{"id":306749,"date":"2024-08-08T19:00:32","date_gmt":"2024-08-08T13:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=306749"},"modified":"2024-08-08T18:34:37","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T13:04:37","slug":"nutritional-security-in-india-significance-and-challenges-explained-pointwise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/nutritional-security-in-india-significance-and-challenges-explained-pointwise\/","title":{"rendered":"Nutritional Security in India- Significance and Challenges- Explained Pointwise"},"content":{"rendered":"

The recently released NSSO’s Household Consumption Expenditure Survey<\/span> (HCES) 2022-23<\/span>, provides fresh insights to access nutritional security in India. HCES 2022-23 report provides detailed data on the consumption<\/span> of various food<\/span> and non-food items<\/span> by households<\/span> and calculates the per capita daily calorie intake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Key Findings of the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) Report Regarding Nutrition Security in India<\/strong>
\na. Nutritional Insecurity amongst the 10% Poorest Population-<\/strong> Average daily per capita calorie Intake<\/span> (PCCI<\/span>) for a healthy life is 2,172 kcal in rural India<\/span> and 2,135 kcal in urban India<\/span>. The calorie intake of the poorest 10% of the Indian population is below the average PCCI<\/span>. The average daily PCCI of 10% poorest population is 1,564-1,764 kcal in rural areas and 1,607-1,773 kcal in urban areas.
\nb. Nutritional insecurity Variation amongst the 10% Poorest Population-<\/strong> There is variation in calorie intake amongst the 10% poorest population. The average PCCI for the poorest 5% in rural areas is 1,564 kcal<\/span>, and for the next poorest 5% is 1,764 kcal<\/span>. In urban areas, the figures are 1,607 kcal and 1,773 kcal, respectively.
\nc. Proportion of Poor\/Deprived based on Nutritional Requirement-<\/strong> The proportion of poor based on the nutritional threshold of PCCI is estimated at 17.1% for rural areas<\/span> and 14% for urban areas<\/span>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

These findings highlight the prevailing nutritional insecurity in India. The policy focus of the Government of India must on ensuring nutritional Security along with food security.<\/p>\n

\"Nutritional
Source- The Hindu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
Table of Content<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What is Nutritional Security? What is the Status of Nutrition insecurity in India?<\/a>
\nWhat are the reasons for the lack of Nutritional Security in India?\u00a0<\/a>
\nWhat are the negative effects of malnutrition?<\/a>
\nWhat Initiatives have been undertaken to provide for Nutritional Security in India?<\/a>
\nWhat Should be the Way Forward?<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/a>What is Nutritional Security? What is the Status of Nutrition insecurity in India?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Nutritional Security-<\/strong> According to the FAO (2009), nutrition security implies physical, economic and social access to balanced diet, clean drinking water, safe environment, and health care (preventive and curative) for every individual.<\/p>\n

High Nutritional Insecurity in India (Malnutrition)-<\/strong> According to World Bank Report, despite the sharp decline in extreme poverty in India from 45.9% to 13.4% between 1993 and 2015, India still suffers from a high malnutrition burden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Extreme Poverty according to WB-<\/strong> Defined at $1.9 per capita per day at the 2011 purchasing power parity rate (PPP).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Latest Findings of NHFS-5 regarding malnutrition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
a. More than half the Indian women in the 15-49 age group are anaemic.
\nb. The prevalence of stunting (Low height-for-age) amongst children under five years is 35.5%.
\nc. The prevalence of wasting (Low weight-for-height) amongst Children under five years is 19.3%.
\nd. The proportion of underweight children in India is 32.1%.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Double Burden of Nutritional Insecurity-<\/strong> According to a new Lancet study, there has been a steady increase in obesity levels in India. India has become one of the countries with a high \u2018double burden of nutritional insecurity<\/span>\u2018, with the increase in both malnutrition<\/span> and the obesity levels<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read More- Obesity in India- Explained Pointwise<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/a>What are the reasons for the lack of Nutritional Security in India?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

There are multiple reasons behind the lack of nutritional security in India. These are explained below-<\/p>\n

1. Affordability Issues for the Poor Household-<\/strong> Affordability of nutritious food products, such as green leafy<\/span> vegetables<\/span>, protein-rich diet<\/span>, has become difficult for the poor households in India. The increasing wealth inequality, with top 10% of Indians holding 57% of the national income, has exacerbated nutritional insecurity.<\/p>\n

2. Focus on Staple Crops-<\/strong> Agricultural policies, like Green Revolution<\/span>, have prioritized the production of staple crops like wheat and rice<\/span> over diverse, nutrient-rich crops<\/span>. This has led to micronutrient deficiencies amongst the population.<\/p>\n

3. Calories Fundamentalism-<\/strong> The focus of the Public Distribution Scheme has been limited to ensuring food security and calorie requirement<\/span>. The need for nutritional development has not been taken into account.<\/p>\n

4. Feminine marginalization in Nutrition-<\/strong> The nutritional requirements of adolescent and young female in poor and lower middle income households are not prioritized. This leads to malnourished female population and their offsprings. For ex-<\/strong> Large prevelance of anemia due to inadequate focus on iron deficiency in female diet<\/span>.<\/p>\n

5. Laxity in effective implementation of Child Care practices-<\/strong> Child caring practices, including exclusive breastfeeding, and introduction of complementary food and a diversified diet after the first six months, are not implemented properly. For ex-<\/strong> Only 55% of children in India were exclusively breastfed in 2015-16<\/span>.<\/p>\n

6. Growth of Fast-food and junk-food Culture- <\/strong>Cheaper and easily available junk food has replaced the nutritious food in the dietary intakes of Indian population. For ex-<\/strong> According to recent Household Consumption Survey, Indians are spending less on cereals and pulses and more on beverages, refreshments and processed food<\/span>.<\/p>\n

