Question : Starvation Deaths among Children

(a) whether the Government has received any report regarding death of children due to starvation/hunger;
(b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
(c) whether the schemes being implemented to eliminate hunger/starvation among children has failed to achieve their objectives;
(d) if so, the details thereof and the corrective steps taken in this regard; and
(e) the steps being taken to achieve Millennium Development Goals with regard to elimination of hunger along with the success achieved therein?

MINISTER OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(SHRI RAM VILAS PASWAN)
(a) to (e): No State Government/Union Territory Administration has reported any incident of death of children due to starvation/hunger so far.
In order to eradicate the problem of hunger/starvation and to provide food security to the people, the Government has been providing food grains at highly subsidized prices to the targeted population through State Governments/Union Territory Administrations under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and Other Welfare Schemes (OWS) such as Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme, Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls, Annapurna Scheme etc. National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) provides for coverage of upto 75% of the rural population and upto 50% of the urban population for receiving foodgrains at highly subsidized prices of Rs. 3, 2 & 1 per Kg for rice, wheat & coarse grains respectively under Targeted Public Distribution System(TPDS), thus covering about two-third of the population. NFSA also has a special focus on nutritional support to women and children. Pregnant women & lactating mothers and children upto 14 years of age are entitled to meals, free of cost, as per nutritional standards prescribed in the Act.
During the year 2015-16, the Govt. of India allocated 611.10 lakh tons of foodgrains under TPDS/NFSA and OWS. This includes allocation of 496.77 lakh tons under TPDS, 50.01 lakh tons additional APL and BPL allocation, 11.70 lakh tons for natural calamities, additional TPDS requirements etc., and allocation of 52.62 lakh tons of foodgrains under OWS.
As per the Millennium Development Goals India Country Report 2015, the proportion of underweight children below 3 years is estimated at 52% in 1990. In order to meet the MDG target, the proportion of under-weight children should decrease to 26% by 2015. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) shows that, the proportion of under-weight children below 3 year declined from 43% in 1998-99 to 40% in 2005-06.
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