Indian economy is growing at the rate of close to 8% since last 7 yrs.Our saving rate has increased from 29% in 2003-04 to close to 35% in 2007-08. Sensex is at its peak of close to 20000. Industrial growth is close to 7-8% since the economic reform and some services sectors like telecommunication and business services are growing at close to 15% since last 2 decades.
In the agriculture sector we moved away from being totally dependent on imports of basic food-stuffs to self-sufficiency.In fact we are the one of the biggest producer of wheat,rice and other foodgrains.There was the time when we used to import foodgrains from US under PL-480 but since the green revolution we hvn,t faced any major draughts in india and during last few years we hve had bumper harvests.
New modern township,.s like gurgaon,Noida,panvel,thane have emerged in India since last 2 decades.U will find malls and mcdonalds in almost every city of India.Thus as economists are saying India will surpass US and will become 2nd biggest economy after China.Thus these statistics prove that India is growing and thus india has every potential to become the global economic power in next 2 decades.
This story above shows Indian condition very gloomy but the reality is not as gloomy as these statistics.
Statistics are just numbers and they tend to be greatly affected by extreme numbers.When we look at hunger and mal-nutrition in India The picture of Indian growth boom starts to look little dismal.Despite this enormous growth performance and self-sufficiency in foodgrain production India has got the biggest number of hungry people in the World.The total number of hungry people is estimated to be 220 million in India.It is even greater than sub-saharan Africa which has periodically ravaged by political unrest,civil wars,ethinic clashes and famines.While India remained free of all these things after independence we had democratic govt and we faced no famine since last 6 decades but still we are worse than sub-saharan Africa in this respect.The total number of hungry people in sub-saharan Africa is 18 million.
While according to World Bank report India is 2nd in child malnutrition After Bangladesh.Around 47% of Indian children are malnourished.Thus when the beginning of human life is so weak what productivity would you expect from this human when he grows and enters the labour force.
The prevalence of under-weight Children in India is among highest in the world and nearly double of sub-saharan Africa.
Under nutrition include both protein energy malnutrition and micro-nutrient deficiencies.Under-nutrient not only effects physical appreance and energy levels.But also directly effects many aspects of child,s mental growth,development which has adverse effect on child,s ability to learn process information and grow into adults that are able to be productive and contributive member of society. Undernourishment also impairs immune function leaving them more susceptible to infection. Children with infections are more susceptible to malnutrition and the cycle of poverty and malnutrition continues. Child malnutrition is responsible for 22 percent of India’s burden of disease..
Micronutrient deficiencies are also a widespread problem in India. The prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies varies in different states, More than 75 percent of preschool children suffer from iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and 57 percent of preschool children have sub-clinical Vitamin A deficiency (VAD). Iodine deficiency is endemic in 85 percent of districts, mostly due to the lack of iodized salt that is common in the developed world. Progress in reducing the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in India has been slow. The prevalence of different micronutrient deficiencies varies widely across states.
Most growth retardation occurs by the age of two, and most damage is irreversible. The prevalence of underweight in rural areas 50 percent versus 38 percent in urban areas and higher among girls (48.9 percent) than among boys (45.5 percent).
NUTRITIONAL TRENDS OF VARIOUS DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS
Many factors, including region, religion, and caste affect the nutritional status of Indians. Living in rural areas also contribute to nutritional status.
Gender
Women tend to be at higher risk of both under and over-nutrition than men. Nearly 50% of females aged 15 – 19 face under-nutrition, with a very low percentage of over-nutrition, however this trend reverses with age. As women get older, they are more at risk for over-nutrition and less for under-nutrition. Women are also at higher risk of developing anaemia than men.
Socio-economic status
In general, those who are poor are at risk for under-nutrition, while those who have high socio-economic status are relatively more likely to be over-nourished. Anaemia is negatively correlated with wealth.
Region
Under-nutrition is more prevalent in rural areas, again mainly due to low socio-economic status. Anaemia for both men and women is only slightly higher in rural areas than in urban areas. For example, in 2005, 40% of women in rural areas, and 36% of women in urban areas were found to have mild anaemia.
In urban areas, overweight status and obesity are over three times as high as rural areas.
In terms of geographical regions, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bihar have very high rates of under-nutrition. States with lowest percentage of under-nutrition include Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, Kerala, Punjab, and Goa, although the rate is still considerably higher than that of developed nations. Further, anaemia is found in over 70% of individuals in the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, and Jharkhand. Less than 50% of individuals in Goa, Manipur, Mizoram, and Kerala have anemia.
Punjab, Kerala, and Delhi also face the highest rate of overweight and obese individuals.
Religion
Studies show that individuals belonging to Hindu or Muslim backgrounds in India tend to be more malnourished than those from Sikh, Christian, or Jain backgrounds.
Caste
Those belonging to schedule castes,schedule tribes, or other backwards castes are also at increased risk of malnutrition. In particular, children of scheduled tribes have the poorest nutritional status and the highest wasting.
The per capita availability of foodgrain or absorbtion of foodgrain has fallen drastically during the decade of deflationary neo-liberal economic reforms to 154 kg annually.The current level is close to what was there at the time of independence and it is lower than what it was during the colonial period of 1937-41.During that period the per-capita availability of food-grain was 157 kg.Thus even after green revolution and so much buffer stock and massive food-grain production in india since last 4 decades the per capita food-availibility is stagnant.And the worst part is that we have exported record volumes of wheat and rice during the last 6 yr and its share in total global export has increased.
FOOD SECURITY BILL
The proposed food security bill is delayed by 1 yr due to lack of political consensus.The UPA chief mrs Sonia Gandhi is batting hard for the bill to become an act as soon as possible but she is not getting enough support from other political outfits.
The proposal of Rangrajan committee on food security is to provide legal entilements of 35 kg of cereals including rice & wheat to 46% of rural population and 28% of urban population based on tendulkar,s estimate.
The Committee also suggests linking prices of cereals to the rate of inflation, based on the Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers. In a period of record inflation, instead of ensuring that real prices of basic staples remain low and stable, the Rangarajan Committee launches a further attack on food security by proposing to raise prices of cereals in the public distribution system in line with inflation. This will not only have a direct negative impact on the budget of households receiving PDS rations but also send the wrong signal to market prices. It is shocking that the Committee has further weakened proposals for ensuring food security for the mass of Indians at a time of spiralling food prices in India and the world. Public opinion and Parliament must see to it that a food security Bill mandating a universal public distribution system is enacted without further delay.
CONCLUSION
Thus we are talking of becoming economic superpower but before that we will have to ensure the majority of population participate in this growth process.When you have half population having little access to food market the most basic human need then bolding of 9% growth has no real meaning.Thus we must pass the food security bill as soon as possible because it will help a large chunk of poor population to enjoy food rights.
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