The Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2022 brings in more unpleasant news for India as far as its global ranking on an important indicator of human development is concerned. India ranks 107 out of 121 countries. The Indian government, in its attempt to deny the report’s findings, immediately attempted to discredit the index, even calling it a conspiracy against India.
The GHI is an important indicator of nutrition, especially among children, as it looks at stunting, wasting and mortality among children and calorie deficit in the population. And this is by no means an international conspiracy – India’s National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) from 2019-21 reported that among children under the age of five, 35.5% were stunted, 19.3% were wasted, and 32.1% were underweight.
Government schemes are not benefiting
Experts have suggested a number of approaches to address the problem of chronic malnutrition, many of which add to the centrally sponsored schemes that are already in place. However, differences remain in the way these schemes are financed and implemented, in what one might call the plumbing of these schemes.
For example, the Government of India implements the Saksham Anganwadis and the Prime Minister’s Comprehensive Scheme for Holistic Nutrition (POSHAN) 2.0 scheme (which now includes the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme), which provides access to adolescent girls, pregnant women, nursing Mothers and children under three. However, the scheme was budgeted at ₹20,263 crore for FY2022-23, which is 1% more than the actual expenditure in FY2020-21 – an increase of less than 1% over two years.
The other flagship scheme of the Government of India is PM Poshan, or Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman, formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (National Program of Mid-day Meals in Schools). The budget for FY2022-23 at ₹10,233.75 crore was 21% less than the expenditure in FY 2020-21. Even if we accept that 2020-21 was an extraordinary year (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), it is clear that the budgets being allocated are nowhere near the scale of funds needed to improve nutrition in the country.
An Accountability Initiative budget brief reports that the per capita cost of the Supplemental Nutrition Program (one of the largest components of the plan) has not increased since 2017 and is wholly insufficient to meet only 41% of the required funding. Is. The Budget Brief also mentioned that more than 50% of Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) posts were vacant in Jharkhand, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, which required serious manpower in successfully implementing a scheme of such importance. point to deficiencies. And while PM Poshan (or MDM) is widely recognized as a revolutionary scheme that has improved access to education for children nationwide, it is often embroiled in controversy over the mid-day meals provided in schools. What should be included in the diet? Social audits that are not carried out regularly to allow community oversight of the quality of services provided in schools.
In short, not only are flagship nutrition schemes being underfunded, but it is also the case that the available funds are not being spent effectively. Fixing these schemes is the obvious answer to address India’s multi-dimensional nutrition challenge.
cash transfer and dependency factor
Cash transfers appear to be a preferred solution for many social sector interventions in India today, and this includes the health and nutrition sectors. Much is made of the JAM trinity (Jan Dhan bank accounts, Aadhaar, mobile). Equally attractive is the characterization of cash transfers as a mechanism that delivers rich political dividends. It is said that by riding on the digital infrastructure available in India it is possible to target the right beneficiaries (i.e. pregnant women and families with children below five years of age). Cash also has the advantage of expanding choices to households as they decide what to put on their plate.
But the evidence on the impact of cash transfers on child nutrition in India is so far limited. Evidence from elsewhere also largely suggests that while cash transfers improve household food security, they do not necessarily translate into better child nutrition outcomes.
The effect of cash transfers is also limited in a context where food prices fluctuate and inflation erodes the value of cash. Equally, there are social factors such as ‘son preference’, which is sadly still prevalent in India and may influence household level decisions when meeting the nutritional needs of sons and daughters. This calls for a comprehensive social education program – cash alone cannot solve it. In addition, a study of the MAMTA scheme in Odisha that targeted pregnant and lactating women showed that there were persistent socio-economic disparities in the receipt of cash transfers, especially entitlements received through the Public Distribution System (PDS) Compared to. Thus, cash can be part of the solution, but in itself it is not a panacea.
look at the basic facts again
Malnutrition has been the curse of India for many years. Political battles over malnutrition won’t help; Nor does continuing to think in silos. It is evident that malnutrition persists due to the poor economic condition of large parts of the country, poor condition of agriculture in India, persistent levels of unsafe sanitation practices, etc.
Cash transfers have a role to play here, especially in areas facing severe distress, where household purchasing power is very low. Cash transfers can also be used to encourage behavior change in terms of getting more institutional support. Food ration through PDS and special supplements are required for the target group of pregnant and lactating mothers, and infants and young children.
Persistently under-funded and poorly implemented public programs (such as the erstwhile ICDS and MDM schemes) must bear a large share of the blame for India’s malnutrition problem. But getting these plans off the ground requires greater involvement of local government and local community groups in the design and delivery of tailored nutrition interventions. A comprehensive program targeting adolescent girls is needed if the inter-generational nature of malnutrition is to be tackled.
Global Hunger Index | Government says only 3.9% children are malnourished
The need of the hour is to make addressing child malnutrition a top priority of the government machinery, and throughout the year. A month-long nutrition festival may be a good sight to behold, but is no substitute for the drudgery of everyday work.
Suvojit Chattopadhyay works on governance and public sector reform projects in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa