7/30/2019 Food Security Debates Now http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/food-security-debates-now 1/100 NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY – DEBATE: INDIA 2010-13 • Govt. of India, National Advisory Council , • A phased programme, Meet in October, 2010 ************ NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY CIVIL SOCEITY DEBATES • What is ‘food insecurity’ & how it may be eliminated for poor people and children, • Early childcare, ICDS, Pre-primary education, • Targeted / Universal Public Distribution System, • Agri - minister’s Views, • M S Swaminathan, Amartya K Sen, • Right to food campaign, other arguments, facts
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Govt. of India, National Advisory Council ,• A phased programme, Meet in October, 2010************
NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY CIVIL SOCEITY DEBATES• What is ‘food insecurity’ & how it may be
eliminated for poor people and children,• Early childcare, ICDS, Pre-primary education,• Targeted / Universal Public Distribution System,• Agri -minister’s Views, • M S Swaminathan, Amartya K Sen,• Right to food campaign, other arguments, facts
• A broad framework to achievethe goal of food for all andforever:
• The NAC's suggestions includethe swift initiation of
• programmes to insulate pregnantand nursing mothers, infants inthe age group of zero to three,and other disadvantaged citizens,from hunger and malnutrition.
• Such special nutrition supportprogrammes may need annuallyabout 10 million tonnes of foodgrains.
pre-school children, schoolchildren, welfare hostelstudents, adolescent girls,pregnant women, street
children, the homeless, theaged, the infirm, thedifferently abled, thoseliving with leprosy, TB,HIV/AIDS etc., togetherwith community kitchensand feeding the destitute.
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NAC takes a holisticapproach to the issue,with broad concernsabout the nutritional
needs of the mostvulnerable, suggesting 8different entitlements forthem apart from the PDS.,such as comprehensivenutrition supportschemes for infants,
• The Sonia Gandhi-led NAC may finalise the FoodSecurity Bill in New Delhi on September 24. P. C. Dep.Chair Montek Singh Ahluwalia and officials fromMinistries concerned, Women and Child DevelopmentSecretary, will be present to try and help bridge the
differences between the NAC and the Commission /Ministries.• On August 30, while pushing for universalisation of
food security — the position also of the Campaign for
Food Security — Ms. Gandhi pointed out that the poormight wonder why the rich were being given the sameentitlements. The view that there be a system of twoprices and differential entitlements was conceded.
Ms. Gandhi had also underlined the importance of taking the government's opinion — that of the
Ministries concerned — on board. Since then, keymembers of the NAC's Working Group on FoodSecurity, including Harsh Mander, Jean Dreze and N.C.Saxena, have had detailed discussions on the issue
with Mr. Ahluwalia and Commission Member NarendraJadhav, who doubles as an NAC member. Sources say asystem of differential entitlements is being worked outso that those living below the poverty line (BPL) — atthe enhanced Tendulkar Committee report's figure of about 42 per cent — can be given 35 kg of food grains,with rice at Rs.3 a kg and wheat at Rs.2 a kg. Sources
At the NAC meeting on September 24, a decision may be takenon how much the rest of the population will get — 25 kg of
food grains as promised in the Congress manifesto and in thePresident's address last year, or enhanced entitlement of 35kg, and at what price.The government is pushing for status quo, while the NACwould like it to be increased to 35 kg; however, the price,sources said, at which the food grains will be made available tothe non-BPL population is likely to be pegged at 75 per cent of the Minimum Support Price (MSP). However, while this part of the Bill looks headed for a consensus, the more significant part
relating to securing the nutritional requirements of those atthe bottom of the economic ladder, and which has hugefinancial implications, will also have to be sorted out.
