Comprehensive Food Security for India – Call for Strategic Action

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Comprehensive Food Security – Call for Strategic Action1

Sachin Kumar Jain

(Vikas Samvad, Madhya Pradesh)

The Key Demands

We demand that when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government deals with the

subject of food security from the standpoint of food sovereignty, it must undertake the

following key actions and suitably reflect the same in Union Budget 2015-16:

1. Government of India should ensure proper roll out of National Food Security Act in

totality by covering principals of universalisation, accountability, transparency and food

security for all.

2. The main Part-1 of National Food Security Act should be integrated with the production

of food grains and food aspects linked with food security with nutrition. At present, the

aspect of production is included as a schedule to the Act thereby diluting government’s

obligation in its implementation.

3. It should be ensured that Grivances Redressal Machenism is adequetly funded and

independent.

4. The Act should be expanded to include pulses and edible oil so as to competently

address the issue of nutritional security and is not limited to ensure basic survival. The

move will signal that the Government is sensitive in considering food and nutrition

security as integral to human life with dignity.

5. Provisioning of egg for children in Mid Day Meal and ICDS scheme should be ensured..

6. Right to food, employment, supplementary nutrition, maternity entitlement, drinking

water and health should not be subjected to the architecture of targeting. Rather, these

rights should be pursued from the standpoint of universalisation for every individual.

7. System of decentralization must be implemented across the domains of foodgrains

production, storage, and distribution. Storage facility must be created at the level of

Gram Panchayat and Community Food Grains Banks should be established.

8. Government must devise and institute a Starvation and Malnutrition Code for keeping

an eye on adverse impacts of hunger and malnutrition.

9. The existing provision of food grain @5 Kg per person per month should be scaled up to

10 Kg per person per month.

10. Interests of farmers must be protected. Then only, food security for the country can be

realized.

11. Maternity entitlement enshrined in National Food Security Act must be prioritized in

implementation without any further delay.

1 I acknowledge the support and inputs provided by Dr. Devinder Sharma, Dr. Dipa Sinha and Guru Sharan

Sachdeva in writing this note for PBI.

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12. The Government must ensure that no part of the Act gets subjected to the interests of

the private sector. It must make an unambiguous statement that ‘conflict of interest’

shall have no place in regard to the Act and its implementation.

13. The architecture of grievance redressal under the Act must be independent and free. It

should be empowered and fully insulated from the implementation mechanism.

14. The Government must publicly reject the proposals of WTO with regard to food subsidy

and public storage. It must unequivocally pronounce that it will not compromise on this

position whether directly or otherwise.

15. The ICDS and Mid-Day Meal should provide for double allocation per child so as to meet

their need for quality hot cooked meal. Roles of local community groups, Mahila

Mandals and Self-Help Groups should be earmarked for meeting the purpose.

16. Right to food for the homeless and victims of hunger would be secured with dignity

entailing the active and responsible participation of local bodies. Community kitchens

serving cheap and nutritious food must be set up in urban areas.

Background

In India, there is a government scheme designed to address the food needs of persons in every

stage of the life cycle. Pregnant mothers, nursing women and children under 6 years of age

receive supplementary nutrition under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)

scheme. Likewise, school going children are provided hot cooked meals under the Mid-Day

Meal scheme. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA)

provides for right to employment for all adults living in rural areas. Apart from this there are

social security schemes such as the National Maternity Benefit Scheme, the pensions schemes

for the aged, single women and disabled and the National Family Benefit Scheme which

provides a one time financial benefit in the event of the death of a wage earning member of a

poor family.

While the orders of the Supreme Court under the ‘Right to Food’ case were related to all of

these schemes, as a result of persistent civic and judicial action, the National Food Security Act

(NFSA) -2013 is now in place. The Act grants an entitlement of 5kgs of subsidized foodgrain per

month to 67% the of country’s population. While it is indeed a step forward that there is now a

legal entitlement to affordable foodgrains, it is ironical that such a right is not universal with the

Act itself stating that 33% of the population are out of the purview of the Act. What is even

more absurd is that the Act does not in any way define the criteria based on which people can

be excluded or included.

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Further, the quantity of foodgrains given is nowhere enough to meet nutrition requirements of

people. The civil society2 has been pressuring the government for pegging the entitlement at

least at 10 Kg3 of cereal per person per month as against just 5 Kg per person per month.

Likewise, there has been a demand, both within and outside the Parliament, for inclusion of

pulses and edible oil in the food basket so as to render basic minimum nutritional security to

the citizens of the country.

