Importance of the SDG goal of Zero Hunger

– A Case study from India

Group B – Abhishek S N, Krishna Kanth Prabhu A V, Pujari Rahul
Central University of Karnataka, Kalaburagi

Abstract
The Second goal under the Sustainable development goals of the UN is to ensure End
hunger, Achieve Food security and improve Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture for all.
One in every nine individuals around the world today experiences hunger, despite the fact that
enough food exists to feed every individual. The new 2030 Agenda for sustainable development
recognizes that food is going to play a pivotal role in achieving sustainable development and as
such in ensuring Zero Hunger. The SDGs aim to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030,
making sure all people especially children-have access to sufficient and nutritious food all year
round. This involves promoting sustainable agricultural practices: supporting small scale farmers
and allowing equal access to land, technology and markets. So, this paper tries to examine the
importance of hunger in the Indian scenario. The present status the zero hunger goals will be
deliberated upon in details and strategies will be suggested to achieve the goals in the context of
India.

Introduction
India is home to the largest number hungry people in the world. The Global Hunger Index
(GHI) 2010 ranks India at 67 out of 112 countries; whereas ‘2012 GHI’ (IFPRI) ranks it at 65
among 79 countries. Similarly, malnutrition in India, especially among children and women, is
widespread, acute and even alarming. As per a Global Survey Report released by Save the Children
on 19 July 2012, India is ranked at 112 among the 141 nations as regards Child Development
Index (CDI). And there are dispartities across varous sections of the society as well as states.
Obviously, poverty is the main cause of hunger and malnutrition, low level of awareness being
another major cause. Accordingly, poverty eradication and awareness raising are essential to
achieve ‘zero hunger and malnutrition’ in India. Government has initiated various measures to
overcome hunger and malnutrition, but they are not so effectively implemented. CSOs, private
sector, professional institutions, some international organisations, and donors are equally
concerned and active on these issues. However, there are miles to go and hence coming, staying
and working together of all the stakeholders is imperative for rapid progress.

As per the State of Food Insecurity in the World 2012 (FAO, IFAD and WFP) just released
(on 09 October 2012), India remains home to the largest number of undernourished people in the
world: 217 million (17.5% of its population) as of 2012; whereas ‘2012 Global Hunger Index’
(released by IFPRI on 11th October 2012) ranks India at 65 with a score of 22.9 among 79
countries. However, the status of the Indian population suffering from hunger and malnutrition
varies according to different sources and estimates.
Food security, Nutrition and Sustainable Development
Admittedly, as per The National Food Security Bill 2011 (Bill No.132 of 2011), ‘to provide
for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate
quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity, introduced in the
Parliament in December 2011 and referred to its Standing Committee, 46% rural and 28% urban
households, both categorised as ‘priority households’, proposed to be provided maximum food
grains at the lowest (nominal) cost, subsidised to the maximum, are in the worst situation with
regard to hunger and malnutrition. Additional 29% rural and 22% urban households, categorised
as ‘general households’, also proposed to be provided subsidised food grains, though lesser in
quantity and higher in cost but still very low cost, also suffer from hunger and malnutrition even
if to a relatively lesser extent. These two categories add up to 75% rural and 50% urban
households, which along with children, pregnant/lactating mothers, aged, widows, destitutes,
disabled, etc, proposed to be assisted as per the Bill, would make 63.5% of the total Indian
population. However, lately, under pressure from the civil society for universalisation of food and
nutritional security and Public Distribution System (PDS), the government has reviewed the Bill
and decided to assist 67% of the total (rural and urban) households in various ways, doing away
with their categorisation into ‘priority’ and ‘general’ households. It implies that this much of the
households suffer from hnger and malnutrition and deserve government’s support. According to
the Report of the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS)
(2009), headed by Arjun Sengupta, about 77% of the population in India continues to live on less
than Rs.20/- per capita per diem on an average; obviously, considering various poverty norms, this
much of population suffers from poverty, hunger and malnutrition. So, it may be safely assumed
that about 75% of Indian population suffers from hunger and malnutrition to varying degrees, 50%
of it acutely. Not the least, persisting food inflation (based on Wholesale Price Index – WPI), 7.8%
as of 15th October 2012, further aggravates the problem for the poor, more so following the recent
raising of diesel price by Rs.5/- a litre and capping of the supply of subsidised LPG cylinders to
only six per consumer per annum, besides other similar so-called ‘reforms” likely to follow.

