In order to ensure that migrant households do not lose out on their food allocations, the government of India launched the ‘one nation, one ration card’, in August 2019. The national portability of PDS under the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ (ONORC) system (to be implemented by 2020) is to be carried out in 2 clusters in 4 states on a pilot basis in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and Gujarat and Maharashtra. For instance, the people of Telangana would be able to buy their PDS quota from any fair price shop in Andhra Pradesh and vice versa after the implementation of the ONORC system. Ration card holders will be able to receive subsidised food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from anywhere in the country by June 1, 2020. The ration cards will have inter-state validity, as the scheme envisages linking data of all ration cards to a single server so that a beneficiary anywhere in the country will be able to draw his quota of food grains from any PDS outlet of his choice. That is why ration cards, across the country, are being attached with Aadhar Cards, the 12-digit biometric identity number.
Beneficiaries will receive 5 kg of food grain per person for a month at a subsidised rate of ` 2 or ` 3 of fortified rice per kg. The major beneficiaries will be the migrant poor who would get easy access to PDS entitlement. Eleven states have already in place a digital system by which ration card holders of a state can avail of their ration quota from any PDS shop within the state, that is, inter-district validity of ration cards in a state. These states are Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Tripura.
The food distribution system has also shifted to handheld point-of-sale devices, recording transactions in real time, at nearly 400,000 fair price shops.
Rice Fortification Scheme Approved
The government approved a pilot scheme for rice fortification and distribution of the fortified rice through PDS in July 2019. With a financial outlay of ` 147.61 crore over the next three years, the scheme will be implemented on a pilot basis in 15 districts in predominantly rice-eating states: West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, Bongaigaon in Assam, Narmada in Gujarat, Ernakulam in Kerala, Yadgir or Raichur in Karnataka, Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, Tiruchi in Tamil Nadu, Malkangiri in Odisha, and Chandauli district in Uttar Pradesh. Its nationwide implementation at a later stage is being deliberated.
The scheme envisages selling rice fortified with iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12, to deal with the wide prevalence of anaemia and malnutrition in the population. Studies show that about 58.5 per cent of young children between 6 and 59 months; 53 per cent of women in the reproductive age group; and 22.7 per cent of men in the 15–19 age group suffer from anaemia. The cost of rice fortification is estimated to be 60 paise per kg of rice. The cost would be shared between the Centre and the states in the ratio of 90 : 10 for the north-eastern, hilly, and island states, and in the ratio of 75 : 25 for the remaining states. But the cost of fortification is being kept outside the purview of price at which PDS rice is sold at fair price shops to make it possible for the poor to purchase it.
Fortified Foods
Benefits * Address malnutrition (reduce nutritional deficiencies and related diseases).
* Large-scale production to improve nutritional problems across sections and classes of people
* Extra-nutrition at affordable cost
* Cost-effective process of fortification
* Original taste, texture, and look retained in fortified foods
Disadvantages * Only some nutrients can be added, not all; so, not all nutritional deficiencies are addressed
* Danger of nutritional overdose real when most foods are fortified, and these involve foods that are consumed on a daily basis (fortified milk, ghee, curd, cereals, etc.)
* The poor may miss out on them due to their low purchasing power and a weak distribution channel.
Defining Food Fortification and Enrichment
Food fortification or enrichment refers to the process of enriching food with micronutrients, mainly trace elements and vitamins. It is done by food manufacturers, or the government may make it part of its public health policy to reduce dietary deficiencies and deficiency diseases in the population. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations define food fortification as “the practice of deliberately increasing the content of essential micronutrients, i.e., vitamins and minerals in a food so as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and to provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health”. ‘Enrichment’ is defined as “synonymous with fortification and refers to the addition of micronutrients to a food which are lost during processing”. The most commonly fortified foods are cereals and cereal-based products; milk and dairy products; infant formulas; tea; oil and fats; etc.
Undernutrition in India
About 21.9 per cent of the total Indian population fell below the poverty line in 2011–12. Poverty gives birth to malnutrition for lack of food and leads to disease and death. The sufferers include not only the poor but also members of the other strata of society. Deficiency of vitamin D is so prevalent that 70 per cent of urban India suffers from it.
Food Fortification in India
Food fortification is playing a significant role in pushing boundaries. The process is steadily changing food habits and helping the nation to tackle the issue. Soon, it is expected that most of the companies in the food industry will manufacture fortified food products.
The government has taken steps to alleviate poverty and malnutrition. For this purpose, the Food Fortification Resource Centre (FFRC) was established under the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) to promote large-scale fortification of food. The FFRC has created a ‘+F’ logo as a symbol of fortification. Therefore, iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12 would be added to rice and wheat, whereas iron and iodine would be added to salt. Similarly, vitamin A and D would be added to edible oil and milk.
Food Production in India
Since 1947, India has increased its food production five-fold; however, the country still shares a quarter of the global hunger burden. India had achieved the 2000 UN-sanctioned Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2011, but fell short of the hunger reduction target. No doubt, undernourishment has gone down and it is currently 15 per cent, among the highest in the world (2019). India must reduce the number of its hungry by at least 200 million in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) of ‘Zero Hunger’ by 2030, which is a tough task but can be achieved through non-traditional intervention at policy level.
Hidden Hunger and its Effect
Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) of ‘Zero Hunger’ calls for access to not only food but also nutritious food. There is a need to provide protein and micronutrient-rich food instead of calorie-dense staples. However, rising relative prices of non-staples is a big hurdle in accessing a nutritious diet, leading to high incidence of micronutrient deficiencies in the diet of the poor. This lack of nutrition is called ‘hidden hunger’, which results in child stunting and wasting or high levels of anaemia deficiency in women. It also causes lower cognitive skills, educational outcomes, productivity, etc. Twenty per cent of all children around the world are undernourished. Around 9 million people die of hunger and hunger-related diseases across the world each year.
Since there is a close relationship between dietary diversity of households and nutrition outcomes, access to diverse foods should also be ensured through availability as well as affordability of these diets.
Achieving SDG 2
SDG 2 talks of smallholder’s growth in productivity and income growth to address hunger and contribute to rural poverty reduction. The government’s decision of doubling farmers’ income is a welcome step in this regard. Smallholder agricultural production is related to nutrition and food security. It improves the food security of farming households; brings down the real cost of food, thus enhancing supplies and making food affordable; and adds to the income of the households so they can consume nutritious foods.
To achieve SDG 2, public, private, and civil-society resources need to be channeled. Multi-sectoral coordination across ministries is also required like those of women and child development, agriculture, food, water and sanitation, health and rural development, etc. Besides, non-farm employment opportunities should also be expanded, which would directly contribute to SDG 2.
To increase productivity, the government should focus on promoting coarse cereals and pulses apart from the two major staple grains: rice and wheat.
To conclude, the political economy factors that have obstructed progress in solving the problem of hunger and malnutrition should be identified and redressed as soon as possible.