play and study. Death is inevitable although many starving
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people actually die from hunger-related diseases such as tuberculosis, dysentery or typhoid which a
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weak body is unable to fight. Young children and old people are particularly vulnerable.
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Cycle of hunger, poverty and stalled development

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You could think of the human body as being like a car. Look after it and it will serve you well. To run
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smoothly a car needs to be maintained and when things go wrong you need to fix it. But even if parts of
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the car stop working, it will continue to run, for a time and appear to be working normally. If the wipers
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pack up, the lights are broken, the exhaust is cracked, the brakes worn and the clutch faulty, the car will
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still keep moving, just about. But eventually these accumulating problems become so great the car will
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stop. The human body is like this. A person who is chronically hungry can continue to function at a basic
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level but eventually malnourishment takes its toll, leading to critical illness and premature death.
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Food security and Constitution of India

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Article 21: Right to life means a life with human dignity and not mere survival or animal existence.
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The Right to Food is inherent to a life with dignity

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Article 39(a): Is a DPSP. The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing that the
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citizens, men and women equally, have the right to an adequate means to livelihood.
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Article 47: Duty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to
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improve public health. The State shall regard the raising of the level of nutrition and the standard
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of living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary duties.

Global Hunger Index (GHI)

GHI is a multi-dimensional statistical tool used to describe the state of countries' hunger situation. GHI is
updated once a year.
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger globally and
by country and region. Calculated each year by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI),
the GHI highlights successes and failures in hunger reduction and provides insights into the drivers of
hunger. By raising awareness and understanding of regional and country differences in hunger, the GHI
aims to trigger actions to reduce hunger.

To reflect the multidimensional nature of hunger, the GHI combines the following four component
indicators into one index:

1. Undernourishment: the proportion of undernourished people as a percentage of the population

(reflecting the share of the population whose caloric intake is insufficient;
1. Child wasting: the proportion of children under the age of five who suffer from wasting (that is,
low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition);
1. Child stunting: the proportion of children under the age of five who suffer from stunting (that is,
low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition); and
1. Child mortality: the mortality rate of children under the age of five (partially reflecting the fatal
synergy of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments).

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GHI and India

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India improved its global hunger index score to 29 in 2015 from 38.5 in 2005. A lower number means

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fewer people are going hungry. The reports authors said the reduction was a result of recent successes

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in the fight against child undernutrition in India.

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Wasting when weight is less than expected for a childs heightin children in the country fell from 20%
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in 2005 to 15% in 2014, and stuntingwhen a child is shorter than expected for their agefell from 48%
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to 39% in the same period, the report said.

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India is home to the highest number of hungry people in the world, at 194 million, surpassing
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China, according to United Nations annual hunger report

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The 2014 Global Hunger Index report of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) shows
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considerable improvement in India's hunger index and in the % of underweight children. India's rank
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improved from 63 to 55 presently.

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India is no longer in the category of 'alarming' cases, its hunger status is still classified in the
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category of 'serious'
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The report attributes the reduction in under nutrition to the expansion and improvement of
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several programs that have targeted a mix of the direct and indirect causes of under nutrition.
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These programs and policies are: expansion of ICDS, launch of NRHM, MGNREGA, reforms in
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several states in the PDS, and targeted efforts at the state level like Maharashtra nutrition
mission. In addition, improvements in sanitation and drinking water might have also helped in
enhancing nutrition

What causes hunger?

There are many reasons for the presence of hunger in the world and they are often interconnected:
Poverty trap:
 People living in poverty cannot afford nutritious food for themselves and their families. This makes
them weaker and less able to earn the money that would help them escape poverty and hunger.
This is not just a day-to-day problem: when children are chronically malnourished, or stunted, it
can affect their future income, condemning them to a life of poverty and hunger.
In developing countries, farmers often cannot afford seeds, so they cannot plant the crops that
would provide for their families. They may have to cultivate crops without the tools and fertilizers
they need. Others have no land or water or education. In short, the poor are hungry and their
hunger traps them in poverty.
Lack of investment in agriculture:
Too many developing countries lack key agricultural infrastructure, such as enough roads,
warehouses and irrigation. The results are high transport costs, lack of storage facilities and
unreliable water supplies. All conspire to limit agricultural yields and access to food.
Investments in improving land management, using water more efficiently and making more
resistant seed types available can bring big improvements.
Research by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization shows that investment in agriculture is five
times more effective in reducing poverty and hunger than investment in any other sector.

Climate and weather:

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Natural disasters such as floods, tropical storms and long periods of drought are on the increase --

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with calamitous consequences for the hungry poor in developing countries.

