Right to Food in India

1. The Right to Food in India

2. The Food Security Scenario in
South Asia
Country
Food
Production
Food Exports
Food Imports
Food Balance
Bangladesh
26,924
1.6
2,827
-4,601
India
1,74,655
9,490
56
23,826
Nepal
5,839
11
39
57
Pakistan
24,936
2,966
288
3,818
Sri Lanka
1,938
9.8
1,307
252
Source: FAO, 2004. Figures in thousand metric tones for 2002

3. 3

4. Changes in Hunger Index
1996
2011
1996
2011
China
9.1
5.5 Uganda
20.4
16.7
8.1 Zimbabwe
22.3
17.7
Thailand
11.9
Vietnam
21.4
11.2 Malawi
27.1
18.2
Mongolia
17.7
11.4 Kenya
20.3
18.6
Indonesia
15.5
12.2 Nepal
24.6
19.9
SriLanka
17.8
22
20.7
Nigeria
21.2
15.5 Sudan
24.7
21.5
Myanmar
25.4
16.3 India
22.9
23.7
36.3
24.5
14 Pakistan
Bangladesh

5. India’s Growth Story 1951-2012
5

6. Population, GDP and Foodgrain Production
1400
1200
Population
1000
800
GDP
600
Foodgrain
Production
400
200
0
1951
1961
1971
1981
1991
2001
2006

7. Worrying issues
• News of starvation deaths & farmers’ suicides from
many states
• Stagnant agricultural production, and falling food
availability
• Unemployment has increased from 4 to 8% in ten
years
• Regional disparities are increasing
• IMR stagnating around 60 per 1000, it is 46 in
Bangladesh
• Immunisation coverage fell from 60 to 40% in 5 yrs
• More than 50% women are anemic
• 46% children are malnourished
• Declining child sex ratio during 1991-2001
• There is no will to improve administration in poor
states

8. Per capita annual foodgrain production (kg)
220
210
200
190
180
170
160
2011-12
2008-09
2005-06
2002-03
1999-00
1996-97
1993-94
1990-91
150

9. Per capita daily availability (grams)
500
475
450
425
2010
2007
2004
2001
1998
1995
1992
1989
1986
1983
1980
1977
1974
400
9
9

10. Per Capita Cereal Consumption for various deciles
(Rural India, 2004-2005; kg/month)
95-100
90-95
80-90
70-80
60-70
50-60
40-50
30-40
20-30
10-20
5-10
0-5
15
14
13
12
11
10
9

11. Buffer Stocks
11

12. 1.04.2012
1.07.2011
1.10.2010
1.01.2010
1.4.2009
1.7.2008
BUFFER NORM
ACTUAL STOCK
1.10.2007
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Buffer norms & actual stocks

13. Foodgrain wholesale price index (199394=100)
450
400
350
300
250
200
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
150

14. Per capita Rural monthly consumption in kg (2002)
India
Vietnam
Foodgrains
13
20.5
Dairy
3.9
0.2
Meat/poultry
1.5
3.4
Fruit/vegetables
9.5
5.8
eating out/sugar/oil
1.8
5.8
29.7
35.714
Total

15. Per Capita Consumption during 200406 (kg/year)
India
China
US
World
All cereals
175.1
287.9
953
316
Meat
5.3
56.8
126.6
40.2
Milk
84.5
22.7
Na
97.8
Eggs
1.8
21.6
15.2
9.7
15

16. There should be no food
insecurity in India
Both GDP and foodgrain production
have risen faster than the growth in
population over the last 50 years
And yet chronic hunger and starvation persist in large
sections of the population. There has been a
declining calorie consumption especially in the
bottom 30% of the population.

17. India has the largest food schemes
in the World
•
Entitlement Feeding Programmes
– ICDS (All Children under six, Pregnant and lactating mother)
– MDMS (All Primary School children)
•
Food Subsidy Programmes
– Targeted Public Distribution System (35 kgs/ month of subsidised food grains
– Annapurna (10 kgs of free food grain for destitute poor)
•
Employment Programmes
– National Rural Employment Scheme (100 days of employment at minimum
wages)
•
Social Safety Net Programmes
– National Old Age Pension Scheme (Monthly pension to BPL)
– National Family Benefit Scheme (Compensation in case of death of bread winner
to BPL families)

18. Underlying causes of hunger in
India
• Falling per capita crop, especially food
production in the last 10 years.
• Increasing share of surplus states and large
farmers in food production, resulting in
artificial surplus that is exported, thus further
reducing availability of foodgrains.
• Increasing inequality, with only marginal
increase in the per capita expenditure of the
bottom 30%. From their meager income the
poor are forced to spend more on medical
care, education, transport, fuel, and light,
thus reducing the share of their expenditure
on food.

19. Underlying causes (contd.)
• Low access of the poor to expensive foods, such
as pulses, vegetables, oil, fruits, and meat
products which provide essential proteins, fats,
and micro-nutrients. This leads to underdevelopment of human body and mind, affecting
the ability of individuals to work productively, and
resist disease
• Major food related programmes, such as PDS
and ICDS are plagued by corruption, leakages,
errors in selection, procedural delays, poor
allocations and little accountability. They also
tend to discriminate against and exclude those
who need them most, such as urban poor
migrants, street and slum residents, and
dispersed hamlets.

