Discuss the PIL lodged by the PUCL under the title of hunger amidst plenty and the verdict given by the Supreme Court on the same.
Answers
Explanation:
There is widespread poverty, food insecurity and under-nutrition in India. Human Development
Report 2011, using multidimensional poverty indicators showed that more than 50 per cent of the
population is poor in India. The household level data on calorie intake collected by NSSO, indicates
that the average calorie consumption among population in India is falling over the last twenty years.
Despite the ongoing debate which is attempting to interpret it fully, the decline of calorie intake
among the poorest households in the past decade provides strong reasons to question the official
interpretations which brush aside this inconvenient debate and data. The National Family Health
Survey that gives us the proportion of undernourished adults, based on anthropometric indicators
(assessment of physical features) shows that one-third of adults in India have low BMI (body mass
index) status. With regard to child malnutrition, the 2011 Hunger and Malnutrition (HUNGaMA)
Report released by the Prime Minister indicates that 42 per cent of the children were underweight
and nearly 59 per cent were stunted (survey based on 100 districts in India). In 2004-05 according to
NFHS -3, that collects nationwide data, 40.4 per cent of under-3 children were underweight and 44.9
per cent were stunted. When compared to NFHS2 (1998-99 to 2005-06), some progress in child
malnutrition was observed. However, the trend in under-3 child wasting increased from 19.7 to 22.9
percent and severe child underweight for children under 3 (below -3 Standard Deviation), increased
from 6.7 to 7.9 per cent from 1998-99 to 2005-06. Survey on nutrient intake in pre-school children
between 1975 and 2006, done by National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NIMB) has not shown any
substantial improvement in their dietary intake over the last two decades (Twelfth Five Year Plan,
Vol. 3, p.201). At the same time IMR, a sensitive indicator, “fell by 5 per cent per year over the 2006–
11 period, an improvement over the 3 per cent decline per year in the preceding five years” (12th
Plan, Vol.3, p.3). Interestingly, NNMB shows that only in 22 per cent families did - “both the adults
and preschool children have adequate food” (ibid). This proportion has further declined from “30
per cent to 22 per cent over the last 30 years” (ibid).
The extent of under-nutrition captured among social groups based on gender, caste and religion,
shows that women, Dalits, tribals and Muslims have worse conditions than the rest of the
population. The Twelfth Five Year Plan, based on NFHS-3, reports huge gaps in child mortality (per
1000 live births), infant mortality and underweight children among SC/ST children and others. The
plan document, based on NFHS 3, also speaks about ‘huge large inter-state variations in the patterns
and trends in underweight prevalence’. It identifies Madhya Pradesh (60 per cent), Jharkhand (57
per cent) and Bihar (56 per cent) as the three worst performing states in this regard. The Sachar
Committee Report (GoI, 2006) based on NFHS2 shows that Muslims suffer from the highest rates of
stunting and the second-highest rates of underweight children among all social groups, including SC,
ST, OBC and OC. Further, using region-based SRS data and performing statistical analysis to control
for other factors, the committee concludes that Muslim children are at a slightly higher risk of child
malnutrition than 'other' Hindu children.
The enigma of excellent economic growth in the last two decades in India, coupled with slowly
improving mortality and under-nutrition indicators and worsening intake indicators, throw serious
methodological and policy challenges.