Do you think that the country is on the right track to eliminate poverty and hunger? Analyse in the context of measures of the government to achieve the goals. (200 Words)
Refer - The Indian Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands
IAS Parliament 4 years
KEY POINTS
· The World Bank’s estimates of extreme poverty — measured as $1.9/per capita/per day at purchasing power parity of 2011 — show a secular decline in India from 45.9 per cent to 13.4 per cent between 1993 and 2015 (See figure: Poverty headcount ratio in India).
· Also, given the overflowing stock of food grains with the government, and a National Food Security Act (NFSA) that subsidises grains to the tune of more than 90 per cent of its cost to 67 per cent of the population, there is no reason to believe that India can also not attain the goal of zero hunger before 2030.
· The real challenge for India, however, is to achieve the third goal of good health and well-being by 2030. India’s performance in this regard, so far, has not been satisfactory.
· The situation in some states like Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh is even worse (See figure: Prevalance of child malnutrition in Indian states). No wonder, the Global Hunger Index (GHI) ranks India at 102 out of 117 countries in terms of the severity of hunger in 2019.
· The National Nutrition Strategy, 2017, aims to reduce the prevalence of underweight children (0-3 years) by three percentage points every year by 2022 from NFHS 2015-16 estimates.
Focus on four key areas can make a significant dent on malnutrition by 2030.
1. First is the mother’s education. It is one of the most important factors that has a positive multiplier effect on child care and access to healthcare facilities. It also increases awareness about nutrient-rich diet, personal hygiene,
2. Access to improved sanitation and safe drinking water. From that angle, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Jal Jeevan Mission would have positive outcomes in the coming years.
3. There is a need to shift dietary patterns from cereal dominance to the consumption of nutritious foods such as livestock products, fruits and vegetables, pulses, etc. Diverting a part of the food subsidy on wheat and rice to more nutritious foods can help.
· India must adopt new agricultural technologies of bio-fortifying cereals, such as zinc-rich rice, wheat, iron-rich pearl millet, and so on. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has to work closely with the Harvest Plus programme of the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) to make it a win-win situation for curtailing malnutrition in Indian.
HB 4 years
please review
IAS Parliament 4 years
Good attempt. Keep Writing.
Shivangi 4 years
Please review. Thank you.
IAS Parliament 4 years
Good attempt. Keep Writing.
