Poverty ‘down’, but not the hungry
Two-Thirds Of India’s Population Eating Less Than What Is Needed: Study
Subodh Varma TIMES INSIGHT GROUP
Source: Times of India
Even as the debate rages on whether poverty measurement in India is accurate, a recent report on nutritional intake of Indians has come up with a chilling conclusion: two thirds of the country’s population is eating less than what is required. Even more worrying is that this trend continues despite a healthy economic growth rate over several years, and despite several mega programmes of nutrition delivery to children. Experts believe that this can only indicate widespread hunger and malnutrition, consequences of rampant poverty. Nutritional intake is measured in terms of calorific value of food consumed.
This has shockingly declined from 2,153Kcal per person per day in 1993-94 to 2020 in 2009-10 in rural areas and from 2,071 to 1,946 Kcal in urban areas according to the report of the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), based on its 66th survey round. Even between 2004-05 and 2009-10, calorie intake per person per day dipped from 2,047 to 2,020 in rural areas and from 2,020 to 1946 in urban areas. This may raise questions about reported decline in poverty as claimed by the Planning Commission.
According to the National Institute of Nutrition, an average Indian male of age 18-29 years and weighing 60kg needs 2,320Kcal per day if he does only sedentary work.
The Planning Commission had adopted 2,400 Kcal (rural) and 2,100 Kcal (urban) as the minimum daily requirement norm.
What about protein consumption, which is higher in affluent societies because more meat, eggs, fish and milk is consumed? According to the NSSO report, protein consumption too has fallen from 60.2g to 55g per person per day in rural areas and from 57.2g to 53.5g in the urban areas between 1993-94 and 2009-10.
The decline is across the board, but is sharpest in rural areas of Rajasthan, Haryana, UP and Punjab — where intake has fallen by 9-12g per person per day.
Fat consumption has risen by about 7g in rural and 6g in urban areas over this 16-year period in all major states. Average daily fat consumption per person was 38g in rural areas and about 48g in urban areas. These are averages over the whole population.
In reality, the situation is much more dire for the poor. About 90%of the poorest tenth of the population in both urban and rural areas consume food that gives them less than just 2,160 Kcal. Average calorie intake among the poorest tenth of the population is just 1,619 Kcal in rural areas and 1,584Kcal in urban areas, reveals the NSSO report. The richest 10% of the population consumes 2,922 Kcal in rural areas and 2,855 Kcal in urban on an average.
The NSSO report explodes the widely held perception that people in India, especially urban dwellers, are shifting to non-cereal food items like dairy products in a big way for their nutritional needs. Share of energy — calorie intake — from cereals has declined from 71%to 64% in rural areas and from 59% to 55% in urban areas over 1993-94 and 2009-10.