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Drought is one of the most common causes of food shortages in the world. In 2011, recurrent

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drought caused crop failures and heavy livestock losses in parts of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. In

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2012 there was a similar situation in the Sahel region of West Africa.
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In many countries, climate change is exacerbating already adverse natural conditions. Increasingly,
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the world's fertile farmland is under threat from erosion, salination and desertification.
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Deforestation by human hands accelerates the erosion of land which could be used for growing
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food.
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War and displacement:

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Across the globe, conflicts consistently disrupt farming and food production. Fighting also forces
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millions of people to flee their homes, leading to hunger emergencies as the displaced find
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themselves without the means to feed themselves. The conflict in Syria is a recent example.
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In war, food sometimes becomes a weapon. Soldiers will starve opponents into submission by
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seizing or destroying food and livestock and systematically wrecking local markets. Fields are often
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mined and water wells contaminated, forcing farmers to abandon their land.
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Ongoing conflict in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo has contributed significantly to
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the level of hunger in the two countries. By comparison, hunger is on the retreat in more peaceful
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parts of Africa such as Ghana and Rwanda.

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Unstable markets:
In recent years, the price of food products has been very unstable. Roller-coaster food prices make
it difficult for the poorest people to access nutritious food consistently. The poor need access to
adequate food all year round. Price spikes may temporarily put food out of reach, which can have
lasting consequences for small children.
When prices rise, consumers often shift to cheaper, less-nutritious foods, heightening the risks of
micronutrient deficiencies and other forms of malnutrition.

Food wastage:
 One third of all food produced (1.3 billion tons) is never consumed. This food wastage represents
a missed opportunity to improve global food security in a world where one in 8 is hungry.
Producing this food also uses up precious natural resources that we need to feed the planet. Each
year, food that is produced but not eaten guzzles up a volume of water equivalent to the annual
flow of Russia's Volga River. Producing this food also adds 3.3 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases
to the atmosphere, with consequences for the climate and, ultimately, for food production.

India- Complex issue of surplus food and hungry mouths

Every day some 3,000 Indian children die from illnesses related to malnutrition, and yet countless heaps
of rodent-infested wheat and rice are rotting in fields across the north of their own country.

It is an extraordinary paradox created by a rigid regime of subsidies for grain farmers, a woeful lack of
storage facilities and an inefficient, corruption-plagued public distribution system that fails millions of
impoverished people.

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India faces a complex case of surplus food and hungry mouths. The food grain production is touching

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new heights every year and we are producing more than sufficient to feed our people without relying on

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external support. But still India has the highest number of hungry people in the world.

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According to a recent report, we have about 667 lac tons of food grains as on January 1st, 2013, which is

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almost 250 percent more than what it was in 2008 and more than excess of buffer stocks than required.
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Malnutrition in India is not limited to nutritional intake alone, with girls being at a higher risk than boys,
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due to their lower social status and discriminatory practices. The report of the Ministry of Statistics and
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Program Implementation, urges us to look at the various facets of malnutrition and what causes it.
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Mother's health and her overall well-being have being given top priority along with the educational
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qualification that she has. It is reported that malnutrition is higher among children whose mothers are
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uneducated or have less than five years of education. It also states that, when it comes to completing
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the vaccination/immunization cycle of the child, a mother's education plays an important role in this
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regard. Her awareness toward the health benefit schemes along with access to proper health services
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and hygienic practices, are crucial in deciding the health and longevity of the child.
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But the major issue lies with our faulty Public Distribution System (PDS) and rampant bureaucratic
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corruption. This grave situation worsens further because of lack of warehouses to store the grains and
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the lack of proper storage facilities. The government buys rice and wheat from farmers at a guaranteed
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price. Most of the food grains rot due to lack of proper storage facilities. The creeping profiteering and
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negligence on part of the officials work in tandem to ensure that the food stock just keeps piling on,
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without ever reaching the hungry mouths of the poor children.

The farm sector was transformed by the introduction of high-yielding seeds, fertilisers and irrigation
during the Green Revolution nearly half a century ago, ending a dependence on imports, but it has seen
only incremental reform ever since. For the last 25 years, the storage capacity has not been upgraded at
all.
Grain stocks officially deemed as stored in government warehouses now stand at a record 82.4 million
tonnes. However, that is about 20 million tonnes more than actual capacity, which means grain lying in
the open is being passed off as "stored".

Further, another critical factor that contributes to large scale hunger in India is the purchasing capacity
of the households for nutritious and quality food. The households living below poverty line (BPL) do not
have sufficient means to ensure food and nutritional security. NSSO data reveals that BPL households in
rural India are spending as high as 70% of the consumption expenditure meeting their food
requirements. The situation is similar with APL (above poverty line) which spends 50% on the same. The
urban working class spends nearly 30%.

Rising food prices, infrastructure constraints in supply chain, available agricultural land, high
dependency on monsoon, production technology and techniques, poor management and distribution of
food commodities, efficiency and transparency of the system, and several other factors are worsening
the food security scenario of the country. India needs to invest heavily in the agriculture sector which
employs almost 50% of the countrys workforce and contributes 13.7% of the GDP in 2013, including the
allied sectors.

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What is malnutrition?