As mentioned earlier, hunger and malnutrition are, to a large extent, two sides of the same
coin. Accordingly, malnutrition in India, especially among the children and women, is widespread,
acute and even alarming. As per the Global Survey Report released by the Save the Children
recently, 42% children in India are underweight and 58% children are stunted by two years of age.
The findings of the HUNGaMA Survey Report 2011 (Fighting Hunger and Malnutrition) are also
the same except that 59%, instead 58%, children are stunted. Even in relatively better off
households, especially in urban areas, malnutrition and obesity among children due to imbalanced
diet has been increasing; in the wealthiest 20% of the population, one child in five is
undernourished.

Similarly, hunger and malnutrition have a distinct gender dimension and are widespread
among the women/mothers, who are more disadvantaged as compared to men. Every second
women in India is reported anaemic. Actually, India is among the countries with highest
prevalence of anaemia affecting 75% children below 5 years, 51% women of 15-59 years and 87%
pregnant women. More than 70% of Indian women and kids have serious nutritional deficiencies.
Likewise, scheduled tribes (STs) scheduled castes (SCs) and minorities (muslims) are greatly
disadvantaged. In this situation, it is but natural for the IMR and MMR to be high.

As indicated earlier, there are disparties across various sections of the society as well as
states. Ranking of the states according to the index of nutrition and social development (INSD) is
reflected in the accompanying Map, depicting disparities. As per the India State Hunger Index
(ISHI), 12 of the 17 states surveyed fall into the ‘alarming’ category and one into the ‘extremely
alarming’ category. These 17 major states comprise 95% of total population of India. When
compared to the GHI, Punjab state is ranked 34th, whereas Madhya Pradesh (MP) is ranked 82nd.
In the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, MP, Chhattisgarh and UP, the child malnutrition is well above
the national average of 46%. Besides, there is high level of adult malnutrition, affecting a third of
the of the Country’s adults. Not the least, India’s spending on health is abysmally low; only 1.67%
of the GDP has been earmarked for in the 12th Plan (2012-2017).
Relevance of SDG Goal 2 in the Indian context
However, it appears to be a case of poverty amidst plenty. India has sufficient, rather
surplus, stocks of food grains and the largest number of hungry and malnourished people
coexisting – ‘grain, grain everywhere, not a grain to eat’. It is so primarily due to lack of purchasing
power and distributive justice. There has been record food grains production in 2011-2012: 257.44
million tonnes of cereals and pulses. It works out to 209 kg per capita per annum. For want of
adequate storage, about 6.6 million tonnes of it, stacked in the open and covered with polythene
sheets, runs the risk of getting spoiled. In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by a civil
society organisation – People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), the Supreme Court has passed
an order that rather than letting food grains to be spoiled like this, it should be distributed to the
poor and hungry free of cost. A similar recommendation has been offered by the Standing
Committee of the Parliament. However, the government has so far not complied with the above
order and recommendation under the excuse that it is a ‘policy’ matter under its own jurisdiction,
and has rather decided to export two milion tonnes of wheat to reduce surplus stocks in the current
year.

There is another side of the story as well. In India there are too many people – 1.23 billion
(2012) (17% of the world’s/population), but there is too little land – 3,287,240 sq. km. (only 2.5%
of the world’s area). So, it is imperative to produce more food with fewer resources i.e., land,
water and energy, while eliminating wasteful practices and policies, in order to cope with the
growing food needs. Besides, even the availability of the above 209 kg food grains per capita per
annum in a record production year (2011-12) is indequate and just above 200 kg required to avert
famine deaths as determined by the Famine Commission of 1880; production in India has been
stagnating around this level as against the need of 300 kg per capita per annum (including feed,
seed and unavoidable wastage) to feed the people well. So, the current surplus is unreal and illusory
and there is a need to produce about 33% more and go on increasing it to keep pace with the
growing population and matching need of food.

In India, 64.77% of the holdings are marginal (up to one ha) and 18.52% are small (01 to
02 ha); these add up to 83.29% of the holdings, but having only 43.14% of the total net area,
reflecting skewed distribution of agricultural land. However, these self-cultivated marginal and
small holdings ensure food security, provide employment, reduce poverty, hunger and
malnutrition, and promote social justice, and hence make out a credible case for providing
minimum an acre of cultivable land along with wherewithal for cultivation to every landless poor
household to fulfil the promise of ‘land to the tiller’ under rapid land reforms.

