Question : CALORIE INTAKE BY RURAL POPULATION

(a) whether large rural population in several States of the country are taking food lesser 1800 calorie, which is the bare minimum specified by FAO for sustaining life;

(b) if so, the details of such States; and

(c) the measures taken by the Union Government to ensure that rural population in country are not malnourished?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT(SHRI A. NARENDRA)

(a) & (b) State-wise percentage of persons taking food less than 1800 kcal. is given in the Annexure-I.

(c) The Ministry of Rural Development has been implementing the wage employment programmes of Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) and National Food For Work Programme in rural areas to provide additional wage employment and also food security, which in turn reduce the malnutrition of BPL family members.


Annexure-I

Annexure referred in reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 967 due for answer on 29.7.2005

Percentage of Persons taking less than 1800 kcal. In Rural Areas for major States during 1999-2000

Sl. No. States % age of persons
1 2 3
1 Andhra Pradesh 31.4
2 Assam 44.9
3 Bihar 16.3
4 Gujarat 24.9
5 Haryana 10.2
6 Karnataka 35.3
7 Kerala 34.0
8 Madhya Pradesh 33.8
9 Maharashtra 29.0
10 Orissa 26.4
11 Punjab 12.7
12 Rajasthan 6.9
13 Tamil Nadu 47.2
14 Uttar Pradesh 9.5
15 West Bengal 19.8