This paper looks at the issues related to universalizing entitlements to food security as it is only

then majority of the population will be able to banish the brunt of enormous suffering and

indignity due to living with hunger and malnutrition.. Ensuring food security is a call to action

for “humane governance”4.

Situation of Nutrition and Health in India

The issue of food security and status of nutrition and health are intricately linked. The recently

released food and nutrition numbers by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) as seen in

Table 1 lay out the current situation in India.

Table 1: Food & Nutrition Numbers of India at a Glance

Particulars5 1992 2002 2014

Setting Total population (mln) 903.8 1076.7 1267.4

Rural population (mln) 668.9 772.6 857.1

GDP per capita, PPP (Const.2011 $) 1857.4 2738.3 4261.2

Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1000 live births) 119.0 84.5 62.9

Life expectancy at birth (years) 59.1 62.9 65.4

Improved water source (% population) 72.4 82.7 89.7

Improved sanitation facilities (% of population) 18.7 27.2 33.4

Cause of death (%)6 40/48/12 28/60/12

Anthropometry

Low-birthweight babies (% of births) 31.7 30.4 28.0

Wasting (Low weight for height), children under-5 (M/F, %) 22.8/19.3 20.5/19.2 20.7/19.3

Severe wasting, children under-5 (M/F, %) 8.6/6.7 7.5/6.5 7.1/6.3

Stunting (low height for age), children under-5 (M/F, %) 58.5/55.7 51.2/50.9 47.9/48

Underweight, children under-5 (M/F, %) 52.4/48.8 45.0/43.8 43.1/43.9

Nutritional deficiencies

Anemia, women (pregnant/non-pregnant, %) 52.5/54.2 55.2/54.5 54.2/50.2

Anemia, children under-5 (%) 74.0 66.7 60.9

2 Press Statement of Right to Food dated 11

th July 2014: “BUDGET GIVES BJP MANIFESTO COMMITMENT OF ‘UNIVERSAL FOOD

SECURITY’ A MISS, Right to Food Campaign demands expansion and implementation of the National Food Security Act, 2013 and Government violates the law by postponement not as per Section 42”. 3 The ICMR has prescribed cereals at least at 14 Kg for adult and 7 Kg for child under 12 years age.

4 Food from Courts (by Harsh Mander)

5 Three year average for 1990-1992, 2000-2002 and 2012-2014.

6 Includes three causes of death (in the order they appear in the table): by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and

nutrition conditions; by non-communicable diseases; and by injury.

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Particulars5 1992 2002 2014 Vitamin A deficiency, total population (%) 20.0 62.0

Iodine deficiency, children (%) 81.0 11.3 50.9

Prevalence of undernourishment (%) 23.8 17.6 15.2

No. of people undernourished (mln) 210.8 186.2 190.7

Depth of food deficit (kcal/cap/day) 166 123 109

Supplementation

Vitamin A supplementation, children 6-59 months (%) 82.0 73.0

Iodized salt consumption (% of households) 73.2 62.3

Diet

Average protein supply (g/cap/day) 50 53 58

Average supply of animal protein (g/cap/day) 10 13 16

Average fat supply (g/cap/day) 44 45 53

Share of dietary energy supply

Cereals (%) 66.2 65.2 63.6

Starchy roots (%) 6.7 6.2 6.1

Sugar and sweeteners (%) 5.7 6.5 5.3

Pulses (%) 1.5 0.5 0.5

Treenuts (%) 0.2 0.2 0.2

Oilcrops (%) 5.1 5.7 4.5

Vegetables (%) 0.9 1.1 1.4

Fruits (%) 1.6 2.3 3.1

Meat (%) 2.4 2.1 2.7

Vegetable oil and animal fats (%) 7.4 6.9 8.8

Fish, seafood and aquatic products (%) 1.3 1.8 2.0

Milk – excluding butter (%) 0.3 0.6 0.7

Eggs (%) 0.4 0.6 0.7 Source: Food and Nutrition Numbers 2014, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Mired in Political Ambiguity?

Do we see any political conviction in ensuring food security for the population in a meaningful

manner? The answer is a big NO. Although it has been over a year since the NFSA was passed

unanimously, and there has been a change in the Government at the Centre, there is almost no

progress in the implementation of the NFSA. In a letter (dated August 7, 2013) to, Dr.

