Can the policy of food subsidy be a sustainable path towards poverty alleviation in the country? Comment (200 Words)
Refer - The Indian Express
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Harshitha G 2 years
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IAS Parliament 2 years
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IAS Parliament 2 years
KEY POINTS
· The World Bank paper, using the Consumer Pyramid Household Surveys (CPHS) data, has put it at 10.2% (2019).
· Another estimate of poverty by NITI Aayog—the Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI)—has put Indian poverty at 25% in 2015 based on National Family Health Survey data.
· This MPI is calculated using twelve key components from areas such as health and nutrition, education and standard of living.
· Following the outbreak of Covid-19, the government launched PMGKAY as a special Covid-relief scheme in April 2020, to distribute 25 kg of cereals per family per month in addition to food transfers under NFSA. The scheme was justified to help migrant workers.
· As on April 1, 2022, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) had stocks of wheat and rice at 74 MMT, against a buffer stock norm of 21 MMT, implying an excess of 53 MMT.
· As per the High-Level Committee on restructuring FCI, leakages were more than 40% based on NSSO data of 2011. Ground reports suggest that these leakages still hover around 30% or so.
· The savings so generated can be ploughed back into investments in agri-R&D, rural infrastructure (irrigation, roads, markets, etc) and innovations, which will help create more jobs and reduce poverty on a sustainable basis.
