Members of India’s ruling dispensation are often found making vociferous claims about the nation’s march on the path of development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But the proverbial slip between cup and lip is becoming difficult to ignore. The report, Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2023: Statistics and Trends, published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, has revealed that 74.1% of Indians were unable to get access to healthy food in 2021. South Asia, incidentally, recorded the highest prevalence of food insecurity. What is concerning is that India was ranked lower than its neighbours, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Iran. The persistence of India’s nutritional challenge is also borne out by the report: 76.2% of Indians could not afford a healthy diet in 2020 while about 16.6% were undernourished the following year. The causes of these depressing data are well-known. The pandemic led to disruptions in the economy and, consequently, to loss of income and livelihood opportunities. The combined effects of ascendant food inflation and declining purchasing power ensured that nutrition remains a luxury for three out of every four Indians. Entrenched gender and social inequalities, highlighted in the National Family and Healthy Survey 5, have also amplified attendant crises: as per the UN report, 31.7% of children in India suffer from stunted growth while 53% of women of reproductive age are anaemic. The economic and the healthcare burdens of malnutrition are considerable; the lack of nutrition also belies the tall claims about India meeting its welfare commitments.
19/12/2023