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A malnourished person finds that their body has difficulty doing normal things such as growing and

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resisting disease. Physical work becomes problematic and even learning abilities can be diminished. For

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women, pregnancy becomes risky and they cannot be sure of producing nourishing breast milk.
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When a person is not getting enough food or not getting the right sort of food, malnutrition is just
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around the corner. Even if people get enough to eat, they will become malnourished if the food they eat
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does not provide the proper amounts of micronutrients - vitamins and minerals - to meet daily
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nutritional requirements.
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Disease and malnutrition are closely linked. Sometimes disease is the result of malnutrition, sometimes
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it is a contributing cause. In fact, malnutrition is the largest single contributor to disease in the world,
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according to the UN's Standing Committee on Nutrition (SCN).

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Malnutrition at an early age leads to reduced physical and mental development during childhood.
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Stunting, for example, affects more than 147 million pre-schoolers in developing countries, according to
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SCN's World Nutrition Situation 5th report. Iodine deficiency, the same report shows, is the world's
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greatest single cause of mental retardation and brain damage.

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Undernutrition affects school performance and studies have shown it often leads to a lower income as
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an adult. It also causes women to give birth to low birth-weight babies.

Effects of malnutrition
Malnutrition covers a range of problems, such as being dangerously thin, being too short for one's age,
being deficient in vitamins and minerals (such as lacking iron which makes you anaemic), or even being
too fat (obese). It is measured using the following indicators:
 Wasting is an indicator of acute malnutrition that reflects a recent and severe process that has led
to substantial weight loss. This is usually the result of starvation and/or disease.
Stunting is an indicator of chronic malnutrition that reflects the long-term nutritional situation of
a population. It is calculated by comparing the height-for-age of a child with a reference
population of well-nourished and healthy children.
Underweight is measured by comparing the weight-for-age of a child with a reference population
of well-nourished and healthy children. An estimated 146 million children in developing countries
are underweight.
Window of opportunity

The first two years of life are a critical window of opportunity. In this period it is possible to prevent
the largely irreversible damage that follows early childhood undernutrition. WFP's operations routinely
focus on the earliest phase of life, i.e. from conception (-9 months) to 24 months of age. We try to
ensure under-twos receive the vitamins and minerals they need.

There are two sides to eliminating malnutrition:

Sustaining the quality and quantity of food a person eats; and
Ensuring adequate health care and a healthy environment.

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Types of Malnutrition

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Each form of malnutrition depends on what nutrients are missing in the diet, for how long and at what

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age. The most basic kind is called protein energy malnutrition. It results from a diet lacking in energy and
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protein because of a deficit in all major macronutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
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Marasmus is caused by a lack of protein and energy with sufferers appearing skeletally thin. In extreme
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cases, it can lead to kwashiorkor, in which malnutrition causes swelling including a so-called 'moon face'.
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Other forms of malnutrition are less visible - but no less deadly. They are usually the result of vitamin
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and mineral deficiencies (micronutrients), which can lead to anaemia, scurvy, pellagra, beriberi and
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xeropthalmia and, ultimately, death.

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Deficiencies of iron, vitamin A and zinc are ranked among the World Health Organization's (WHO) top 10
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leading causes of death through disease in developing countries:

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Iron deficiency is the most prevalent form of malnutrition worldwide, affecting millions of people.
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Iron forms the molecules that carry oxygen in the blood, so symptoms of a deficiency include
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tiredness and lethargy. Lack of iron in large segments of the population severely damages a
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country's productivity. Iron deficiency also impedes cognitive development, affecting 40-60
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percent of children aged 6-24 months in developing countries (source: Vitamin & Mineral
Deficiency, a global damage assessment report, Unicef).
Vitamin A deficiency weakens the immune systems of a large proportion of under-fives in poor
countries, increasing their vulnerability to disease. A deficiency in vitamin A, for example,
increases the risk of dying from diarrhoea, measles and malaria by 20-24 percent. Affecting 140
million preschool children in 118 countries and more than seven million pregnant women, it is also
a leading cause of child blindness across developing countries (source: UN Standing Committee on
Nutrition's 5th Report on the World Nutrition Situation, 2005).
 Iodine deficiency affects 780 million people worldwide. The clearest symptom is a swelling of the
thyroid gland called a goitre. But the most serious impact is on the brain, which cannot develop
properly without iodine. According to UN research, some 20 million children (source: Vitamin &
Mineral Deficiency, a global damage assessment report, Unicef) are born mentally impaired
because their mothers did not consume enough iodine. The worst-hit suffer cretinism, associated
with severe mental retardation and physical stunting.
Zinc deficiency contributes to growth failure and weakened immunity in young children. It is linked
to a higher risk of diarrhoea and pneumonia, resulting in nearly 800,000 deaths per year.