Manmohan Singh (then Prime Minister), Mr. Narendra Modi (then Chief Minister of Gujarat)

raised a host of issues pertaining to the National Food Security Ordinance (NFSO) (which was

later passed by the Parliament in the form of an Act) and voiced his concern that the NFSO

“does not contain the basic tenets which any food security legislation should meet and is

unlikely to achieve the objectives for which the Union Government has taken this step”. He

observed that the Ordinance rather made the poor families food ‘insecure’ and pointed out a

set of key deficiencies. Mr. Modi also raised the issue that the logical way of going about things

would be to first set the criteria for identification of beneficiaries and not the number of

beneficiaries arbitrarily, which is exactly what the NFSA does. The BJP manifesto for the General

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Elections 2014, also promised ‘universal food security’ saying that it is integral to national

security and promises to take steps “to ensure that the benefits of the scheme reach the

common man and that the right to food does not remain an act on paper or a political

rhetoric”.

Strangely, today with Mr. Modi himself at the helm, even this limited Act is being derailed with

implementation delays. The Centre has arbitrarily extended the deadline set for the

implementation of the Act twice without any mention of payment of a food security allowance

as mandatory compensation provisioned in the law.

Not only is this postponement an indication of lack of political will, it is also in absolute violation

of the law vide Section 42 of the NFSA which provides that the Government may make any

provisions necessary for removing any difficulties in implementing the Act (as long as its not

inconsistent with the provisions of the Act) for two years from the date of commencement of

the Act provided that such an order is laid before each House of Parliament. The selection of

eligible households which the law mandates in Section 107 needed to be completed by 5th July

2014, the same has been postponed twice through just an executive letter!

The Way Forward

As per the estimates of GoI, the foodgrain requirement for the TPDS and other schemes is estimated at 614.3 lakh tonnes. The average annual procurement of wheat and rice has been 617.8 lakh tonnes during 2008-09 to 2012-13, i.e. 33.2 per cent of average annual production. The estimated annual food subsidy for implementation of the Act at 2014-15 costs is about 1, 31,066 crore8, the actual allocation was Rs. 1, 15,000 Crore, which was lesser than the actual requirement for the implementation of NFSA. Adding on the provision of 5.25 Kg of pulses and 2.28 Kg of edible oil per family per month, the

allocation would go upwards.

Availability of Food is Not an Issue

It is often argued that if the NFSA were to be expanded in its coverage, there will be no food

grain left in the open market. The reality is that less than 40% of country’s food grains would be

brought under the net of the Act, as the table below shows:

Year Foodgrains (Mln Tonnes)

Pulses (Mln Tonnes) Edible Oil (Mln Tonnes)

Availability as per production

Required, if covered under the

Availability as per production

Required, if covered under the

Availability as per production

Required, if covered under the

7 Section 10 (1) (b) “…Provided that the State Government may, as soon as possible, but within such period not exceeding three

hundred and sixty-five days, after the commencement of the Act, identify the eligible households in accordance with the guidelines framed under this sub-section: Read with section 1 proviso (3) says that " Save as otherwise provided, it shall be deemed to have come into force on the 5th day of July, 2013."

8 http://indiabudget.nic.in/es2013-14/echap-08.pdf; Pg 156

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in 2013-14 Act in 2013-14 Act in 2013-14 Act

2013-14 264 102 (39%) 19.6 14.6 (74%) 18.3 5.8 (32%)

Computation/assumption basis: 70% families. @50 Kg food grain per family per month @5.25 Kg pulses per family per month @2.28 Kg edible oil per family per month Any gaps in pulses can be made good through imports also, which is being done currently as well.

Source: Economic Survey of India, 2013-14 and Rozee Rotee Adhikaar Abhiyaan Praveshika

Retain the Functionality of Agricultural Produce Marketing Act

The Public Distribution System (PDS) accrues two major benefits, one to the beneficiary and the

other to the farmer. This Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act accords

architecture to the mandi system. For some years, an argument is being advanced to do away

with the Act in the guise of letting the farmers sell their produce without any obligation to do so

only through the mandis. This act was repealed in Bihar in year 2006. The result was that in

year 2013, farmers from Punjab could sell their produce @Rs.1310 per quintal whereas those

from Bihar were limited at Rs.800 to Rs.900 per quintal!

On the other hand one of the first decisions taking by the present Government since it came to

power has been to restrict public procurement of foodgrains. Towards this, it has directed State

Governments to limit themselves to the Minimum Support Price declared by Government of

India and that in case the State Governments continue to provide bonus to the farmers, the

Food Corporation of India (FCI) will not lift the entire food grain. Secondly, the GoI has also

stated that they would not pay for any procurement beyond what is required for distribution

under the welfare schemes.

