Ronan Kelly
Retired 2020
Why rich Indians are malnourished too
CHANDRA BHAN PRASAD, Oct 17, 2010, 09.00am IST
India is the world's 10th largest economy with a GDP of $3.57 trillion and $3,100 as per capita income. Sub-Saharan Ethiopia has the 79th largest economy, with $900 as per capita income. It's far behind India. Yet, Ethiopia and a handful of other sub-Saharan nations beat India in one of the most critical social indices ? 35% children in sub-Sahara are malnourished and the figure jumps to 47% for India.
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What about the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), in operation since 1975, which feeds 23 million children under five and 4.8 million expectant and nursing mothers 300 days a year? In addition, about 120 million schoolchildren are served lunch for free under the midday meal scheme (MDMS).
The ICDS and MDMS are the world's largest nutrition supplement programs. These apart, 160 million families are given food grains at highly subsidized rates. With about half-amillion fair price shops, India's public distribution system (PDS) is rated as the world's largest food subsidy program. But, the evidence shows that all these welfare measures have not made a difference.
......
On the basic question -- is poverty alone causing malnourishment amongst Indian children-- NFHS-3 has data that has been ignored so far. It has a 'wealth index' as well and classifies households into 'lowest' and 'highest'. It says that 19.7% children from the richest households are malnourished as well. As for the moderately rich, 33.6% children are malnourished.
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Third, is it not possible that the same cause ? not poverty - is the reason both rich and poor children are malnourished?
The Survey reveals that the four southern states of Andhra Pradesh (32.5%), Karnataka (37.6%), Kerala (22.9%) and Tamil Nadu (29.8%), have lower malnutrition rates than Haryana (39.6%), Rajasthan (39.9%) and Uttar Pradesh (42.4%). The data also reveals that consumption of fish, chicken or meat at least once a week by women in Andhra Pradesh (69.5%), Karnataka (45.9%), Kerala (89.6%) and Tamil Nadu (66.1%) is much higher than in Haryana (5.5%), Rajasthan (11%), and Uttar Pradesh (14.7%). Karnataka fares worse of all the southern states in terms of malnourishment and intake of fish/ chicken/meat.
Gujarat and Punjab don't present a rosy picture either. In cash-surplus Gujarat, 44.6% children are malnourished, and in food-surplus Punjab, the rate is 24.9%. Is it mere coincidence that women in Gujarat (12.4%) and Punjab (20.1%) have a lower intake rate of fish/chicken/meat than the national average of 40.9%?
Might food habits be a bigger cause than poverty of malnutrition in India? As we know, caste rules impose many taboos on food sources and food habits. Not just non-vegetarian food, there are taboos even on vegetarian food sources. Do any of the public policy packages mentioned above target caste-based food morality as one of the prime causes of malnutrition affecting millions of Indian children? Being kind-hearted and liberal is good, but being brain dead is worse. It's time for a policy rethink.
The writer is a columnist and independent researcher
Read more: Why rich Indians are malnourished too - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...hed-too/articleshow/6762541.cms#ixzz12cJO4gCp
CHANDRA BHAN PRASAD, Oct 17, 2010, 09.00am IST
India is the world's 10th largest economy with a GDP of $3.57 trillion and $3,100 as per capita income. Sub-Saharan Ethiopia has the 79th largest economy, with $900 as per capita income. It's far behind India. Yet, Ethiopia and a handful of other sub-Saharan nations beat India in one of the most critical social indices ? 35% children in sub-Sahara are malnourished and the figure jumps to 47% for India.
.....
What about the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), in operation since 1975, which feeds 23 million children under five and 4.8 million expectant and nursing mothers 300 days a year? In addition, about 120 million schoolchildren are served lunch for free under the midday meal scheme (MDMS).
The ICDS and MDMS are the world's largest nutrition supplement programs. These apart, 160 million families are given food grains at highly subsidized rates. With about half-amillion fair price shops, India's public distribution system (PDS) is rated as the world's largest food subsidy program. But, the evidence shows that all these welfare measures have not made a difference.
......
On the basic question -- is poverty alone causing malnourishment amongst Indian children-- NFHS-3 has data that has been ignored so far. It has a 'wealth index' as well and classifies households into 'lowest' and 'highest'. It says that 19.7% children from the richest households are malnourished as well. As for the moderately rich, 33.6% children are malnourished.
....
Third, is it not possible that the same cause ? not poverty - is the reason both rich and poor children are malnourished?
The Survey reveals that the four southern states of Andhra Pradesh (32.5%), Karnataka (37.6%), Kerala (22.9%) and Tamil Nadu (29.8%), have lower malnutrition rates than Haryana (39.6%), Rajasthan (39.9%) and Uttar Pradesh (42.4%). The data also reveals that consumption of fish, chicken or meat at least once a week by women in Andhra Pradesh (69.5%), Karnataka (45.9%), Kerala (89.6%) and Tamil Nadu (66.1%) is much higher than in Haryana (5.5%), Rajasthan (11%), and Uttar Pradesh (14.7%). Karnataka fares worse of all the southern states in terms of malnourishment and intake of fish/ chicken/meat.
Gujarat and Punjab don't present a rosy picture either. In cash-surplus Gujarat, 44.6% children are malnourished, and in food-surplus Punjab, the rate is 24.9%. Is it mere coincidence that women in Gujarat (12.4%) and Punjab (20.1%) have a lower intake rate of fish/chicken/meat than the national average of 40.9%?
Might food habits be a bigger cause than poverty of malnutrition in India? As we know, caste rules impose many taboos on food sources and food habits. Not just non-vegetarian food, there are taboos even on vegetarian food sources. Do any of the public policy packages mentioned above target caste-based food morality as one of the prime causes of malnutrition affecting millions of Indian children? Being kind-hearted and liberal is good, but being brain dead is worse. It's time for a policy rethink.
The writer is a columnist and independent researcher
Read more: Why rich Indians are malnourished too - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...hed-too/articleshow/6762541.cms#ixzz12cJO4gCp