Other terms explained

What is Stunting?
Compared to wasting (or acute malnutrition), which can develop over a short period and is reversible,
the development of stunting is a gradual and cumulative process during the 1,000 days window from
conception through the first two years of a childs life. Stunting develops as a result of sustained poor
dietary intake or repeated infections or a combination of both. It has severe, irreversible consequences,
beyond the shortness of stature, including for physical health (immediate and long-term morbidity and

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mortality) and cognitive functioning, which are intergenerational. The indicator for stunting is low

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height-for-age, a measurement that is calculated by comparing the height of a child against the WHO

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international growth reference for a child of the same age. Globally, about one in four children under-

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five are stunted, and a greater proportion of school-age children, adolescent and adults experience the

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results of having been stunted during their early childhood.
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What is Undernourishment?
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An indicator of inadequate dietary energy intake (based on FAOs definition of hunger, characterized as
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consuming less than a minimum level of kilocalories) that is assessed at the population level using
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national food balance sheets to determine the supply of dietary energy available to a given population
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and modeling of how that energy is distributed across the population. As of 2014, one in nine people in
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the world are undernourished.

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What is Underweight?
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A low weight-for-age measurement calculated based on comparing the weight-for-age of a child with
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the WHO international growth reference. Underweight reflects both stunting and wasting.
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What is Wasting?
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Acute malnutrition, or wasting, develops as a result of recent rapid weight loss or a failure to gain
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weight. In children, it is assessed by low weight-for-height compared to the WHO international growth
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reference or mid upper arm circumference (MUAC). The degree of acute malnutrition is classified as
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moderate (MAM) or severe (SAM). Wasting is often used to assess the severity of an emergency
because it is caused by illness and/or sudden, severe lack of food and is strongly related to mortality.

What is Micronutrient deficiency or hidden hunger?

Explained later

MDG and SDG related to hunger

Millennium Development Goal 1 was: Halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. The
targets set by UNDP for this MDG was:
The proportion of undernourished people in the developing regions has fallen by almost half since
1990.
Globally, about 795 million people are estimated to be undernourished.
More than 90 million children under age five are still undernourished and underweight.

SDG 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture:
The following are the targets and indicators are associated with the goal:
By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in
vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round
By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed
targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs
of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons
By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in
particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through
secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial
services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment

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By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural

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practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that

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strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and

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other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality

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By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated

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animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed
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and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair
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and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated
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traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed

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Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural

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infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant
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and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing
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countries, in particular least developed countries

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Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including
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through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export
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measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development
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Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their
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derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order
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to help limit extreme food price volatility

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Government Schemes to tackle hunger

Numerous government measures to overcome hunger and malnutrition include:
National Food Security Mission,
National Nutrition Mission,
National Policy On Farmers,
National Horticulture Mission,
National Mission on Pulses and Oilseeds,
National Rural Livelihoods Mission,
 Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act/Scheme,
National Rural Health Mission
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) for children below 06 years to provide nutrition and
pre-school education,
Mid Day Meal (MDM) for children of 06-14 years,
Public Distribution System,
Janani Suraksha Yojana (Mothers Protection Scheme) for pregnant/lactating mothers and
Social Assistance to the poor/needy (subsidised foodgrains, pension, insurance, etc)

National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013

The objective of this act is to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by
ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with
dignity.

Salient features of this act are as follows:

Coverage and entitlement under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS): Upto 75% of the
rural population and 50% of the urban population will be covered under TPDS, with uniform
entitlement of 5 kg per person per month. However, since Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)

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households constitute poorest of the poor, and are presently entitled to 35 kg per household per

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month, entitlement of existing AAY households will be protected at 35 kg per household per

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month.

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State-wise coverage: Corresponding to the all India coverage of 75% and 50% in the rural and

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urban areas, State-wise coverage will be determined by the Central Government. Planning
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Commission has determined the State-wise coverage by using the NSS Household Consumption
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Survey data for 2011-12.
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Subsidised prices under TPDS and their revision: Food grains under TPDS will be made available
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at subsidised prices of Rs. 3/2/1 per kg for rice, wheat and coarse grains for a period of three years
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from the date of commencement of the Act. Thereafter prices will be suitably linked to Minimum
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Support Price (MSP).

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In case, any States allocation under the Act is lower than their current allocation, it will be
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protected upto the level of average offtake under normal TPDS during last three years, at prices to
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be determined by the Central Government. Existing prices for APL households i.e. Rs. 6.10 per kg
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for wheat and Rs 8.30 per kg for rice has been determined as issue prices for the additional
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allocation to protect the average offtake during last three years.

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Identification of Households: Within the coverage under TPDS determined for each State, the
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work of identification of eligible households is to be done by States/UTs.