Based on a Reserve Bank of India’s study that says that 10% increase in Minimum Support Price

leads to increase in wholesale price index by 1%, given that the cost of fuel goes up

notwithstanding the increased income of farmers, there is an attempt to restrict MSPs. Further,

if the FCI were not to lift food grains completely, it would cause huge burden upon the States.

Government of Madhya Pradesh for example has been giving bonus ranging from Rs.100 to

Rs.150 to the farmers for the last 4 years which has hiked the procurement to 8.5 mln tonnes

triggering increase in agricultural production rate from 13% to 18%. This move by the NDA

government has thus resulted in a loss to the State’s farmers to the extent of Rs.10, 500 million,

if one goes by the budgetary allocation for bonus for the year 2014-15.

World Trade Organisation and Food Security

The Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation was held in Doha in

November 2001. The Doha Ministerial Declaration adopted a mandate for agriculture calling for

comprehensive negotiations aimed at substantial improvements in market access; reduction of,

with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies; and substantial reductions in trade-

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distorting domestic support. Last 14 years have since witnessed a lot of talk on this aspect.

Ultimately, the proposal was mooted at the Bali meeting of December 2013 that all countries

will limit their expenditure on agriculture within 10% of total production or else it will entail

sanctions. The move was opposed by some countries, including India because the proposal

incorporated policy issues like, Minimum Support Price and Public Distribution System. In other

words, Europe and USA and large business houses want to enforce the move so that India

closes down the Public Distribution System and replace it with the scheme of Direct Cash

Transfer for all programmes. It means that the government pays cash to the beneficiaries and

they in turn meet their needs from the open market. Direct Cash Transfer scheme is fraught

with baneful and anti-social aspects.

India is under utmost pressure from the WTO that it should bring the subsidy on meeting the

expenditure on Public Distribution System (procurement of food grains from farmers at

Minimum Support Price) within the purview of regulatory sanctions and curtail the expenditure.

The WTO had asked India that it should keep the subsidy under National Food Security Act at a

low level so that its expenditure on public storage of food items does not exceed 10% on total

value of the produce as proposed in section 7.4 (b) of the WTO.

Stand on Use of Genetically Modified (GM)9 Technique

WHO, together with FAO, has convened several expert consultations on the evaluation of GM

foods and provided technical advice for the Codex Alimentarius Commission which was fed into

the Codex Guidelines on safety assessment of GM foods.

According to WHO, The migration of genes from GM plants into conventional crops or related

species in the wild (referred to as “outcrossing”), as well as the mixing of crops derived from

conventional seeds with GM crops, may have an indirect effect on food safety and food

security. Clearly, India has miles to go in securing the requisite strategies.

Government of India has yet to clarify its stand in the context of GM foods. It needs to state in

an unequivocal manner that social security and environmental safety are inherently integral to

the concept of food security

Reforms in Public Distribution System

Structural reforms in Public Distribution System have been envisaged under National Food

Security Act. In this context, it is necessary for the Government of India to:

1. Frame and pursue a decentralized policy for price fixation for procurement of food

grains.

9 WHO: Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which

the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. The technology is often called “modern biotechnology” or “gene technology”, sometimes also “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”. It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between nonrelated species. Foods produced from or using GM organisms are often referred to as GM foods.

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2. There should be facilities for procurement and storage of food grains at the level of

every Panchayat.

3. There is need to bring about transparency in the management of Public Distribution

System across the domains of procurement, storage and distribution.

4. Grievance Redressal Mechanism and the surveillance system to be created under the

National Food Security Act should have an independent structure. We must appreciate

that the institutional set up responsible for implementation or management cannot and

should not be vested with the authority for handling grievances.

5. Instituting the arrangement of Direct Cash Transfer in lieu of food or services would

adversely affect the farmers. It will also cast a negative impact on the society. Therefore,

the proposals for Direct Cash Transfer ought to be dismissed forthwith.

6. Efforts to abolish Food Corporation of India must be resisted. We have seen that the

corporation has been of enormous help in making the country food secure over the last

5 decades. Reforms are needed to ensure that the FCI plays an affirmative and positive

role in increasing agricultural production, enabling scientific storage, securing the

livelihood of farmers and in controlling and reducing prices of agricultural commodities.

Perspective of Women & Children in the National Food Security Act

Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS)

Around 43% children in India are underweight. As many as 54.2% pregnant women and 50.2%

women who are not pregnant suffer from anemia. The ICDS programme is being implemented

in India since year 1975. The programme aims to bring about reduction in malnutrition, Child

Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Rate. The 12th Five Year Plan has envisaged fundamental

reforms in this programme. These include:

1. Malnutrition cannot be combated by a single department. It requires different

departments to play their roles effectively and in synergistic convergence with one

another.