At the August 30 meeting, Mr. Mander, who heads theWorking Group on Food Security, had listed a range of
eight entitlements apart from an inclusive andenhanced Public Distribution System.These included schemes for children such as IntegratedChild Development Services and maternal nutrition,
community kitchens for those suffering fromtuberculosis and HIV-AIDS, homeless children anddestitute people and old age pensions.It is in this context that officials from the Ministriesthat deal with these subjects are expected to attendthe September 24 meeting. (To be continued inOctober)
Government of India (National Advisory Council), 24 Sept. 2010, Press Release1.
The Fifth meeting of the National Advisory Council was chaired bySmt. Sonia Gandhi on 24th September, 2010 at 2 Motilal NehruPlace, New Delhi.2.Members who attended the meeting were Prof. M.S. Swaminathan,MP, Dr. Ram Dayal Munda, MP, Prof. Narendra Jadhav, Prof. PramodTandon, Dr. Jean Dreze, Ms. Aruna Roy, Ms Anu Aga, Shri N.C.Saxena, Dr. A.K. Shiva Kumar, Shri Deep Joshi, Ms. Farah Naqvi, ShriHarsh Mander and Ms. Mirai Chatterjee.
3.A presentation was made by Shri Harsh Mander, convenor of theWorking Group on the framework of proposed Right to FoodSecurity Bill detailing the Working Group’s proposal .
4.Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Shri Montek S
Ahluwalia, Secretary (Food & Public Distribution), Smt. AlkaSirohi, Secretary (Women & Child Development), Dr D.K. Sikri,and Secretary (Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation), Ms KiranDhingra made presentations, placing the viewpoint of thePlanning Commission and respective Ministries/Departments.
5.The Working Group took note of the issues which emerged fromthe discussion. A further round of discussions is to take place
before the proposal of the Working Group could be finalised.6.The next meeting of the NAC is scheduled to be held on 23October, 2010.
CIVIL SOCEITY DEBATES• Components of Food Security• What is ‘food insecurity’ & how it may be
eliminated for poor people and children,• Early childcare, ICDS, Pre-primary education,• Targeted / Universal Public Distribution System,• Agri -minister’s Views, • M S Swaminathan, Amartya K Sen,• Right to food campaign, other arguments, facts
Integrated ChildDevelopment Services (ICDS) and its objectives
That every individual has• the physical, economic, social, and environmental access to a
balanced diet that includes• the necessary macro-and micro-nutrients,• safe drinking water,• sanitation, environmental hygiene, primary healthcare and• education so as to lead a healthy and productive life.
Although India has become self sufficient infood grains production, the ever increasingpopulation of the country is a major cause of concern in sustaining food security andnutritional security. The populationapproaches 1200 million, while about 260million are below the poverty line andprevalence of widespread under-nourishmentand mal-nourishment are a cause of concern.
• Over the last two decades the ICDS coveragehas progressively increased. As of March 2002,5652 projects have been sanctioned; thereare more than 5 lakh anganwadis in the
country.• The number of persons covered under ICDS
rose from 5.7 million children of 0 – 6 age, and 1.2 million mothers in 1985 to31.5 million children and 6 million mothersup to March 2002.
• A crèche is not just an enabling mechanism sothat mothers can work, but central to thebattle against malnutrition, low birth weight
and infant mortality.• It essentially facilitates an aware adult to take
on the small tasks involved in childcare forchildren under three years of age such aspatient feeding of small katories of soft foodthree or four times a day. Continued…
• Nutrition indicators like under weight in pre-school children, stunting, wasting of thesechildren, prevalence of low birth weight, anemiain pregnant women, adolescent girls and children
under three years, poor breast feeding andcomplementary feeding rates pose a majorchallenge.
• Chronic mal-nutrition among school children as
reflected by stunting and wasting is 45.5 %, and15.5 % respectively as per national Family HealthSurvey (NFHS) 2, 1998-99.
Pre-primary Education• Otherwise nursery classes are attached to Junior
Basic or Primary Schools.• In addition to that Pre-Primary education is provided
free of cost.•
Thus, the main object of Pre-primary Education is togive young children social experience rather thanformal instruction.
