The document discusses food security and nutrition indicators in South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It then summarizes key issues around the right to food in India such as stagnating agricultural production, rising unemployment, regional disparities and high levels of malnutrition among children. It also describes India's major food security programs and the Supreme Court orders that have helped strengthen the right to food framework in the country through the work of Court-appointed Commissioners.
The document discusses food security and nutrition indicators in South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It then summarizes key issues around the right to food in India such as stagnating agricultural production, rising unemployment, regional disparities and high levels of malnutrition among children. It also describes India's major food security programs and the Supreme Court orders that have helped strengthen the right to food framework in the country through the work of Court-appointed Commissioners.
The document discusses food security and nutrition indicators in South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It then summarizes key issues around the right to food in India such as stagnating agricultural production, rising unemployment, regional disparities and high levels of malnutrition among children. It also describes India's major food security programs and the Supreme Court orders that have helped strengthen the right to food framework in the country through the work of Court-appointed Commissioners.
South Asia Country Food Production Food Exports Food Imports Food Balance Bangladesh 26,924 1.6 2,827 -4,601 India 1,74,655 9,490 56 23,826 Nepal 5,839 11 39 57 Pakistan 24,936 2,966 288 3,818 Sri Lanka 1,938 9.8 1,307 252 Source: FAO, 2004. Figures in thousand metric tones for 2002 Some Indicators for Child Wellbeing and malnutrition in South Asia Bangla- desh India Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka Immunization (% of children under 3 years who have not received the stated vaccine) BCG DTP3 MCV Pol3
5 15 23 15
27 36 44 30
15 20 27 20
20 35 33 35
1 3 4 3 Child undernutrition (% of children with the stated condition)
Underweight Stunting Wasting
48 43 13
46 46 16
48 51 10
38 37 13
29 14 14 Infant and child mortality (per 1,000 live births)
Infant mortality rate
Under-five mortality rate
56
77
62
85
59
76
80
101
12
14 Indias Annual Growth Rate Year GDP Per capita income
1951-79 3.6 1.3
1980-91 5.6 3.5
1992-06 6.5 4.7
Population, GDP and Foodgrain Production 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2006 Population GDP Foodgrain Production Growth of GDP in India 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 annual increase 5.1 6.2 7.0 7.3 7.5 5.1 6.5 6.1 4.4 5.6 4.4 8.5 7.5 8.4 1992- 93 1993- 94 1994- 95 1995- 96 1996- 97 1997- 98 1998- 99 1999- 00 2000- 01 2001- 02 2002- 03 2003- 04 2004- 05 2005- 06 Worrying issues News of starvation deaths & farmers suicides from many states Stagnant agricultural production, and falling food availability Unemployment has increased from 4 to 8% in ten years Regional disparities are increasing IMR stagnating around 60 per 1000, it is 46 in Bangladesh Immunisation coverage fell from 60 to 40% in 5 yrs More than 50% women are anemic 46% children are malnourished Declining child sex ratio during 1991-2001 There is no will to improve administration in poor states Index number of Agricultural Production Index annual rate of growth 1981-82 100 4.4% 1990-91 148 2.8% 1996-97 176 0.2% 2004-05 179 165 175 185 195 205 215 Foodgrain Production (million tonnes) Series1 199.4 192.3 203.6 209.8 196.8 211.9 174.2 210.8 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Foodgrain exports in million tonnes Total exports 4.685 12.385 10.308 0.753 28.131 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 Total % of Work Force dependent on Agriculture Percentage below poverty line
1973 56 1987 39 1994 35 1999 26? 2004 28
Poverty number of poor people in millions 247 239 234 201 236 53 65 70 67 78 0 350 1971 1981 1991 2001 2006 Urban Rural Social groups 1993-94 1999-2000 Percentage Share in Percentage Share in Total Rural Population Below Poverty Line Total Rural Population Below Poverty Line Scheduled tribes 10.8 48.8 10.5 48.0 Scheduled castes 21.1 45.7 20.4 38.4 Others 68.1 28.3 69.1 23.2 All households 100.0 34.2 100.0 28.9 There should be no food insecurity in India Both GDP and foodgrain production have risen faster than the growth in population over the last 50 years
And yet chronic hunger and starvation persist in large sections of the population. There has been a declining calorie consumption especially in the bottom 30% of the population. Net availability of foodgrains per capita per day in gms 400 420 440 460 480 500 1951 1956 1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001