20. Production, Procurement & Offtake
of Foodgrains (in million Tonnes)
Food Subsidy in
billion Rupees
1997-98
2002-03
2007-08
2011-12
79
240
313
602
Production of
foodgrains
192
175
231
253
Procurement of
foodgrains
23.6
40.3
39.6
60.1
Distribution
through FPS
17
20.1
33.5
51
Disposal though
welfare schemes
2.1
11.4
3.9
20
4.1

21. Planning Commission’s evaluation TPDS
(2003)
• 58 per cent of subsidized food grains does not reach the
BPL families, 22% reaches APL and 36% sold in black
• High cost of handling, for one rupee transfer to the poor,
the Gol spends Rs.3.65
• Targeting errors, ghost cards and non-BPL households
• Only 57% of the poor households have ration cards
• FPSs are not viable, they remain in business through
leakages
• Homeless often do not have ration cards
No assessment of PDS in the last nine years
21

22. Justice Wadhwa Observations
2009
•
•
•
•
•
Rajasthan - Unsatisfactory, many irregularities, irregular lifting of grain,
no lifting and bulk lifting, PDS in the state has collapsed.
Jharkhand - The distribution mechanism has continued in the hands of
the most corrupt and inefficient Bihar State Food and Supply
Corporation (BSFC). If the FPS owners do not pay Rs. 10 per bag to the
godown manager, he gives rotten grains to FPS.
Bihar - Diversion and black-marketing of food grains by FPS dealers.
Strong nexus between officials of the department and FPS dealers.
Ghost and bogus ration cards is a major problem in the state
Orissa - Private storage agents are the major source of diversion in the
State of Orissa as there is virtually no control or checking on their
activities. The appointment of storage agent was susceptible to high
political influence.
Gujarat - FPS owners in the state bribe the officials every month. Ghost
and bogus ration cards is a major problem in the state.

23. •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Factors behind Chhattisgarh’s
success
Political will
Private dealers replaced by panchayats
70% families covered at Rs 2/1 per kg of rice
Huge investment from state revenues
Rice surplus state
500 people put behind the bars
Toll free number for grievance redressal
Constant monitoring
People put pressure when the scheme is credible
23

24. Distribution of cardholders among poor
and non-poor
HP
% poor with
% poor with
% BPL/AAY
no ration card BPL/AAY cards cards with nonpoor
3.3
39.9
51.1
Maharashra
19.2
22.9
48.7
Kerala
10.0
48.4
74.8
4.4
32.4
74.8
Jharkhand
22.1
31.9
42.4
Orissa
29.3
54.8
38.1
Chhattisgarh
24.1
47.9
47
30
41.9
46.2
19.1
36
59.8
Haryana
MP
All India
24

27. President’s Address June 2009
• Food Security for all
• Broader systemic reform of PDS
In addition, Congress Party’s election
manifesto promised subsidized community
kitchens for homeless & migrants in cities
with Central Government support

28. NAC decisions
• Cover 90% rural and 50% urban population
• 46% rural & 28% urban to get 7 kg per unit of
rice/wheat/ millets at Rs 3/2/1 per kg
• 44% rural & 22% urban to get 7 kg per unit at
50% of the current Minimum Support Price
• Legal entitlements for child and maternal
nutrition, mid-day meals for school children, as
well as community kitchens and programmes for
feeding destitute and vulnerable groups
These recommendations can be implemented
through an administrative order without waiting
for the Food Bill to be passed by Parliament
28

29. Food Security Act - Issues
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Universal vs targeted
25 kg per household, or 35 kg?
At what price?
Should procurement be increased, even when per capita
production does not increase?
Existing APL allocations to TN, AP, Kerala, northeast?
Exports
Introduction of UID and smart cards
Improving accountability
29

30. Imperatives for legislating the Right to Food
• Moral Imperative
(High growth and yet hunger and malnutrition persist
alongside poor social indicators)
• Political Imperative
(Legislature vs.Judiciary)
• “Electoral” imperative
(Anti-incumbency in the context of the 2009 General and
State Elections)

31. NFSB: What is in it that already existed
• Universal School Meals
– Cooked meals provided across the country for primary and
upper primary school students as a result of Supreme Court
orders
• Universal access to Integrated Child Development
Services
– Supplementary nutrition for children in the age group of 6
months to 6 years, pregnant and lactating women, based on SC
orders
– SC orders also includes universalisation of other health and
nutrition services, the NFSB does not cover these
• Subsidized Food grains through the Public Distribution
System

32. NFSB: What’s new?
•
•
•
•
•
Maternity Entitlements
Grievance Redressal Mechanism
PDS Reforms
Nutri-millets as part of the PDS
Women as entitlement holders

33. NFSB: What’s missing
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Provisions for adolescent girls
Community kitchens in urban areas
Meals for persons living with starvation
One free meal as part of the destitute feeding programme
Entitlements for migrant workers
Pretty much all crucial determinants for addressing
malnutrition (drinking water, sanitation)
Quality and nutrition standards for school mid day meals,
supplementary nutrition etc.
Social Security Pensions (aged, single women, persons with
disabilities)
Provision for management of children with severe acute
malnutrition
Agrarian reforms and revival of agriculture

34. What is additionally needed for the
NFSB
• Fiscal resources (annually)
– 16000 crores for Maternity Entitlements
– 27500 crores for expanded PDS coverage
– 10000 crores for other schemes
• Foodgrains
– 62 million MTs as compared to 55 million MTs
of food grains being currently provisioned

35. Issues still open to debate?
• Universal vs Targeting
– Universality of the problem
– Inclusion and exclusion errors in identification
– Targeted rights?
• Food vs. Cash
– Procurement
– Inflation indexing
– Intra-household equity
– Banking infrastructure
– Corruption