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Nutritional Support to women and children: Pregnant women and lactating mothers and children
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in the age group of 6 months to 14 years will be entitled to meals as per prescribed nutritional
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norms under Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Mid-Day Meal (MDM) schemes.
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Higher nutritional norms have been prescribed for malnourished children upto 6 years of age.
Maternity Benefit: Pregnant women and lactating mothers will also be entitled to receive
maternity benefit of not less than Rs. 6,000.
Women Empowerment: Eldest woman of the household of age 18 years or above to be the head
of the household for the purpose of issuing of ration cards.
Grievance Redressal Mechanism: Grievance redressal mechanism at the District and State levels.
States will have the flexibility to use the existing machinery or set up separate mechanism.
Cost of intra-State transportation & handling of food grains and FPS Dealers' margin: Central
Government will provide assistance to States in meeting the expenditure incurred by them on
 transportation of food grains within the State, its handling and FPS dealers margin as per norms
to be devised for this purpose.
Transparency and Accountability: Provisions have been made for disclosure of records relating to
PDS, social audits and setting up of Vigilance Committees in order to ensure transparency and
accountability.
Food Security Allowance: Provision for food security allowance to entitled beneficiaries in case of
non-supply of entitled food grains or meals.
Penalty: Provision for penalty on public servant or authority, to be imposed by the State Food
Commission, in case of failure to comply with the relief recommended by the District Grievance
Redressal Officer.

Mid-day Meal Scheme

The Midday Meal Scheme is a school meal program of the government of India designed to improve the
nutritional status of school-age children nationwide. The program supplies free lunches on working days
for children in primary and upper primary classes in government, government aided, local body,
Education Guarantee Scheme, and alternate innovative education centres, Madarsa and Maqtabs
supported under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and National Child Labour Project schools run by the ministry of

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labour. Serving 120,000,000 children in over 1,265,000 schools and Education Guarantee Scheme

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centres, it is the largest such programme in the world.

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With a view to enhancing enrollment, retention and attendance and simultaneously improving

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nutritional levels among children, the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary
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Education (NP-NSPE) was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme on 15th August 1995. By 1997-98,
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this scheme was introduced in all blocks of the country.
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Under article 24, paragraph 2c of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which India is a party,
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India has committed to providing "adequate nutritious foods" for children. The programme entered the
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planning stages in 2001 and was implemented in 2004. The programme has undergone many changes
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since its launch. The Midday Meal Scheme is covered by the National Food Security Act, 2013. The legal
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backing to the Indian school meal programme is similar to the legal backing provided in the US through
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the National School Lunch Act.

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Salient features of the scheme are:

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Entitlement for nutritional meal. Every child within the age group of six to fourteen years
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studying in classes I to VIII who enroll and attend the school, shall be provided meal having
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nutritional standards as specified in Schedule II of the Act, free of charge every day except on
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school holidays.
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Place of serving meal. The meal shall be served to children at school only.
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Preparation of meals and maintenance of standards and quality

o The meal shall be prepared in accordance with the Mid Day Meal guidelines issued by the
Central Government from time to time and in accordance with the provisions of Schedule II
of the Act.
o Every school shall have the facility for cooking meal in hygienic manner. Schools in urban
area may use the facility of centralised kitchens for cooking meals wherever required in
accordance with the guidelines issued by the Central Government and the meal shall be
served to children at respective school only.
Testing of Meals by accredited Laboratories:
 o Hot cooked meal provided to children shall be evaluated and certified by the Government
o Food Research Laboratory or any laboratory accredited or recognized by law, so as to ensure
that the meal meets with the nutritional standard
o Samples would be collected at least once in a month from randomly selected schools or
centralized kitchens, and will be sent to laboratories for examination.
Food Security Allowance: If the Mid-Day Meal is not provided in school on any school day due to
non-availability of food grains, cooking cost, fuel or absence of cook-cum-helper or any other
reason, the State Government shall pay food security allowance to every child by 15th of the
succeeding month.
Finances: The central and state governments share the cost of the Midday Meal Scheme, with the
centre providing 75 percent and the states 25 percent. The central government provides grains
and financing for other food. Costs for facilities, transportation, and labour are shared by the
federal and state governments. The participating states contribute different amounts of money.

Implementation models
Decentralised model: This is the most widespread practice. In the decentralised model, meals are
cooked on-site by local cooks and helpers or self-help groups. This system has the advantage of
being able to serve local cuisine, providing jobs in the area, and minimising waste. It also allows

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for better monitoring (e.g., by parents and teachers).

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In the absence of adequate infrastructure (such as kitchen sheds, utensils etc.), it can lead to

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accidents and maintaining hygiene can be difficult. In 2004, 87 children died when the thatched

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roof of a classroom was ignited by sparks from a cooking fire. In 2011, a child died after
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succumbing to burn injuries she sustained after accidentally falling into a cooking vessel.
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Centralised model: In the centralised model, an external organisation cooks and delivers the meal
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to schools, mostly through public-private partnerships. Centralised kitchens are seen more in
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urban areas, where density of schools is high so that transporting food is a financially viable
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option. Advantages of centralised kitchens include ensuring better hygienic as large scale cooking
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is done through largely automated processes. Various NGOs such as the Akshaya Patra
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Foundation, Ekta Shakti Foundation, Naandi Foundation, and Jay Gee Humanitarian Society
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provide mid-day meals.