7. Increased income and urbanization-<\/strong> Increased income levels have led to a rise in the consumption of foods high in fats<\/span>, sugar, and<\/span><\/span>\u00a0low physical activity<\/span>. According to a joint study conducted by WHO and ICRIER, India\u2019s ultra-processed food industry has grown at a CAGR of 13.37%<\/span> in terms of retail sales value between 2011 and 2021.<\/p>\n

<\/a>What are the negative effects of malnutrition?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

1. Child Deaths- <\/strong>According to a lancet Study in 2019, a staggering\u00a068% of 1.04 million deaths of children under five years in India<\/span> were attributable to malnutrition.<\/p>\n

2. Improper development of Children in formative years- <\/strong>Obesity in children results in stunted physical<\/span> and cognitive development<\/span>.<\/p>\n

3. Psychosocial Impact- <\/strong>Malnourished\u00a0Individuals face psychosocial challenges like, body image issues<\/span> and mental health concerns<\/span> due to societal stigmas associated with weight.<\/p>\n

4. Economic Burden-<\/strong> Malnutrition increases the economic burden due to productivity losses<\/span> on account of decreased work efficiency<\/span> and absenteeism<\/span>.<\/p>\n

5. Social Inequality and Disparities-<\/strong> Undernutrition and malnutrition perpetuates a cycle of health challenges and economic disadvantages amongst the vulnerable sections<\/span>, exacerbates existing socio-economic disparities. Women are disproportionately affected<\/span> by malnutrition<\/span>, facing challenges related to reproductive health, maternal health, and overall well-being.<\/p>\n

<\/a>What Initiatives have been undertaken to provide for Nutritional Security in India?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
National Nutrition<\/strong>
\nMission (NNM)<\/strong><\/td>\n		National Nutrition Mission (NNM), also known as POSHAN Abhiyan<\/span> has been launched which aims to reduce stunting and underweight and low birth weight, each by 2% per annum<\/span>; and anemia amongst children, adolescent girls and women, each by 3% per annum by 2022<\/span>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
National Nutrition Strategy (2017)<\/strong><\/td>\nIt aims to reduce the prevalence of underweight children<\/span> (0-3 years) by three percentage points every year by 2022 from NHFS 2015-16 estimates.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
National Breastfeeding Promotion <\/strong>Programs<\/strong><\/td>\nPrograms like MAA- Mother’s Absolute Affection<\/span> and Vatsalya- Matri Amrit Kosh,\u00a0 aim to strengthen the regulation on breast milk substitutes<\/span> and improve breastfeeding practice<\/span>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)<\/strong><\/td>\nIntegrated Child Development Services provides nutritional meals<\/span>, preschool education<\/span>, primary healthcare<\/span>, immunization<\/span>, health check-up<\/span> and referral services to children under 6 years of age<\/span> and their mothers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Midday Meal Scheme<\/strong><\/td>\nIt aims to provide cooked meals to every child within the age group of six to fourteen years studying in classes I to VIII who enrolls and attends the school.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/a>What Should be the Way Forward?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

1. Change in the Policy Focus-<\/strong> The agricultural policies and programmes should be leveraged to be more ‘nutrition sensitive<\/span>‘. The focus of food distribution programmes need to shift<\/span> from \u2018calories fundamentalism<\/span>\u2019 to providing a more diversified food basket<\/span>, including coarse grains, millets, and pulses to improve the nutritional status of pre-school children and women of reproductive age.<\/p>\n

2. Innovative approaches-<\/strong> Innovative techniques such as bio-fortification,<\/span> which involves incorporating nutrients into the seeds of major food grains will help to improve the micro-nutrient intake. Various food-based safety nets such as PDS<\/span>, MDM<\/span> can include bio-fortified staples<\/span> to provide a more diversified food basket.<\/p>\n

3. Enhanced Focus on WASH initiatives-<\/strong> Synergy<\/span> between WASH initiatives<\/span> (safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene) and nutritional interventions<\/span> will have a multiplier effect on nutritional outcomes. This will help in improving child nutritional outcomes and are key to the success of nutritional interventions.<\/p>\n

4. Focus on Women education-<\/strong> Targeted programs for improving the educational status of girls, particularly at the higher educational levels, need to be promoted. This will help in better implementation of child care practices<\/span> like breastfeeding and nutritional needs of children.<\/p>\n

5. Improving health care services-<\/strong> Improvement of access and utilization of prenatal and postnatal health care services must be prioritized<\/span>. It would play a significant role in curbing undernutrition amongst children through
\ncomprehensive awareness programs and community participation.<\/p>\n

6. Successful International Interventions-<\/strong> India can draw key lessons from these developing countries to tackle the challenge of food insecurity and malnutrition. For ex-<\/strong> Brazil<\/span> has transformed its food system and is investing in agricultural R&D and social protection programs<\/span> to reduce the level of hunger in the country. China<\/span> has attached great importance to early childhood development<\/span> and has formulated a series of plans in this regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read More-<\/strong> The Hindu<\/a>
\nUPSC Syllabus-<\/strong> GS Paper 2- Social Issues, Issues related to hunger and poverty<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The recently released NSSO’s Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2022-23, provides fresh insights to access nutritional security in India. HCES 2022-23 report provides detailed data on the consumption of various food and non-food items by households and calculates the per capita daily calorie intake. Key Findings of the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) Report Regarding… Continue reading Nutritional Security in India- Significance and Challenges- Explained Pointwise<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10357,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[130,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-306749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-7-pm","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10357"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306749\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=306749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=306749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}