A food program promising to feed two-thirds of India’s population is currently under discussion by the country’s parliament.If implemented, the National Food Security Bill has been estimated to cost India around £15.8bn a year and will require India’s government to provide 5kg of cheap grain every month to nearly 800m people.
Currently, the bill has been passed by ordinance but needs to be ratified by parliament.
Critics have already voiced their concerns and a major worry is how quickly corruption will find its way into the new scheme. India is known for its corrupt and inefficient state-owned cheap food ration shops which critics believe will hinder the scheme’s ambition to feed the poor.
Critics are also concerned that the government has not yet explained how they will classify beneficiaries and that the bill will drain India’s finances.
The ruling Congress party has come under further attack for using the scheme as a ploy to win more votes in the next election.Despite the criticism, supporters of the food bill are eager to witness the scheme’s potential to make an impact on India’s fight against poverty.
According to the 2012 Global Hunger Index (GHI), from the International Food Policy Research Institute, India is behind in improving its GHI score despite strong economic growth. India currently ranks 65 out of 79. If passed, the food bill could have a significant effect on India’s GHI score.
According to the report “after a small increase between 1996 and 2001, India’s GHI score fell only slightly, and the latest GHI returned to about the 1996 level. This stagnation in GHI scores occurred during a period when India’s gross national income (GNI) per capita almost doubled”.
As the government has failed to monitor national trends in child under nutrition for more than six years, any recent progress in the fight against child under nutrition cannot be taken into account by the 2012 GHI. The latest data available on the country’s malnourished is from a survey conducted in 2006 by India’s National Family Health Survey. The survey was designed to provide estimates of important indicators on family welfare, maternal and child health, and nutrition. According to the 2006 statistics, almost half of children under five years of age (48 percent) are stunted.
Though the statistics are from 2006, the GHI report suggests that generally higher incomes are associated with less hunger and given India’s per capita income, their GHI scores are higher than what would be expected.
The report also asserts that child under nutrition is not simply the outcome of a lack of food in the household. There are many other potential causes, such as lack of essential vitamins and minerals in the diet, improper caring and feeding practices, or frequent infections, which often result from inadequate health services or unsanitary environments.
Women’s low status in India and other parts of South Asia is also listed as a contributor to children’s poor nutritional outcomes in the region because of the close link between children’s development and mothers’ well-being.
The findings indicate that the food bill may be a start to helping those living in poverty but more needs to be done for the country’s failings in its treatment towards women. Education and healthcare should also be considered a priority.
India will find out at the end of August if the bill has been passed.
By Dina Patel