• It has an essential part to play in every school
System, though Pre-primary education in India is nota fundamental right and thus a very low percentageof children receive preschool educational facilities.
SOCIALIZATION PROCESSES, PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION,LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT MATERIALS
• A child who is already a member of a familylearns to become a member of a societythrough the process of socialization in whichlanguage plays a very important role.
• Though it is often quoted that, as far as pre-school is concerned, "love is the language andplay is the method," love should also be
expressed in a human language, in addition toother parental or caregivers' loving behavior,including nonverbal behavior.
The Indian government lays emphasis to primaryeducation up to the age of fourteen years (referred to
as Elementary Education in India.)It has also banned child labour in order to ensure thatthe children do not enter unsafe working conditions.
Both free education and the ban on child labour are
difficult to enforce due to economic disparity and socialconditions. 80% of all recognized schools at theElementary Stage are government run/supported,making it the largest provider of education in theCountry.
Government is helpless• Two arguments mark the opposition to an
universal system (whether in the PDS or othersectors like health )
1. There is no money for the huge subsidy.
2. We may not have enough grain for anuniversal system when successive draughtyears happen, and high input costs of agriculture may bring down production.”Non- government- orgs” too should play asubstantial role.
States do not lift, food grains, alleging high price
•
“We do not follow the policyof artificially keeping theprices low any more.62 % of India’s population isdependent on agriculture. Dowe want them to remainpoor? Prices have been fixedconsidering the input costsso that farming becomes
viable. This has led to anincrease in the income of farmers,” he said.
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•
Mr. Pawar also criticised theStates for buying only thefood grains at the lowestprice slab earmarked for theAntyodaya population andleaving the rest untouched.“I call up the Ministers andtheir secretaries, askingthem to take away the food
M. S. Swaminathan-3• Adequate food availability is necessary both for
stabilizing prices and ensuring the operation of aneffective PDS. There is therefore no time to relax on the
food production front.• There is particularly an urgent need for greater
investment in irrigation, power supply, rural roads, coldstorages, storage facilities and food processing units. Byextending the benefits of technological transformationand institutional reform to more areas and farmingsystems, India can become a leader in worldagriculture.
The Kolkata Group, an independent initiativeinspired and chaired by Amartya Sen, has demanded
that the Right to Food Act be made non-discriminatory and universal to cover legal foodentitlements for all Indians. The Eighth KolkataGroup Workshop (February 2010), has argued forcreating durable legal entitlements that guaranteethe right to food for all in the country. Sen stressedthe need for the firm recognition of the right tofood, and comprehensive legislation to guaranteeeveryone the right.
“A Right to Food Act covering enforceable foodentitlements should be non-discriminatoryand universal. Entitlements guaranteed by theAct should include food grains from the Public
Distribution System (PDS), school meals,nutrition services for children below the age of six years, social security provision, and allied
The poverty estimates of about 40 per cent given by the TendulkarCommittee to determine the number of poor who will receivesubsidized food under the forthcoming National Food Security Actis inadequate to our current situation of hunger, starvation andmalnutrition.Others that have submitted their reports are the National
Committee for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector (NCEUS) setup by the Government of India, that estimates that 77 % of ourpopulation have an income of less than Rs.20 per day in 2004-05;
the Saxena Committee set up by the Ministry of RuralDevelopment that says that 50 % of our population should beconsidered below the poverty line.
The paucity of resources can no longer be anexcuse for keeping our people hungry. It is more acase of having the right priorities, and a moraldeficit. The NCEUS report appointed by the
government points out that the safety net can beprovided within the available resources andcapacity of the government. If a universal subsidycan work in Tamil Nadu state and PDS can work inKerela state why can't it be made to workelsewhere?
A Right to Food Act is neededon compassionate grounds.
India wants to reach the moon but the question iswhether it can reach its own starving children.
