Meeting The Poshan Challenge

Context: Fortification of rice supplied under government schemes is a welcome decision. This should be accompanied by policies to improve women's education and wellbeing.

Rice fortification in India: Pointing towards the beginning of a new journey, from food security to nutritional security.

• On the occasion of 75th Independence Day, PM Modi announced that, by 2024, rice provided to the poor un- der any government scheme — PDS, mid-day-meal, Anganwadi — will be fortified.
• As per the ICAR website, they had developed 21 varieties of biofortified staples, including wheat, rice, maize, millets, mustard, groundnut, by 2019-20. 
• These biofortified crops have 1.5 to 3 times higher levels of protein, vitamins, minerals and amino acids compared to the traditional varieties.
• It is worth noting that these varieties are not genetically modified — they have been developed through conventional crop breeding techniques.

Challenges towards Kuposhan Mukt Bharat (Malnutrition free India)

• Nutrition insecurity: 15.3 % of the country's population is undernourished, and India has the highest proportion of "stunted" (30 %) and "wasted" children (17.3 %) below five years of age, as per the FAO's recent publication, 'The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, 2021'.
• This indicates that India will not be able to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of eliminating all forms of malnutrition by 2030 in the business-as-usual scenario.
• Lack of education, especially among women: There is a direct correlation between a mother's education and the wellbeing of children.
• Only 12.5 % of women (in the age group 15-49 years) were found to have completed school education (Class 12) in 2018, according to the Sample Registration System Survey.
• The average annual school dropout rate at the secondary level (Class 9-10) is still 18 % (as per the Niti Aayog's SDG Index for the year 2020),
• Poor access to safe drinking water and sanitation: In a country where about 50 % of the rural population does not have safe and adequate drinking water within premises.
• 15 % of schools still lack access to basic infrastructure (electricity, drinking water and sanitation).

Way Forward: India needs a multi-pronged approach to eliminate the root cause of this complex problem. The Global Nutrition Report (2014) estimates that every dollar invested in a proven nutrition programme offers benefits worth 16 dollars.

• Women education: Targeted programmes for improving the educational status of girls and reducing the school dropout rates, particularly at the secondary and higher educational levels, need to be promoted.
  • Also, childcare knowledge and information on holistic nourishment should be compulsorily included in the school curriculum.
• Innovations in biofortification: 
  • This would require increasing expenditure on agri-R&D and incentivizing farmers by linking their produce to lucrative markets through sustainable value chains and distribution channels.
  • The government can also rope in the private sector to create a market segment for premium-quality biofortified foods to cater to high-end consumers.
  • For instance, trusts run by the TATA group are supporting different states to initiate fortification of milk with Vitamin A and D.
• National awareness programme: On the lines of the "Salt Iodisation Programme" launched by the government in 1962 to replace ordinary salt with iodized salt.
  • Branding, awareness campaigns, social and behavioural change initiatives, such as community-level counselling, dialogue, media engagement and advocacy, especially amongst marginalized communities, can promote the consumption of locally available, nutrient-dense affordable foods among the poor and children.
• Diversified diet: Equally important is grandma's recipe of diversified diets — we should always keep that in mind.