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A study of centralised kitchens in Delhi in 2007 found that even with centralised kitchens, the
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quality of food needed to be improved. The study also found that when the food arrives and is of
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inadequate quality, even teachers feel helpless and do not know whom to complain to.
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The Ministry of Human Resource Development reported that 95% of tested meal samples
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prepared by NGOs in Delhi did not meet nutritional standards in 201012. In response, the
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ministry withheld 50% of the payment for the deficient meals.

Evaluation of the scheme

The MDM scheme has many potential benefits: attracting children from disadvantaged sections
(especially girls, Dalits and Adivasis) to school, improving regularity, nutritional benefits, socialisation
benefits and benefits to women are some that have been highlighted.
Studies by economists show that some of these benefits have indeed been realized. The positive effect
on enrollment of disadvantaged children, on attendance, on learning effort, on improving nutritional
inputs, on improving nutritional outcomes, and so on.

Caste based discrimination continues to occur in the serving of food, though the government seems
unwilling to acknowledge this. Sukhdeo Thorat and Joel Lee found in their 2005 study that caste
discrimination was occurring in conjunction with the Mid Day Meals programme.

Media reports also document the positive effect of the programme for women, especially working
women and its popularity among parents, children and teachers alike. Media reports have also
highlighted several implementation issues, including irregularity, corruption, hygiene, caste
discrimination, etc. A few such incidents are listed below:

In December 2005, Delhi police seized eight trucks laden with 2,760 sacks of rice meant for
primary school children. The rice was being transported from Food Corporation of India godowns
Bulandshahr district to North Delhi. The police stopped the trucks and investigators later
discovered that the rice was being stolen by an NGO.
In November 2006, the residents of Pembong village (30 km from Darjeeling) accused a group of

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teachers of embezzling midday meals. In a written complaint, the residents claimed that students

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at the primary school had not received their midday meal for the past year and a half.

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In December 2006, The Times of India reported that school staff were inflating attendance in

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order to obtain food grains.

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Twenty-three children died in Dharma Sati village in Saran District on 16 July 2013 after eating
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pesticide-contaminated mid day meals.[25] On 31 July 2013, 55 students at a government middle
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school fell ill at Kalyuga village in Jamui district after their midday meal provided by an NGO. On
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the same day, 95 students at Chamandi primary school in Arwal district were ill after their
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meal.[44]
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Criticism
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Despite the success of the program, child hunger as a problem persists in India. According to current
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statistics, 42.5% of the children under 5 are underweight. Some simple health measures such as using
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iodised salt and getting vaccinations are uncommon in India.

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"India is home to the world's largest food insecure population, with more than 500 million people who
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are hungry", India State Hunger Index (ISHI) said. Many children don't get enough to eat, which has far-
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reaching implications for the performance of the country as a whole. "Its rates of child malnutrition is
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higher than most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa," it noted. The 2009 Global Hunger Index ranked India
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at 65 out of 84 countries. More than 200 million went hungry in India that year, more than any other
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country in the world. The report states that "improving child nutrition is of utmost urgency in most
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Indian states".

Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS)

Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is an Indian government welfare programme which
provides food, preschool education, and primary healthcare to children under 6 years of age and their
mothers. These services are provided from Anganwadi centres established mainly in rural areas and
staffed with frontline workers. In addition to fighting malnutrition and ill health, the programme is also
intended to combat gender inequality by providing girls the same resources as boys.

The widespread network of ICDS has an important role in combating malnutrition especially for children
of weaker groups.

Objectives:
To raise the health and nutritional level of poor Indian children below 6 years of age.
To create a base for proper mental, physical and social development of children in India.
To reduce instances of mortality, malnutrition and school dropouts among Indian children.
To coordinate activities of policy formulation and implementation among all departments of
various ministries involved in the different government programmes and schemes aimed at child
development across India.
To provide health and nutritional information and education to mothers of young children to
enhance child rearing capabilities of mothers in the country of India.
To provide nutritional food to the mothers of young children & also at the time of pregnancy
period.

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The following services are sponsored under ICDS to help achieve its objectives:

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Immunization

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Supplementary nutrition

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Health checkup

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Pre-school non formal education
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Nutrition and Health information

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Implementation
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For nutritional purposes ICDS provides 300 kilocalories (with 8-10 grams of protein) every day to every
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child below 6 years of age. For adolescent girls it is up to 500 kilo calories with up to 25 grams of protein
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every day.
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The services of Immunisation, Health Check-up and Referral Services delivered through Public Health
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Infrastructure under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. UNICEF has provided essential supplies
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for the ICDS scheme since 1975. World Bank has also assisted with the financial and technical support
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for the programme.

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In 2008, the GoI adopted the World Health Organization standards for measuring and monitoring the
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child growth and development, both for the ICDS and the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). These
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standards were developed by WHO through an intensive study of six developing countries since 1997.
They are known as New WHO Child Growth Standard and measure of physical growth, nutritional status
and motor development of children from birth to 5 years age.