Source: Report of Committee on Long Term Grain Policy, 2002 India has the largest food schemes in the World Entitlement Feeding Programmes ICDS (All Children under six, Pregnant and lactating mother) MDMS (All Primary School children)
Food Subsidy Programmes Targeted Public Distribution System (35 kgs/ month of subsidised food grains Annapurna (10 kgs of free food grain for destitute poor)
Employment Programmes National Rural Employment Scheme (100 days of employment at minimum wages)
Social Safety Net Programmes National Old Age Pension Scheme (Monthly pension to BPL) National Family Benefit Scheme (Compensation in case of death of bread winner to BPL families)
The Right to Food Case PUCL petition on hunger in Rajasthan in the Supreme Court in 2001 Emergence of the Right to Food Campaign Key Issues: Making the Right to Food a Fundamental Right Converting all existing schemes into entitlements Tackling large scale malnutrition and chronic hunger Securing employment as a fundamental right linked to the Right to Food Longest continuing mandamus on the Right to Food in the World 51 Interim Orders so far; more than 500 affidavits; nearly 70 Interim Applications Highlights of Supreme Court Orders on the Right to Food Converted all food and employment schemes into legal entitlements Universalised food entitlement programmes for children (ICDS for children under six and Mid Day Meal Scheme for all primary school children) Instituted the independent mechanism of Commissioners to the Supreme Court to monitor all food and employment programmes Prevented the reduction of the poverty line from 36% to 26% Hauled up Government periodically by serving notice of contempt of court on senior most Government functionaries (Chief Secretaries)
Office of the Commissioners to the Supreme Court (Writ 196/ 2001) Appointed by the Supreme Court to monitor all food schemes in the Country Mandate extends to: Entitlement Feeding Programmes MDMS, ICDS Employment Programmes NREGS, SGRY I & II, NFFWP, RSVY Food Subsidy Programme TPDS, Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), Annapurna Yojana Social Security Programmes Pensions (NOAPS, NMBS, NFBS) How does the Office of the Commissioners function? Honorary positions; work supported by funds mandated by the Supreme Court Works through a secretariat (Delhi) and a network of Advisers across India Make policy recommendations through: Rigorous participatory research Articulating alternative demands of State policy Participating in policy bodies such as Planning Commission Steering Groups
How does the Office of the Commissioners function? (contd.) Monitors programmes Through analysis of macro-data Addressing complaints at the micro-level Holds the State accountable by: Regular engagement with the GoI and State Governments Joint Commission of Enquiries Regular reports on non-compliance to the Supreme Court Impact so far Universalisation of MDMS (120 million children get school meals) and ICDS (Government would need to double the ICDS centres to 1.4 million centres covering 60 million children under the age of six) Managed to restrict the lowering of BPL quotas by GoI from 36% to 26% Increase in off-take of subsidised food-grains through the targeted public distribution system Increased budgetary allocation for ICDS, Old Age Pensions (3 times the amount) Passage of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act which guarantees 100 days of employment a year (at minimum wages)
Impact so far (contd.) Provided Civil Society an anchor to engage/ confront the State and created spaces for civil society to engage in food/ employment programmes Brought the discourse on food rights to the centre-stage of governance in the States and GoI Has been largely effective in provision of gratuitous relief (Tea Garden Workers in West Bengal). Created the environment for the passage of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act Off-take of BPL/ AAY Food Grains Figure 3.1: Percentage off-take of BPL/AAY food grains from 2001-02 to 2004-05
81.9% 73.7% 64.2% 59.2% 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 P e r c e n t a g e
o f f t a k e
Source: Various issues of Monthly food grain bulletin, Department of food and public distribution, GoI Some Challenges that we face Attempting reforms in an era of overall weakening governance and state commitment to social sectors Has powers (including filing contempt charges against Chief Secretaries) which are best used by not being exercised Operates in the domain of judicial activism Challenge of individual redressal versus systemic policy engagement Has proved to be marginally effective in harder areas of governance reforms
Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Europe and Central Asia 2019: Structural Transformations of Agriculture for Improved Food Security, Nutrition and Environment