{"id":325182,"date":"2025-01-30T17:05:58","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T11:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=325182"},"modified":"2025-01-30T17:05:58","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T11:35:58","slug":"bridging-the-milk-divide-for-a-nutritionally-secure-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/bridging-the-milk-divide-for-a-nutritionally-secure-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridging the Milk Divide for a Nutritionally Secure India"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This post on<strong> Bridging the Milk Divide for a Nutritionally Secure India has been created based on article \u201c<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_delhi\/issues\/117783\/OPS\/GGFDTSP19.1+G4ODTUH4N.1.html\"><strong>Bridge the milk divide for a nutritionally secure India<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u201d published in The Hindu on 30th January 2025. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>UPSC Syllabus topic: GS Paper 3- Economic Development <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Context: <\/strong>This article discusses the inequalities in milk consumption across different socio-economic, regional, and demographic groups in India. While India has achieved remarkable success in milk production through the White Revolution, disparities in access to milk remain a significant challenge. The article emphasizes the need to shift focus from supply-side success to addressing demand-side inequities, ensuring that milk reaches the most vulnerable sections of society.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What is the issue with milk consumption in India?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>While India is the world&#8217;s largest milk producer due to the White Revolution led by Verghese Kurien, the focus has mostly been on supply rather than equitable distribution.<\/li>\n<li>Milk is a crucial source of protein, calcium, and micronutrients, especially in plant-heavy Indian diets.<\/li>\n<li>However, significant disparities exist in milk consumption across socio-economic groups and regions, affecting nutrition security.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><strong>2. What are the key disparities in milk consumption?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>a) Socio-economic disparities:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The top-income households consume 3-4 times more milk per capita than the poorest households.<\/li>\n<li>The poorest 30% of the population consumes only 18% of India\u2019s total milk supply.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>b) Underestimation of actual consumption:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The NSSO Household Consumer Expenditure Surveys (HCES) only measure at-home consumption, around 50% of total production.<\/li>\n<li>Much milk is consumed outside the home (restaurants, hotels), widening the disparity further.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>c) Urban vs. rural divide: <\/strong>Urban households consume 30% more milk per capita than rural households, despite rural India being the main producer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>d) Social disparities: <\/strong>Scheduled Tribe households consume 4 litres less milk per capita compared to general category households.<\/p>\n<p><strong>e) Regional disparities:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana have the highest consumption (333-421g per capita daily).<\/li>\n<li>Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal have the lowest (75-171g per capita daily).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>3. Why do these disparities exist?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Affordability:<\/strong> The National Institute of Nutrition recommends 300g of milk daily per person, but achieving this requires 70% of Indian households to spend 10-30% of their monthly income on milk.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dietary preferences and lactose intolerance:<\/strong> Some variations in milk consumption can be attributed to cultural preferences and lactose intolerance.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Overconsumption in affluent groups:<\/strong> Wealthier households often exceed recommended levels, consuming high-fat, high-sugar dairy products like ice cream and sweets, leading to obesity and lifestyle diseases.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><strong>4. How can milk access be improved for vulnerable groups?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>a) Strengthening government schemes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Enhance milk provision through schemes like <strong>POSHAN Abhiyaan<\/strong> and <strong>Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Some states (Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Telangana) already provide milk under these schemes, but the quantity is inadequate.<\/li>\n<li>Some states (e.g., Chhattisgarh) have stopped provisions due to financial constraints.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Solution:<\/strong> Increase financial allocations using innovative funding like <strong>social bonds, CSR funds, and a cess on unhealthy foods.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>b) Implementing milk coupons: <\/strong>In regions with strong dairy networks, milk coupons can improve access, reduce distribution costs, and support local milk markets.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>5. What role does awareness play in improving milk consumption?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>a) Nutritional awareness for vulnerable groups:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Promote the benefits of milk through <strong>Anganwadi centres, doctors, self-help groups, and NGOs.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Maharashtra and Bihar\u2019s <strong>Poshan Maah 2024<\/strong> is an example of successful grassroots nutrition campaigns.<\/li>\n<li>Research shows that improved women\u2019s awareness enhances household dietary diversity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>b) Responsible consumption among the affluent:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Overconsuming groups should be encouraged to consume milk in moderation and adopt a balanced diet.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Example:<\/strong> The UK\u2019s <strong>Change4Life Sugar Swaps campaign<\/strong> successfully reduced sugar and fat intake and can serve as a model for India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>How can India achieve nutritional security through milk?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Equitable milk distribution is key to ensuring nutrition security in India.<\/li>\n<li>The government must focus on <strong>vulnerable groups<\/strong> by strengthening existing nutrition programs and introducing milk coupons.<\/li>\n<li>Awareness campaigns should <strong>promote responsible consumption<\/strong> to reduce overnutrition among affluent groups and enhance milk affordability for the poor.<\/li>\n<li>A well-balanced approach would <strong>fulfil Verghese Kurien\u2019s vision<\/strong> of a nutritionally secure India, making the benefits of the White Revolution accessible to all.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This post on Bridging the Milk Divide for a Nutritionally Secure India has been created based on article \u201cBridge the milk divide for a nutritionally secure India\u201d published in The Hindu on 30th January 2025. UPSC Syllabus topic: GS Paper 3- Economic Development Context: This article discusses the inequalities in milk consumption across different socio-economic,&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/bridging-the-milk-divide-for-a-nutritionally-secure-india\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Bridging the Milk Divide for a Nutritionally Secure India<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230],"tags":[216,8184,10498],"class_list":["post-325182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","tag-gs-paper-3","tag-indian-economy","tag-the-hindu","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325182","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\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325182\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}