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| Photo:Forbes India |
An efficient public distribution system (PDS) is a life support extended by the State to people living below the poverty line, which, the way it is officially defined, is more like a “starvation line”.
Many states have been supplying essential food items and kerosene to poor households through the PDS with varying degrees of success but supply of only wheat/rice, iodised salt and sugar alone is not adequate to meet the nutrition needs of the people.
The high malnutrition rates among children and nutrition deficiency among adults reflect the absolute inadequacy of food available at the household level in the country in spite of adequate agricultural production. To break out of this requires strengthening of food security of households not just in terms of carbohydrates from cereals but also of other components like protein and oils.
Pulses are a very important source of protein as majority of the people do not have access to other sources like milk, eggs or meat. Proteins in pulses (e g, lysine) supplement the proteins found in cereals. A combination of eight parts of cereal with one part of pulses provides the right combination of proteins. Most pulses are rich in Vitamin B complex. Some pulses are also an important source of fat.
According to the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau, 70% of Indian families do not have access to even 70% of the recommended amount of pulses in their diets. Therefore, there seems to be great merit in providing pulses in PDS at subsidised rates which will also boost their production.
Edible oil, which provides energy in the most concentrated form, is another important component of diet in which poor families lag behind nutritional norms. Oil is particularly important for growing children who require more calories but have small capacity in their stomach. The same is true for pregnant women. Oil can provide calorie density to their diets. Simply put, half a bowl of rice will give energy equivalent to a full bowl if half a teaspoon of oil is added to it. Even the nutritional advice given by ASHAS (Accredited Social Health Activists) regarding adding oil in weaning foods and diets for children is likely to be more effective when that “oil” is actually available in households to consume.
A family of five needs around 750 ml of oil per week but an average rural family buys only around 250 ml. If PDS can meet this shortfall, it can make a significant difference to the status of nutrition in the country.
The government can do much to improve people’s nutritional status through PDS by (a) increasing the calorie intake by adding oil, more cereals and a variety of millets, (b) increasing the protein intake through pulses, (c) including oilseeds which provide both calories and protein, and (d) including vitamins and minerals through iron fortification of wheat, or Vitamin A fortification of cooking oil.
From an integrated nutrition, health and sanitation perspective the suggested additional package to every family on a monthly basis should include five kilograms of pulses which are locally available, two kilograms of shelled groundnuts, two kilograms of oil, an additional 15 kilograms of other cereals such as millets and five cakes of 100 gm toilet soap.
The importance of soap in reducing waterborne illnesses and thus improving the overall nutritional status cannot be stressed enough. Each infection is a nutritional stress for the person concerned apart from the suffering and financial burden of the entire family. The supply of soaps enabling hand-washing before food and after defecation would be a unique programme and could be a trendsetter for other countries.
Together with the foodgrain quota from the existing PDS, what we propose will be able to provide 1,406 calories to each individual who is poor, out of the 2,100 calories needed for women and 2,400 needed for men. It will also provide 37 gm of proteins per day, or over 60% of the average daily requirement. Additionally, this will be able to provide necessary calcium, essential fatty acids and some more iron. The presence of pulses’ proteins will also complement the amino acids of the cereals, which are the building blocks of our body.
Further, PDS being a state function should be further decentralised to the district level for seasonal and staggered procurement (many pulses, oilseeds and lentils have short shelf life) and should be empowered with information technology (IT)- enabled transparent distribution monitoring. In certain regions where production capacity is inadequate, farmers should be encouraged to produce local varieties for the PDS at minimum support prices.
Even if a national roll-out seems ambitious, this can be piloted in the districts where “starvation deaths” are reported time and again. Chhattisgarh has streamlined its PDS delivery mechanisms, minimised leakages, and increased the outreach, monitoring efficiency and transparency through the use of IT tools. It has also included two kg of chana at Rs 5/kg in scheduled areas and pulses at Rs 10/kg in other areas per family through the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act 2012.