Moreover, India has to manage and cope with fluctuations in food grains production,
caused primarily due to agro-climatic uncertainties (erratic rains, droughts, floods, disasters, etc),
as well as minimise alienation of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes, considering that
there has been a decline of 02 million ha in agricultural land during the recent period.
Causes of Hunger in India
What are the main causes of the largest number of hungry people in India despite
considerable stocks of food grains available? Productive assetlessness, remunerative joblessness
and social and gender injustice and inequalities are the major causes of this malady, besides
destitution, illness, disability, old age, widowhood, etc. Another equally important cause is
inefficient and ineffective implementation of, and huge leakage in, government’s schemes meant
to overcome hunger and malnutrition. Besides, low level of awareness about ‘do’s and dont’s’ of
balanced food, health and hygiene as well as about accessing entitlements and rights under the
government’s schemes/resources and services compounds the problem. Centralisation of
governance, resources, decision-making, and development action as well as concentration of
productive assets, resources and wealth in a few hands further aggravates the problem. Lack of
adequate political and social will is yet another cause. Although India is far better placed as regards
availability and accessibility of data, lack of disaggregated data of district level and below up to
Gram Panchayat (Village Council) level comes in the way of focused measures and efficient and
effective monitoring, mapping and survielence system.

About 68.84% of the population of India is rural, major part of which greatly suffers from
poverty hunger and malnutrition. Besides, major part of the urban population (31.16%) afflicted
by poverty hunger and malnutrition is actually rural that has migrated to urban areas and landed
in urban slums while exploring employment and income opportunities. As is well known, India is
a large and diverse country with disparities across various sections of the population, castes,
classes, ethnic groups, gender and age as well as across the states and their constituents. It has a
federal structure, comprising 28 states and 07 Union Territories. Further down, it has about 600
districts, 5470 blocks/sub-districts, 2,30,000 Gram Panchayats, 6,40,000 villages and 1.4 million
habitations. Similarly, there are 5161 large, medium and small towns in India. It is an uphill task
to deliver efficiently and effectively anti-poverty schemes/resources and services to such a large,
diverse and dispersed area, especially in a greatly centralised system, which, therefore, needs to
be replaced with a well-monitored and well-managed participatory decentralised system already
in place in form, but yet to be strengthened with content (functions, funds and functionaries).

Strategies to achieve the Zero Hunger in India

As mentioned earlier, government, CSOs, private sector, professional institutions, some of
the international organisations and donors are already involved in addressing the problem of
hunger and malnutrition in India in various ways.

Numerous government measures to overcome hunger and malnutrition include National

Food Security Mission, National Nutrition Mission, National Policy On Farmers, National
Horticulture Mission, National Mission on Pulses and Oilseeds, National Rural Livelihoods
Mission, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act/Scheme, National Rural
Health Mission Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) for children below 06 years to
provide nutrition and pre-school education, Mid-Day Meal (MDM) for children of 06-14 years,
Public Distribution System, Janani Suraksha Yojana (Mothers’ Protection Scheme) for
pregnant/lactating mothers and Social Assistance to the poor/needy (subsidized food grains,
pension, insurance, etc), besides the all-inclusive National Food Security Bill as mentioned earlier.
Some of these critical measures are in the ‘mission mode’ to ensure their efficient and effective
planning and implementation with missionary zeal, but still leave much to be done and desired as
regards their effective implementation.

There are 1.1 million Angan Wadi Centres (AWCs) across the rural India, catering to the
children of 03-06 years; these are going to be restructured to include children of 0-03 years and
pregnant/lactating mothers as well, but as of now, are not functioning efficiently. Similar is the
case with the MDM. Likewise, there are about 4,89,000 Fair Price Shops(FPSs) under the PDS to
distribute subsidised food grains, sugar, kerosene oil, etc to the targeted poor households; but their
functioning is ridden with huge leakage and corruption. States like Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu
have set examples by revamping the PDS and ensuring its efficient, transparent, accountable and
clean functioning.

However, there is a pressing demand from civil society and other like-minded individuals
and institutions to retain, revamp and universalise the PDS. On the other hand, there is another
section of thought in government and outside it, pressing for winding up of the PDS and replacing
it with cash assistance to the poor to enable them to buy food grains from the open market. There
are also suggestions for switch over to coupons and smart and/or biometric cards to ensure
efficiency and probity. It is, however, pertinent to mention that the Central government has
adequate buffer stock of food grains procured from the farmers at minimum support prices
announced in advance to feed the PDS. The above-mentioned Bill also provides for revamped
PDS.