Who cares if the Commonwealth of the “Games” isso uncommonly unequal.According to Harsh Mander, a Food Commissionerappointed by the Supreme Court, about tenhomeless die every day in Delhi. Says Mander “Thatso many people die each day at our doorstep, closeto the centers of power, is a reminder how scarce iscompassion in our public life.”
At present, the government supplies 27.4 milliontonne of rice and wheat for PDS, which costs it Rs56,000 crore (in 2010-11). It estimates to have 50million tonne of grain in its storage facilities at theworst point of the year.Back of the envelope calculations show the first year of NFSA,when one-fourth of the blocks or districts get almost universalcoverage and special nutrition schemes are launched, wouldrequire around 50 million tonne of grain. The subsidy bill willgo up by around Rs 20,000 crore.But even so, the increase of fiscal subsidy might
require only a political decision; supply of grain, onthe other hand, is a governance issue that the NACwill have to fight and push hard.
The government has announced a 'second green revolution'through the non-irrigated lands,but the agricultural ministry's past record does not inspireconfidence.To assure itself that the NFSA does not come undone infuture years, the NAC will need to set the course for thissecond 'revolution' and push the government to procuremore.The latter is beset with macroeconomic concerns of howincreased government purchase will hit prices and inflation.
• The Food Corporation of India (FCI) procures food grainsfrom the farmers at the government announced minimum
support price (MSP). The MSP should ideally be at a levelwhere the procurement by FCI and the offtake from it arebalanced.
• The responsibility for procuring and stocking of food grainslies with the FCI and for distribution with the publicdistribution system (PDS).
• To reduce the fiscal deficit, the government has sought tocurtail the food subsidy bill by raising the issue price of food grains (to APL people) and linking it to the economic
cost at which the FCI supplies food grains to the PDS. Theeconomic cost comprises the cost of procurement, that is,MSP, storage, transportation and administration and ishigh.
• The proposal by the Planning Commission, that the Tendulkar
committee figures for those living below the poverty line bethe cut off for providing food grains at Rs 3 per kg, could nowget greater weightage.
• The favoured proposal may recommend that only 33% of the
urban population be provided subsidized grains and providedifferential services to different income segments.• The proposal may allow for the rural population living above
the Tendulkar poverty line -- or Above Poverty Linebeneficiaries -- to get only 25 kg of food grain, at a higher rate.
• These steps , if accepted , would radically reduce the number of beneficiaries of the proposed Act as well as pare down thegovernment's annual subsidy bill by Rs 15,000-20,000 crore.
Budget- March- 2011• The implementation gaps in the PDS is a big challenge•
Wholesale-retail price imbalance unacceptable. Need toimprove the distribution system of food and agriculture• Cold storage to be recognised as an infrastructure sector
150 lakh mT of storage capacity for food items beingcreated under Rural Godown scheme
• FM proposes 15 more food parks• Food Security Bill to be introduced this year• Renumeration for Anganwadi helpers increased from Rs
750 to Rs 1,500• Renumeration for Anganwadi workers raised from Rs
“Basic needs of man have traditionally been accepted tothe three - food, clothing and shelter.The right to life is guaranteed in any civilized society.
That would take within its sweep the right to food , theright to clothing, the right to decent environment and areasonable accommodation to live in. ”
Shantistar Builders vs. Narayan Khimalal Totame, Civil Appeal No. 2598 of 1989, decided Jan. 31, 1990. SupremeCourt of India, at sec. 9.
• Consider the crows, for they neither sow norreap, they have no storeroom or barn, and yetGod feeds them. How much more valuable areyou than the birds!
• And when he had fasted forty days and forty
nights, he was afterward an hungered. Andwhen the tempter came to him, he said, If thoube the Son of God, command that these stonesbe made bread. But he answered and said, It is
written, Man shall not live by bread alone, butby every word that proceeds out of the mouthof God.
• Therefore I say unto you Take no thought for your