Recent Context:
The National Sample Survey Office recently released a detailed report based on the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2022-23 which reveals significant nutritional deficiencies among India’s poorest, highlighting the immediate need for targeted interventions.
What is the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey( HCES)?
-It collects information on how households in India consume goods and services. The survey also collects demographic and other information about households. The HCES is conducted every five years and the data is used to calculate macroeconomic indicators like the Consumer Price Index (CPI), poverty rates, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
-The HCES collected data on the quantities of various food items consumed by households during specified reference periods and the total value of consumption of different food and non-food items.
– This analysis uses this information to convert the quantities of consumed food items into their total calorific value, and then compares the estimated per capita per day calorie intake of household members in the lower expenditure classes with the average per capita daily calorie requirement for a healthy life.
Key Highlights from the Survey:
Data from the Survey:
1.Rural India needs ₹2,197 (₹1,569 for food, ₹628 for non-food) whereas Urban India needs ₹3,077 (₹2,098 for food, ₹979 for non-food) for adequate nourishment.
2.Almost 17.1% in rural and 14% in urban areas are considered poor.With the adjusted threshold for the poorest 10%, the proportion of the deprived increased to 23.2% in rural India and 19.4% in urban India.
3.The poorest 5% consume 1,564 kcal (rural) and 1,607 kcal (urban), below the required average per capita calorie requirement (PCCR) is 2,172 kcal for rural and 2,135 kcal for urban.
Problems associated with the Survey:
-This analysis focuses on two primary issues: defining the ‘poor’ and the measurement of nutritional levels.
-In India, various government committees, including the Lakdawala, Tendulkar, and Rangarajan Committees, have defined the poor as those below the ‘poverty line’ (PL).
-The Lakdawala Committee based the PL and the PLB, which included both food and non-food items, on calorie norms of 2,400 kcal per capita per day for rural areas and 2,100 kcal per capita per day for urban areas. Conversely, the Tendulkar Committee did not link the Poverty Line(PL) to a calorie norm.
-The Rangarajan Committee’s PL is based on ‘certain normative levels of adequate nourishment, clothing, house rent, conveyance, and education, along with a behaviorally determined level of other non-food expenses.
-The report defines poor based on monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) which is the ability to purchase essential and non essential food items.
Reliance on MPCE does not adequately address nutritional needs.
-The methodology of this analysis first derives the average daily per capita calorie requirement (PCCR) for a healthy life based on the recommended energy requirements for Indians of different age-sex-activity categories as per the latest (2020) report of ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition.
–ICMR recommendations for caloric requirements are derived from the Recommended Dietary allowances which do not take account of cultural and regional differences in food availability and accessibility.
-The estimated persons are arranged into 20 fractile classes of MPCE (poorest to richest), each comprising 5% population, with the estimates of average per capita per day calorie intake (PCCI) and average MPCE (food and non-food) derived for each class based on the data of HCES 2022-23.
-From this all-India distribution, the average MPCE on food linked to the normative level of the PCCR is derived.
Although it captures the consumption patterns but not the panoramic situation of the economy.
-The proportion of ‘poor’/deprived for the country is derived as the weighted average of the State/UT-wise proportions of deprived with respective weights as the projected populations of the States/UTs.
This method of deriving state specific
monthly per capita expenditure(MPCE) faces interoperability issues as it varies from state to state.
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Government Initiatives to overcome nutritional deficiency challenge:
The government has several welfare programmes, aimed at uplifting the poor, including improving their health conditions. Some of them are listed below:
1.Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY):
To Provide affordable housing to all, especially economically weaker sections (EWS), lower-income groups (LIG), and rural poor.
2.Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY):
To Provide health coverage to economically disadvantaged families.
3.National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP):
To Provide financial assistance to the elderly, widows, and disabled individuals in the form of pensions.
4.Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY)
Objective:
To Alleviate poverty through skill development and employment generation, specifically for rural and urban poor.
Way Forward:
India faces several nutritional challenges, including malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and the double burden of undernutrition and obesity.
Addressing these requires a multi-faceted approach.Some schemes like PMJDY &Ayushman bharat,ICDS are welcoming steps.
Apart from these few other measures can be implemented:
1.Fortification of Food Grains( Provided in PDS):
Fortify staples like rice, wheat, and salt with essential micronutrients such as iron, folic acid, vitamin A, and iodine. Fortified foods can help address widespread micronutrient deficiencies.
2.Collaboration with the Private Sector:
Engage private companies and NGOs in efforts to create livelihood opportunities, develop infrastructure, and provide affordable education and healthcare in underserved areas.
3.Strengthening food security programs:
Improve access to nutritious food for low-income families by expanding food security initiatives and addressing barriers to accessing affordable healthy foods.
4.Tackling Malnutrition in Vulnerable Populations
Poor sanitation is closely linked to malnutrition. Addressing WASH issues can prevent diseases that exacerbate nutritional deficiencies.
Through a combination of these strategies, India can address the multiple dimensions of its nutritional challenges and ensure healthier outcomes for its population.
Source:
https://epaper.thehindu.com/ccidist-ws/th/th_delhi/issues/94122/OPS/GJCD5NR9R.1+GT1D5PGEB.1.html