Moreover, there is adequate recognition of the problem of poverty and hunger in the
government at the highest level as aptly reflected in the following excerpt from the Acceptance
Speech delivered by the newly elected President of India immediately after his oath taking
ceremony on 25th July 2012:

“Our national mission must continue to be what it was….. to eliminate the curse

of poverty…… There is no humiliation more abusive than hunger…… We must

lift those at the bottom so that poverty is erased from the dictionary of modern India”.

Internationally, MDGs also include eradication of poverty, hunger, malnutrition and

gender inequalities.As mentional earlier, alongside the government, CSOs, private sector,
professional institutions, some of the international organisations and donors have also been
making significant contribution to address the problem of hunger and malnutrition in India by
advocacy as well as action.
Conclusion
Accordingly, the need of the situation as discussed above is to translate words into deeds
and implement the measures effectively to achieve ‘zero hunger and malnutrition’ in India rapidly
and ensure adequate ‘Food and Nutrition to All’ as a matter of Right.

To this end, it is also imperative to manage and minimise fluctuations in food grains
production, alienation of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes, and migration from
villages/agriculture to urban areas/non-agricultural vocations. There is an equally pressing need to
harness positive factors such as fertile land, plenty of water, congenial agro-climatic conditions,
bio-diversity, the largest agricultural research network, and experienced and hardworking farmers
and labour to optimise food production with distributive justice.

As discussed earlier, in Indian context, decentralised participatory production, storage,

distribution and consumption, bottom-up from Gram Panchayat/Village to the national level via
sub-district/block, district, division, state and zonal levels, is imperative to minimise pressure on,
and pitfalls in, the present centralised system of procurement, storage and redistribution, involving
huge costs, wastage, leakage and inefficiency.

Marginal and small farmers should be provided wherewithal to optimise their food
production for their food self-reliance; whereas the landless tillers should be provided minimum
an acre of agricultural land per household along with wherewithal for its cultivation under rapid
land reforms to enable them to achieve food self-reliance and overcome hunger and malnutrition.

Besides, the democratic decentralisation already in place in the form of three-tier elected
rural Panchayats and urban local bodies should be strengthened and actively involved in achieving
‘zero hunger and malnutrition’ in their respective areas and the country at large faster, ensuring
that ‘none goes to bed hungry’ from day one. As expected, the National Food Security Bill should
be passed by the Parliament in its next (November – December 2012) session to operationalise it
as an Act.

Not the least, all the stakeholders – governments, rural and urban local bodies, CSOs,
private sector, professional institutions, international organisations and donors must come, stay
and work together in tandem to accelerate and expedite achievement of ‘zero hunger and
malnutrition’ in India, making optimum use of the National Alliance Against Hunger and
Malnutrition.
References

1. HUNGaMA, New Delhi, ‘Fighting Hunger and Malnutrition – Survey Report 2011’
online;

2. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), ‘2012 Global Hunger Index – The
Chalenge Of Hunger, Ensuring Sustainable Food Security under Land, Water, and Energy
Stresses’ (released October 2012);

3. FAO, IFAD and WFP, ‘The State of Food Insecurity in the World, 2012’;

4(a). Save the Children released ‘A Global Survey Report’ on 19th July 2012 (The Times of
India, New Delhi, 20th July 2012);

4(b). Save the Children’s subsequent announcement on 20th September 2012 (The Times of
India, New Delhi, 21st September 2012);

5. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, New
Delhi, ‘The National Food Security Bill, 2011 (Bill No.132 of 2011)’;

6. Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, New Delhi, ‘Agricultural Census, 2005-06’;

7. Planning Commission, Government of India, New Delhi, ‘Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-
2012, Volume II Social Sector (2008)’, OXFORD University Press, New Delhi;

8. Planning Commission, Government of India, New Delhi, ‘Faster, Sustainable and More
Inclusive Growth – An Approach to the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) (2011) online;

9. Planning Commission, Government of India, New Delhi, ‘Twelfth Five Year Plan 2012-
2017 (2012) (approved by the Planning Commission and to be approved by the Union Cabinet as
well as the National Development Council) online;

10. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, Ministry, of Home Affairs,
Government of India, New Delhi, ‘Census 2001’ and ‘Census 2011’.

11. Report of the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised sector (NCEUS),
headed by Arjun Sengupta, Government of India, New Delhi (2009).

NB: Several other sources/references used/tapped, but not listed herein.