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Food Security, Hunger &

Malnutrition in India

naresh.saxena@gmail.com

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Index number of Crop Production

Index annual rate of growth

1981-82 100

4.4%

1990-91 148

2.8%

1996-97 176

1.5%

2011-12 220

Per capita annual foodgrain production (kg)

3

150

160

170

180

190

200

210

22019

90-9

1

91-9

2

92-9

3

93-9

4

94-9

5

95-9

6

96-9

7

97-9

8

98-9

9

99-0

0

00-0

1

01-0

2

02-0

3

03-0

4

04-0

5

05-0

6

06-J

ul

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11-1

2

2012

-13

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Buffer Stocks

4

Per capita daily availability (grams)

5

400

410

420

430

440

450

460

470

480

490

6

Per Capita Cereal Consumption for various deciles

(Rural India, 2004-2005; kg/month)

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

0-5

5-1

0

10

-20

20

-30

30

-40

40

-50

50

-60

60

-70

70

-80

80

-90

90

-95

95

-10

0

7

Foodgrain wholesale price index (1993-94=100)

150

200

250

300

350

400

4501999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

8 8 8

Per capita Rural monthly consumption in kg (2002)

India Vietnam

Foodgrains 13 20.5

Dairy 3.9 0.2

Meat/poultry 1.5 3.4

Fruit/vegetables 9.5 5.8

eating out/sugar/oil 1.8 5.8

Total 29.7 35.7

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Per Capita Consumption during 2004-06 (kg/year)

India China US World

All cereals 175.1 287.9 953 316

Meat 5.3 56.8 126.6 40.2

Milk 84.5 22.7 Na 97.8

Eggs 1.8 21.6 15.2 9.7

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India State Hunger Index Score

Worst than Nicaragua (rank 33)

Worst than Chad (rank 81)

Worst than Burkina Faso (rank 65)

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Changes in Hunger Index

1996 2011 1996 2011

China 9.1 5.5 Uganda 20.4 16.7

Thailand 11.9 8.1 Zimbabwe 22.3 17.7

Vietnam 21.4 11.2 Malawi 27.1 18.2

Mongolia 17.7 11.4 Kenya 20.3 18.6

Indonesia 15.5 12.2 Nepal 24.6 19.9

SriLanka 17.8 14 Pakistan 22 20.7

Nigeria 21.2 15.5 Sudan 24.7 21.5

Myanmar 25.4 16.3 India 22.9 23.7

Bangladesh 36.3 24.5

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Production, Procurement & Offtake of

Foodgrains (in million Tonnes)

1997-98 2002-03 2007-08 2011-12

Food Subsidy in

billion Rupees 79 240 313 602

Production of

foodgrains 192 175 231 253

Procurement of

foodgrains 23.6 40.3 39.6 60.1

Distribution

through FPS 17 20.1 33.5 51

Disposal though

welfare schemes 2.1 11.4 3.9 4.1

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“Bihar farmers forced to sell rice at

throwaway prices”

• ‘Patna (Bihar Times): Due to poor procurement by

government agencies and Food Corporation of

India (FCI) farmers of Bihar are being forced to sell

rice at throwaway prices. They are not even getting

the cultivation cost.

According to reports the rice output in the current

season is around 75 lakh tonne, but the state and

central government agencies purchased only 12.35 lakh tonne and closed the procurement by May 31.’

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Justice Wadhwa Observations 2009

• Rajasthan - Unsatisfactory, many irregularities, irregular lifting of grain, no lifting and bulk lifting, PDS in the state has collapsed.

• Jharkhand - The distribution mechanism has continued in the hands of the most corrupt and inefficient Bihar State Food and Supply Corporation (BSFC). If the FPS owners do not pay Rs. 10 per bag to the godown manager, he gives rotten grains to FPS.

• Bihar - Diversion and black-marketing of food grains by FPS dealers. Strong nexus between officials of the department and FPS dealers. Ghost and bogus ration cards is a major problem in the state

• Orissa - Private storage agents are the major source of diversion in the State of Orissa as there is virtually no control or checking on their activities. The appointment of storage agent was susceptible to high political influence.

• Gujarat - FPS owners in the state bribe the officials every month. Ghost and bogus ration cards is a major problem in the state.

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Factors behind Chhattisgarh’s success

• Political will

• Private dealers replaced by panchayats

• 70% families covered at Rs 2/1 per kg of rice

• Huge investment from state revenues

• Rice surplus state

• 500 people put behind the bars

• Toll free number for grievance redressal

• Constant monitoring

People put pressure when the scheme is credible 18

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President’s Address June 2009

• Food Security for all

• Broader systemic reform of PDS

In addition, Congress Party’s election manifesto promised subsidized community kitchens for homeless & migrants in cities with Central

Government support

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Latest decisions

• Cover 75% rural and 50% urban population (83 million)

• Identify within six months

• Antyodaya households to get 35 kg of rice/wheat/ millets

and the rest 5 kg per unit at Rs 3/2/1 per kg

• Free meal to pregnant & lactating mothers + Rs 6000

• Legal entitlements for child nutrition, mid-day meals for

school children

• Ration card in the name of female head

• Leverage with Aadhaar

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Monthly per capita exp (2011-12 prices)

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0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th All

RURAL

Monthly per capita exp (2011-12 prices)

22

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th All

URBAN

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Food Security Act - Issues

• Universal vs targeted

• 25 kg per household, or 35 kg?

• At what price?

• Should procurement be increased, even when per capita production does not increase?

• Existing APL allocations to TN, AP, Kerala, northeast?

• Exports

• Introduction of UID and smart cards

• Improving accountability

How to decide inter-state allocations?

% share of some states in the all India total

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Population

(2011)

poverty

2009-10

Annual PDS

allotment 2010-11

Andhra 7 5 7.7

Assam 2.6 3.3 3.5

Bihar 8.6 15.3 7.5

Kerala 2.8 1.1 2.9

Punjab 2.3 1.2 1.6

Orissa 3.5 4.3 4.7

TN 6 3.4 7.8

UP 16.5 20.8 14.6

India 100 100 100

% population covered under NFSO

rural urban

Andhra 61 41

Assam 84 60

Bihar 85 74

Kerala 53 31

Punjab 55 45

Orissa 82 56

TN 62 38

UP 80 64

India 75 50 25

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Encourage direct cash transfer (DCT)?

• Pensions are quite popular

• Institutional deliveries have gone up because of DCT

• Try DCT in place of PDS on a pilot basis in urban areas

• Abolish dual pricing in food, fuel and fertiliser by DBT

• PDS and MSP are complementary

• Problems of identification remain despite Aadhar

DCT needs a good banking structure, functional

registration system, and widespread debit cards

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THANK YOU