MINISTER OF STATE IN THE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI RAOSAHEB PATIL DANVE)
(a) & (b): No, Madam. As per the information received from United Nations International Children`s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) India office, there is no specific report by them suggesting prevalence of hunger in the country particularly among the children despite adequate stocks of foodgrains.
However, the report on hunger is brought out annually by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) under the title “The Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report”. In this report hunger index has been calculated combining three equally weighted indicators i.e. undernourishment, underweight in children under age of five and mortality rate of children under the age of five. The index is set ranging from 0 (no hunger) to 100 (worst) based on these three indicators. The report is based on available data taken mostly from international organisation like FAO, UNICEF, WHO, World Bank and UN Inter-agency Group. As per the GHI Report, 2013, India ranks 63rd out of 120 countries with the index score of 21.3; which has come down from 23.7 in 2011 Report.
(c) & (d): The Government of India has accorded high priority to the issue of hunger and malnutrition in the country and is implementing several schemes/programmes of different Ministries/Departments through State Governments/UT Administrations to improve food security situation in the country. These include Targeted Public Distribution System(TPDS), Wheat Based Nutrition Programme(WBNP) for providing Supplementary Nutrition, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme for pre-school children and pregnant and lactating mothers through the Ministry of Women and Child Development, National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) through Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Mid-Day-Meal Scheme (MDM) for primary and upper primary children through Ministry of Human Resource Development, Annapurna Scheme for the senior citizens, Nutritional Programme for Adolescent Girls, Emergency Feeding Programme, etc.
Under the existing Targeted Public Distribution System(TPDS), States/Union Territories(UTs) are allocated foodgrains @35 kg per family per month to the Below Poverty Line(BPL) [including Antyodaya Anna Yojana(AAY)] families as per their entitlement by the Government of India.
To further strengthen these efforts, Government has passed the National Food Security Act, 2013 with the objective to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity. The Act has provisions of nutritional support to children and women especially pregnant and lactating women. The Act provides for coverage of upto 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population to receive subsidized foodgrains under TPDS. In 11 States/UTs, who have implemented National Food Security Act(NFSA), foodgrains have been allocated under TPDS @ 5 kg. per month per person belonging to priority category and @ 35 kg. per family per month for existing AAY category as per their entitlement under the Act.
Various measures have been taken by the Government to involve Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the implementation of TPDS. As part of the Nine Point Action Plan evolved in consultation with States/UTs , States/UTs have been requested to involve elected PRI members in distribution of foodgrains and for giving Fair Price Shops(FPS) licenses to Village Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies among others. Besides, for safe storage and to minimize damage of foodgrains, the Government has adopted various measures including quality control also to ensure food security in the country.
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