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Mains Paper 2: Social Justice
Prelims level: World Food Day
Mains level: Analysing hunger and malnutrition situation in India

Context

•  World Food Day is observed annually on October 16 to address the problem of global hunger. The theme this year is ‘Our Actions are our Future; Healthy Diets for a #ZeroHunger World.’
•  Announcing in his Mann Ki Baat address that September is to be observed as ‘Rashtriya Poshan Maah’, the Indian Prime Minister urged people to support the government’s nutrition campaign to ensure a healthier future for women and children. In this regard, it is necessary to understand about Poshan Abhiyan.

The Poshan Abhiyan

•  India’s flagship programme to improve nutritional outcomes for children, adolescents, pregnant women and lactating mothers, is an amalgamation of scientific principles, political fortitude and technical ingenuity.
•  The key nutrition interventions and strategies, which form the core of it, contribute to the targets of the World Health Assembly for nutrition and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the goal of “zero hunger.”
•  But still, issues remain which are discussed as follows

Key issues:

•  The government claims that efforts as part of the Poshan Abhiyan have reduced malnutrition by 2% points. However, according to the 2017 Global Burden of Disease Study by the University of Washington, malnutrition is among the leading causes of death and disability in India, followed by dietary risks including poor diet choices.
•  The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 194.4 million people in India, about 14.5% of the total population, are undernourished.
•  The Global Hunger Index 2018 ranks India 103 out of 119 countries on the basis of three leading indicators: the prevalence of wasting and stunting in children under five years of age, child mortality rate under five years of age, and the proportion of undernourished in the population.
•  The disappearance of many nutritious native foods such as millets.
•  FAO’s work has demonstrated that food monotony which is being done in India has negative consequences for ecosystems, food diversity and health and also increases the risk of micronutrient deficiency.

Way forward

•  Achieving zero hunger requires not only addressing hunger, but also the associated aspect of malnutrition.
•  People should be able to choose from a variety of food sources to be able to gain a balanced amount of nutrients and micronutrients.
•  The government’s efforts to synergise biodiversity conservation, agricultural production and local development for healthy diets and a healthy planet is a step in the right direction, also as per FAO.
•  Thus we must make food and agriculture more nutrition-sensitive and climate-resilient

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) Consider the following statements regarding Article 20 (Protection in respect of conviction for offences):
(1) Protection against ex-post facto law is available only for offences and their punishment under civil law.
(2) Protection against double jeopardy is not available if the person incriminated has been let off after prosecution.
(3) Asking an accused to give samples of blood or fingerprint does not fall under the protection granted against self-incrimination.

Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: B
Mains Questions:
Q.1) To what extent the dependence on a few crops has negative consequences for ecosystems and health. Critically examine.