In a country where tax concessions of around Rs 1.7 lakh crores are being given to SEZ developers, increased allocation for 17 crore children (i.e. Rs 650 per child per annum) is imperative at this juncture if India wants to climb up the Global Hunger Index.
India may be the second fastest growing economy in the world
but it has a long way to go in eradicating hunger. Among 118
countries, it ranks 94th in the Global Hunger Index prepared
by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Though India has improved its score by 25.03 in the index
with 33.73 in 1990, it is still lagging behind China and Pakistan
who are ranked 47 and 88 respectively. In a country where
834 million people have per capita daily consumption of Rs
20 or less (as per the Report of the National Commission for
Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector), hunger still remains
one of the major challenges. High growth rate of GDP and the
increase in the number of billionaires and millionaires has
become meaningless for the country unless this important issue
in addressed effectively. In fact, India's high growth of
nine per cent has bypassed 77 per cent of the population.
Hunger, as is well known, is a phenomenon related to food
insecurity.
It affects the normal functioning and development of the
human body and contributes to the global disease burden by
drastically reducing the body's ability to resist infection.
In extreme cases, death results from starvation brought about
by prolonged hunger or by succumbing to infectious diseases.
About 95 per cent of the developing world's hungry population
can be termed "chronically hungry". The Food & Agriculture
Organization (FAO) estimates that over 850 million people
worldwide suffer from hunger today, 820 million of these in
developing countries.
That there are nearly a billion hungry people in the world
despite the gains made in agricultural productivity is startling.
Recognizing the problem's enormity, the World Food Summit
in 1996 set a goal to reduce by half the number of hungry
people in the world by 2015, later reaffirmed in the first
Millennium Development Goals. But half way to 2015, it is
becoming clear that the goal will not be met - the estimated
number of undernourished people has risen from 708 million
to 2000 to over 852 million today. Widespread hunger undermines
the development potential of nations. An FAO study of developing
countries over 30 years found that if countries with high
rates of undernourishment had increased food intake to an
adequate level, their economic output or GSP would have increased
by 45%. Losses in labour productivity due to hunger can cause
reductions of 6-10% in per capita GDP, according to a UN Task
Force on Hunger.
The IFPRI measures the Global Hunger Index based on three
equally weighted indicators: a) proportion of undernourished
as a percentage of the population (reflecting the share of
population with insufficient dietary energy intake); b) prevalence
of under weight children under the age of five (indicating
the proportion of children suffering from weight loss and/or
reduced growth); and c) under five mortality rate (partially
reflecting the fatal synergy between inadequate dietary intake
and unhealthy environment). The problem in India has basically
two broad aspects: one, more attention and resources for child
development including their health and nutrition, and two,
ensuring that apart from increase in agricultural productivity,
soil degradation is effectively met and there is more attention
on dryland farming. In fact, the farm sector needs more attention
and this has been well-enumerated in the National Policy for
Farmers (and recent statements of the Prime Minister) - all
of which call for a paradigm shift from commodity-centred
to a human-centred approach in agricultural planning and programmes.
As regards the first problem, the Government has done little
towards child development. In a written reply to a question
in Parliament (on November 26, 2007), it admitted that only
60 million children out of 164 million have received supplementary
nutrition under ICDS scheme as on June 30, 2007. It may be
mentioned here that the Supreme Court had directed the Government
to sanction and operationalize 14 lakh anganwadi centres by
December 2008. However, presently not even 8 lakh centres
are operational. There has been severe criticism of the government
for such meagre resource allocation when at least Rs 7000-8000
crores are needed in any financial year for expansion of the
ICDS and improving the conditions of anganwadi employees.
In a country where tax concessions of around Rs 1.7 lakh crores
are being given to SEZ developers, increased allocation for
17 crore children (i.e. Rs 650 per child per annum) is imperative
at this juncture if India wants to climb up the Global Hunger
Index.
Though in this budget the remuneration for anganwadi workers
has been increased from 1,000 per month to Rs 1,500 per month,
and for anganwadi helpers will be increased from Rs 500 per
month to Rs 750 per month, its benefits need to be seen. The
other aspect of the problem lies in accelerated agricultural
advance based on conservation farming which well known scientist
Dr. MS Swaminathan, had been referring as "ever-green revolution"
pathway of improving productivity in perpetuity without associated
ecological harm. There have to be efforts to harvest and store
rainwater during the southwest monsoon period and to use it
for a second crop during October-March period. High value
and low water requiring crops such as pulses, oilseeds, medicinal
plants or vegetables could make all the difference for ensuring
adequate nutrition and viable livelihoods for a million farm
families. In States like Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh etc., farm families are in great distress because
they have to depend on a single crop.
It is necessary that effective rainwater harvesting and/or
sustainable use of groundwater coupled with latest dryland
farming technologies need to be made available to the farming
community and encouraging them through incentives to harvest
a second (or even a third) crop there. This would not only
raise the income of farm families but also ensure food for
them throughout the year. Assistance may be sought from various
schemes of the government which include the National Food
Security and Horticulture Missions and the Rashtriya Krishi
Vikas Yojana. Ending hunger and malnutrition is an achievable
goal but only if Governments make the right policy decisions
in this regard. However, effectively countering hunger will
require greater political will, clear plan of action and sustained
effort along with availability of adequate resources. The
key elements of the plan should include: Helping developing
countries grow more food: There has to be international efforts
to ensure that there is increase in productivity in the developing
countries and all regions should try to have at least two
crops per year.
Technology on dryland farming, rainwater harvesting and other
issues relating to sustainable use of water and pesticides
should be made available to Third World countries. Extending
power of technology: Notable advances have been manifest but
there is need to produce plant varieties that are more resistant
to drought, have higher nutritional content, require fewer
chemicals and more resistant to pests. Making agriculture
& nutrition national priorities: While assistance is indispensable,
hungry countries must take the lead in making agriculture
and nutrition national priorities. China and India have shown
what can be done though a lot more needs to be done. In China,
the government launched major reforms that have given farmers
more freedom over what they grow. In India, the government
has launched seed distribution schemes to assist farmers and
milk distribution schemes to help consumers.
Each country has begun to harness its scientific capability
to address issues of hunger and nutrition. Tapping the power
of trade: The trading system must be a tool in ending hunger.
The rich trading regions such as Europe and the United States
must reduce trade-distorting agricultural subsidies that impoverish
farmers in developing countries. Rich trading nations, including
Japan, must slash stiff trade barriers against agricultural
exports of developing countries so that food production capabilities
of those countries can be enhanced. Last but not the least
is to make elimination of hunger top priority. It is essential
to know that it is not shortage of food but lack of political
will that needs to be addressed. Eight hundred million people,
many of then women and children need urgent help and support
at this juncture.
Thus combating hunger and malnutrition is a critical challenge
at this point of time. Greater all-round efforts on all fronts
are needed to tackle the problem so that the poor and the
deprived sections of society get two square balance meals
a day that could enable them to lead a healthy and disease-free
life. It needs to be pointed out that in spite of all achievements,
if human hunger cannot be eradicated, there is bound to be
more violence and social tension in society in the coming
years.
Dhurjati Mukherjee, INFA
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