Enhanced PDS will not only be a great attempt at bringing equality, but also will be a great investment in human resource development.
Many states have been supplying essential food items and kerosene to poor households through the PDS with varying degrees of success but supply of only wheat/rice, iodised salt and sugar alone is not adequate to meet the nutrition needs of the people.
The high malnutrition rates among children and nutrition deficiency among adults reflect the absolute inadequacy of food available at the household level in the country in spite of adequate agricultural production. To break out of this requires strengthening of food security of households not just in terms of carbohydrates from cereals but also of other components like protein and oils.
Pulses are a very important source of protein as majority of the people do not have access to other sources like milk, eggs or meat. Proteins in pulses (e g, lysine) supplement the proteins found in cereals. A combination of eight parts of cereal with one part of pulses provides the right combination of proteins. Most pulses are rich in Vitamin B complex. Some pulses are also an important source of fat.
According to the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau, 70% of Indian families do not have access to even 70% of the recommended amount of pulses in their diets. Therefore, there seems to be great merit in providing pulses in PDS at subsidised rates which will also boost their production.
Edible oil, which provides energy in the most concentrated form, is another important component of diet in which poor families lag behind nutritional norms. Oil is particularly important for growing children who require more calories but have small capacity in their stomach. The same is true for pregnant women. Oil can provide calorie density to their diets. Simply put, half a bowl of rice will give energy equivalent to a full bowl if half a teaspoon of oil is added to it. Even the nutritional advice given by ASHAS (Accredited Social Health Activists) regarding adding oil in weaning foods and diets for children is likely to be more effective when that “oil” is actually available in households to consume.
A family of five needs around 750 ml of oil per week but an average rural family buys only around 250 ml. If PDS can meet this shortfall, it can make a significant difference to the status of nutrition in the country.
The government can do much to improve people’s nutritional status through PDS by (a) increasing the calorie intake by adding oil, more cereals and a variety of millets, (b) increasing the protein intake through pulses, (c) including oilseeds which provide both calories and protein, and (d) including vitamins and minerals through iron fortification of wheat, or Vitamin A fortification of cooking oil.
From an integrated nutrition, health and sanitation perspective the suggested additional package to every family on a monthly basis should include five kilograms of pulses which are locally available, two kilograms of shelled groundnuts, two kilograms of oil, an additional 15 kilograms of other cereals such as millets and five cakes of 100 gm toilet soap.
The importance of soap in reducing waterborne illnesses and thus improving the overall nutritional status cannot be stressed enough. Each infection is a nutritional stress for the person concerned apart from the suffering and financial burden of the entire family. The supply of soaps enabling hand-washing before food and after defecation would be a unique programme and could be a trendsetter for other countries.
Together with the foodgrain quota from the existing PDS, what we propose will be able to provide 1,406 calories to each individual who is poor, out of the 2,100 calories needed for women and 2,400 needed for men. It will also provide 37 gm of proteins per day, or over 60% of the average daily requirement. Additionally, this will be able to provide necessary calcium, essential fatty acids and some more iron. The presence of pulses’ proteins will also complement the amino acids of the cereals, which are the building blocks of our body.
Further, PDS being a state function should be further decentralised to the district level for seasonal and staggered procurement (many pulses, oilseeds and lentils have short shelf life) and should be empowered with information technology (IT)- enabled transparent distribution monitoring. In certain regions where production capacity is inadequate, farmers should be encouraged to produce local varieties for the PDS at minimum support prices.
Even if a national roll-out seems ambitious, this can be piloted in the districts where “starvation deaths” are reported time and again. Chhattisgarh has streamlined its PDS delivery mechanisms, minimised leakages, and increased the outreach, monitoring efficiency and transparency through the use of IT tools. It has also included two kg of chana at Rs 5/kg in scheduled areas and pulses at Rs 10/kg in other areas per family through the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act 2012.
Enhanced PDS will not only be a great attempt at bringing equality, but also will be a great investment in human resource development.