Funding pattern
The sharing pattern of supplementary nutrition in respect of North-Eastern States between Centre and
States has been changed from 50:50 to 90:10 ratios. In respect of other States/UTs, the existing sharing
pattern in respect of supplementary nutrition is 50:50. The existing cost sharing ratio for other
components is 90:10 except the new components approved under Strengthening & Restructuring for
which it is 75:25 (90:10 for NER).

Impact
By end of 2010, the programme is claiming to reach 80.6 lakh expectant and lactating mothers along
with 3.93 crore children (under 6 years of age). There are 6,719 operational projects with 1,241,749
operational Aanganwadi centres. Several positive benefits of the programme have been documented
and reported
A study in states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka demonstrated significant
improvement in the mental and social development of all children irrespective of their gender.
A 1992 study of National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development confirmed
improvements in birth-weight and infant mortality of Indian children along with improved
immunization and nutrition.

However, World Bank has also highlighted certain key shortcomings of the programme including
inability to target the girl child improvements, participation of wealthier children more than the poorer
children and lowest level of funding for the poorest and the most undernourished states of India.

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Budget 2016 and food security

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Government is targeting to double the farmers income in 5 years. Govt. will re-orient its efforts both in

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farm and non-farm sectors. The access to markets becomes critical in this respect, so govt. will

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implement a Unified Agriculture Marketing Scheme which envisages a common e-market platform that

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will be deployed in selected 585 regulated wholesale markets.
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Government will make efforts to ensure that the benefit of MSP reaches farmers in all parts of the
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country. Government will encourage remaining states to take up decentralized procurement. An online
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procurement system will be undertaken through the Food Corporation of India. Govt has also
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made effective arrangements for pulses procurement.

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Double burden of malnutrition

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There is growing recognition of the emergence of a double burden of malnutrition with under- and
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over nutrition occurring simultaneously among different population groups in developing countries. This
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phenomenon is not limited to upper-income developing countries, but is occurring across the globe in
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countries with very different cultures and dietary customs. There is accumulating evidence that when
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economic conditions improve, obesity and diet related non-communicable diseases may escalate in
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countries with high levels of under nutrition.

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Not only do 805 million people go to bed hungry every day, with one-third of global food production (1.3
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billion tons each year) being wasted, there is another scenario that reflects the nutrition paradox even
more starkly: two billion people are affected by micronutrients deficiencies while 500 million individuals
suffer from obesity.

The double burden of malnutrition is a situation where overweight and obesity exist side by side with
under-nutrition in the same country. While under-nutrition still kills almost 1.5 million women and
children every year, growing rates of overweight and obesity worldwide are driving rising diseases like
cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
The solution does not lie in the realm of science, health or agriculture alone. It requires a cross sectorial
and multi-dimensional approach that includes education, womens empowerment, market regulation,
technological research and, above all, political commitment.

Hidden Hunger
Hidden hunger, or micronutrient deficiency, is a major public health problem in developing countries
caused by a lack of essential vitamins and minerals (e.g. vitamin A, zinc, iron, iodine) in the diet. Often,
the signs of this form of malnutrition are hidden, as individuals may look alright but suffer extremely
negative impacts on health and well-being. For example, children may be stunted, have poor night vision
or suffer frequently from illness. Adults, too, may succumb more frequently to illness and fatigue easily.

Factors that contribute to micronutrient deficiencies include poor diet, increased micronutrient needs
during certain life stages, such as pregnancy and lactation, and health problems such as diseases,
infections, or parasites.

While clinical signs of hidden hunger, such as night blindness due to vitamin A deficiency and goiter from
inadequate iodine intake, become visible once deficiencies become severe, the health and development

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of a much larger share of the population is affected by less obvious invisible effects. That is why

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micronutrient deficiencies are often referred to as hidden hunger.

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Consequences of Micronutrient deficiencies throughout the life cycle

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Hidden hunger can lead to illness, blindness, premature death, reduced productivity, and impaired
mental development, particularly among women and children in developing countries.

1 out of 3 people in developing countries suffers from hidden hunger, which increases their vulnerability
to infection, birth defects, and impaired development.
People suffering from hidden hunger have diets that are deficient in micronutrients. They habitually eat
large amounts of staple food crops (such as maize, wheat, and rice) that are high in calories but lack
sufficient micronutrients, and low amounts of foods that are rich in micronutrients such as fruits,
vegetables, and animal and fish products.

People suffering from hidden hunger are often too poor to be able to afford foods that are more
nutritious, or otherwise lack access to these foods.

Solutions to hidden hunger:

Diversifying diets
Fortifying commercial foods: Commercial food fortification, which adds trace amounts of
micronutrients to staple foods or condiments during processing, helps consumers get the
recommended levels of micronutrients.
Fortification, however, has a number of shortcomings. People may resist fortified foods. For
example, many people avoid iodized salt, due to a mistaken belief that iodine causes infertility and
rumors of a plot to limit population growth.
Biofortification is a relatively new intervention that involves breeding food crops, using
conventional or transgenic methods, to increase their micronutrient content. Plant breeders also

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improve yield and pest resistance, as well as consumption traits, like taste and cooking timeto

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match or outperform conventional varieties.

