Have we Ensured Adequate Nutrition and Dietary Improvement for the Poor in India?

 

 Indicators we have used for the purpose are the following:

1.      Percentage of the poor covered by various food support programmes

2.      Micro-nutrient supplements e.g. percentage of people having access to Vitamin A, iodized salt, etc.

 The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation conducts socio-economic surveys covering various subjects on regular basis. As part of the NSS 61st round during the period July 2004–June 2005, the Household Consumer Expenditure Survey was conducted on large sample basis and this was the seventh quinquennial survey on the subject. This report analysed the Public Distribution System (PDS) as a source of household consumption as also beneficiary households of four food assistance schemes of the Government of India, namely, Food for Work, Annapoorna, Integrated Child Development Scheme and Midday Meal Scheme. Thus, for indicator 1 listed above, we are considering this report.

The Midday Meal scheme benefited children from an estimated 22.8% of rural households in 2004-05, the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) benefited 5.7% of rural households, the Food-for-Work Scheme, only 2.7%, and the Annapoorna scheme for the elderly, 0.9%. In urban India, while children from 8% of households benefited from the Midday Meal scheme, and the ICDS scheme benefited 1.8% households, only 0.2% urban households benefited from Annapoorna, and only 0.1% from Food for Work.

Among household occupational types in rural India, the (mostly manual) labour households – “agricultural labour” and “other labour” – had the highest proportions of households benefiting from each of the four schemes. Similarly, in urban India, “casual labour” households had the highest proportions of beneficiary households from each of the four schemes.

Among social groups, the Scheduled Tribes had the highest proportion of Food-for-Work beneficiary households in both rural and urban India, and also the highest proportion of ICDS beneficiaries. Rural households possessing more than 0.40 hectares of land had a higher representation among recipients of benefits from the schemes than households possessing 0.40 hectares of land or less. The class of households possessing 0.41-1.00 hectares of land had the highest proportions of Food-for-Work and Midday Meal beneficiary households among six classes of rural households formed on the basis of size of land possessed. The Midday Meal scheme benefited over 10% of rural households in most State/UTs (between 18% and 33% in 12 major States).

Ration cards were held by 81% of rural households and 67% of urban households. Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards were held by 26.5% of rural households and 10.5% of urban households. Antyodaya card holders formed less than 3% of rural households and less than 1% of urban households. In rural areas, BPL cards were held by 43% of “agricultural labour” households and 32% of “other labour” households. In rural India BPL cards were held by 40% of Scheduled Tribe (ST) households, 35% of Scheduled Caste (SC) households, about 25% of Other Backward Classes (OBC) households, and 17% of the remaining households. In urban areas, however, it was the Scheduled Castes which had the highest percentage (17%) of households holding BPL cards, while ST and OBC households had about 14% each.

As many as 51% of rural households possessing less than 0.01 hectares of land had no ration card at all, while in all other size classes 77-86% households held a ration card of some type. In respect of ration cards meant for the poor, the class possessing “0.01-0.40 hectares” was the one with the highest proportion of cards for both BPL (32%) and Antyodaya (4%).

51% of households in the lowest size class “<0.01 hectares” had no ration card at all, while in all other size classes 77-86% households had a ration card of some kind. The highest proportion of households with ration cards was 86%, seen in the classes “0.41-1.00 hectares” and “1.01-2.00 hectares”. In respect of ration cards meant for the poor, the class “0.01-0.40 hectares” was the class of households with the highest proportion of cards for both BPL (32%) and Antyodaya (4%). It was followed by the class “0.41-1.00 hectares” (BPL, about 28%, Antyodaya, 3%). The bottom class “<0.01 hectares” had 22% of its members holding BPL cards, but this was smaller than the overall proportion of BPL card holders taking all classes together (26.5%). Likewise, Antyodaya cards were held by 2.7% of households in the bottom class, compared to 2.9% for all households.

 

Indicator 2.

Iodine is an important micronutrient. A lack of iodine in the diet can lead to Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD), which can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, brain disorders, and retarded psychomotor development, speech and hearing impairments, and depleted levels of energy in children. Iodine deficiency is the single most important and preventable cause of mental retardation worldwide. Iodine deficiency can be avoided by using salt that has been fortified with iodine. As per NFHS-3 (2005-06), just over half (51 percent) of the households were using salt that was adequately iodized. There was virtually no change since the time of NFHS-2 (1998-99), when 50 percent of households were using adequately iodized salt. In NFHS-3, 25 percent of households were using salt that was inadequately iodized, and the remaining 25 percent were using salt that was not iodized at all. The use of adequately iodized salt was much higher in urban areas (72 percent) than in rural areas (41 percent). There is a sharp and steady rise in the use of adequately iodized salt as the income of the household increases. Eighty-five percent of households in the highest income quintile use adequately iodized salt, compared with only 30 percent of households in the lowest income quintile.

The consumption of a wide variety of nutritious foods is important for women’s and men’s health. Adequate amounts of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals are required for a well-balanced diet. Meat, fish, eggs, and milk, as well as pulses and nuts, are rich in protein. Dark green, leafy vegetables are a rich source of iron, folic acid, vitamin C, carotene, riboflavin, and calcium. Many fruits are also good sources of vitamin C. Bananas are rich in carbohydrates. Papayas, mangoes, and other yellow fruits contain carotene, which is converted to vitamin A. Vitamin A is also present in milk and milk products, as well as egg yolks.

NFHS-3 asked women and men how often they consume various types of food (daily, weekly, occasionally, or never). Among these food groups, women consume dark green, leafy vegetables most often. Almost two-thirds of women consume dark green, leafy vegetables daily and an additional 29 percent consume them weekly. More than half of women (53 percent) consume pulses or beans daily and an additional 37 percent consume them weekly. Milk or curd is consumed daily by 40 percent of women and weekly by 16 percent of women, but 11 percent never consume milk or curd and 33 percent consume milk or curd only occasionally. Consumption of fruits is less common. Sixty percent of women do not consume fruits even once a week. Very few women consume chicken, meat, fish, or eggs on a daily basis, although more than one-quarter of women consume these types of food weekly.

The pattern of food consumption by men is similar to that of women, but men are more likely than women to consume milk or curd regularly. Men are less likely than women to completely abstain from eating chicken, meat, fish, or eggs. The last row of each panel shows the frequency of consumption of fish, chicken, or meat. Overall, 33 percent of women and 24 percent of men are vegetarians according to this measure.