2. Better infrastructural facilities will need to be created.

3. 5% of Anganwadi Centres would be transformed into crèches.

4. Capacity building of programme functionaries would be emphasised.

5. Programme implementation monitoring and accountability would be ensured.

6. Availability of human resources would be ensured.

Two years have passed since the reforms were promised in ICDS. Barring some formal events

and programmes, nothing concrete seems to have occurred in reality. An allocation of Rs.

12,35,800 mln has been made under the 12th Five Year Plan for the implementation of

restructured ICDS. Accordingly, the imputed value of allocation for year 2014-15 was taken at

Rs. 2,75,330 mln. However, the actual allocation has been just at Rs. 1, 81, 950 mln. It is

apprehended that the reduction to the extent of Rs. 83,380 mln would only mean business as

usual! Therefore, the following call to action is solicited:

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1. The budget allocations should be in accordance with the budgeted requirements for the

restructured ICDS.

2. Period 2015-16 should be declared and dedicated as the year for quality universalization

of ICDS.

3. The existing provision allocation of supplementary nutrition is not adequate. It must be

raised to Rs.8.50 per child.

4. The ICDS programme should also draw free food grains from FCI on the lines of Mid-Day

Meal Scheme.

5. At present, the government has targeted for transformation of only 5% Anganwadi

Centres in to crèches in the entire 5 Year Plan. It should be treated as an annual target

and must be pursued with vigorous commitment.

6. It should be aimed that by year 2019, each and every Anganwadi Centre would have its

own building, toilet, safe drinking water and be equipped with all related facilities and

that the Centre would be manned by at least 2 Anganwadi Workers and one helper.

7. Community-based management of malnutrition should be adopted throughout the

country.

8. It should be made clear that that the government shall forthwith institute a policy of ‘No

Conflict of Interest’ in all government schemes and programmes pertaining to food,

social security, health, child development and education.

Mid-Day Meal Scheme

This scheme entitles prescribed nutritious hot cooked meal every day for children of all

government and government-aided schools. The programme governance and quality of meal

need proper reform. The joint review of the programme in Madhya Pradesh by the Ministry of

Human Resources brought out need for effecting following changes:

1. There is need to provide for an allocation of Rs.8/- per child towards Mid-Day Meal. This

would be at a variance from the provision of free food grain being made available by

theFCI.

2. There is need for enlisting better community participation in scheme implementation.

3. Kitchens provided under the scheme call for special provision for addressing the issue of

quality and maintenance of their services.

Maternity Entitlement Programme

93% women in India are engaged in the unorganised sector. These women do not get any

maternity entitlements. Neither are they given any financial support nor are they given any

leave from work. Indira Gandhi Maternity Support Scheme was introduced in 52 select districts

as a pilot project in year 2012. It is only in year 2013 that for the first time, all women have

been extended the maternity entitlement under the National Food Security Act.

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In effect, the universalization of entitlement to all pregnant women entails an allocation of Rs.1,

50, 000 mln. In this context, thus, the Government of India must do the following:

1. Echo the comprehensive implementation of Universal Maternity Entitlement whilst

casting the budgetary allocation for year 2015-16.

2. Recognise that every woman is deemed to be a working woman. Pronounce that

economic engagement would not be the defining criterion for treating a woman as the

working woman. Homemaker women shall also be deemed to be the working women.

3. The government must ensure that conditionality like number of children, ceiling of age

and institutional delivery would not be invoked for the women in availing the benefits of

the scheme.

Conclusion

National Food Security Act in its present form touches only the tip of the iceberg when one

seeks to look at the deliverance of fundamental right to life. The Government of India has

faulted on counts, design and its implementation. This strategic call to action needs a holistic

and ethical consideration in to the vexed issue of food security across its dimensions of reach

and depth. Any failure to address this duality of reach and content would only compound the

human suffering in this land of largest democracy in the world whilst its reflections and

inclusion in the upcoming 2015-16 budget would herald a change for a newer and better social

order. Let’s hope that Mr. Arun Jaitley funds India’s Food Act adequately in his second

upcoming budget. We will expect that the Government will scale down its ‘revenue foregone’

which it does for corporates and influential sections of the society. The government had

‘forgone’ this revenue to the extent of Rs.57, 29, 290 mln in year 2013-14. Clearly, the

government does not appear to be favouring correct, complete, basic and honest measures in

regard to country’s food security. Whilst it is right that this remission also helps the middle

class, major beneficiaries are the corporates and influential sections of the society who derive

benefits to the extent of Rs. 25, 00, 000 mln!