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Biofortified crops that have been released so far include vitamin A orange sweet potato, vitamin A

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maize, vitamin A cassava, iron beans, iron pearl millet, zinc rice, and zinc wheat. While biofortified

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crops are not available in all developing countries, biofortification is expected to grow significantly
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Supplementation: Vitamin A supplementation is one of the most cost-effective interventions for
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improving child survival. Supplementation for other micronutrient deficiencies is less common. In
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some countries, iron-folate supplements are prescribed to pregnant women though coverage
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rates are often low and compliance rates even lower.

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Behavior-change communication that aims to improve womens, infants, and young childrens
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utilization of health services, clean water, good sanitation, and hygiene to protect them from
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diseases that interfere with nutrient absorption

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Social protection that gives poor people access to nutritious food and shields them from price
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Shanta Kumar Committee on Restructuring of FCI(Food corporation of

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India)
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The government had appointed a High Level Committee for restructuring of FCI. Recommendations of
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the committee are:

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Procurement related issues:

o FCI should hand over all procurement operations of wheat, paddy and rice to Andhra
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Punjab as they have
sufficient experience and reasonable infrastructure for procurement. FCI procurement
should focus on eastern belt, where farmers do not get minimum support price.
o The Government of India must provide better price support operations for pulses and
oilseeds and dovetail their MSP policy with trade policy so that their landed costs are
not below their MSP.
 On stocking and movement related issues:
o FCI should outsource its stocking operation to various agencies such as Central warehousing
corporation (CWC), SWC, private sector under Private entrepreneurs Guarantee(PEG)
scheme
o Should be done on competitive bidding basis, inviting various stakeholders and creating
competition to bring down costs of storage
o Movement of grains should be containerized in order to reduce transit losses, while railways
should have faster turnaround time by having more mechanized facilities
NFSA and PDS related issues:
o Restructuring NFSA by diluting its scope and coverage from 67% to about 40% of population
o Defer implementation of NFSA in states that have not done end to end computerization- will
help curtail leakages in PDS
End to end computerization:
o Reco end to end computerization of the entire food management system, starting from
procurement from farmers, to stocking, movement and finally distribution thru PDS
o Will help for real time basis monitoring in order to curb leakages

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Measures to eradicate hunger

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Malnutrition in India is a serious issue, which is affecting the lives of the people severely. A reduction in

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malnutrition needs the application of a multi-pronged strategy.

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As per the 2014 Global Hunger Index Report, India focuses on a twin track policy of economic growth
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and direct universal and targeted program for a reduction in poverty and an improvement in social
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indicators. The determinants of malnutrition are agriculture, health, women's empowerment including
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maternal and child care practices, ensuring sanitation, enabling safe drinking water, and activating social
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protection programs, and nutrition education apart from economic growth.

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The evidence so far shows that:

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Malnutrition can be reduced by enhancing women's health, promoting gender equality, and
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ensuring the empowerment of women including female education

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o Gender equality and the well-being of children go hand in hand. The rights of women and
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children are mutually reinforcing

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o Although poverty and other numbers are higher in South Asia, Africa had a lesser
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percentage of children under nutrition than South Asia because of better women's status
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Agriculture and nutrition: Linkage between agriculture and nutrition can be improved by the
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following:
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o Ensuring inclusiveness and equity in agriculture that can be achieved by increasing

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agricultural productivity in rain-fed and resource poor areas. This in turn will help raise the
productivity and income of small and marginal farmers. The bulk of the rural poor live in
resource poor areas, where under nutrition is largely prevalent
o Policies to diversify diet in order to improve micronutrients
o Having agriculture policies to empower women
o It must not be forgotten that climate change poses a major challenge to agriculture
Family farming: (MS Swaminathan has mentioned its importance)- effective way to ensure that
every person has access to nutritious food. Biofortification is one way of having access to
micronutrients.
 Importance of sanitation and safe drinking water in reducing micronutrients is well known.
Social protection programs have helped in improving nutrition. Further, the strengthening of
social protection programs like ICDS, PDS, mid-day meal schemes, and MGNREGA are needed to
achieve nutrition security. Leakages in PDS are still high and need to be tackled.
Proportion of children who are underweight is high in states like MP, Bihar, Jharkhand, CG and
UP. Therefore, there is a need to focus on these states
Hidden hunger needs to be reduced, as it is a serious issue the country is facing.
Nutrition improvement has both intrinsic and instrumental value: studies indicate 2 to 3 % GDP
loss due to low productivity.
Returns to investments in food and nutrition are quite high
Intrinsic value to people and instrumental value in terms of GDP gain and return to
investment.

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