NHRC to hold a meeting to discuss the status of the Right to Food and Nutrition in the country tomorrow on 10th August, 2021

New Delhi, 09th August, 2021

The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC India, is organizing a meeting on Right to Food & Nutrition tomorrow on 10th August, 2021. The NHRC Member, Mr. Rajiv Jain will chair it.

The aim of the meeting is to discuss the status of nutrition of pregnant women, lactating mothers and children, “One Nation One Ration Card Scheme's” implementation, challenges & way forward in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.

The Core Group Members of the Commission on the subject, related stakeholders and senior officers of the Commission will participate.

Background

The Right to food can be seen as an implication of fundamental Right to Life enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution. However, Article 39 (a) and Article 47 reflect on the obligation of the State to ensure effective realization of this right and to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its people respectively.

The Government of India enacted the National Food Security Act, 2013 to ensure food and nutritional security to the targeted needy people. It combines and expands the scope of some existing food-based welfare schemes like Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Mid-day Meal (MDM) schemes and a conditional cash transfer scheme called the Maternity Benefit Programme.

Reportedly, as per the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) Report 2016-18 of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 34.7 percent of children under five years are categorized as stunted in India, 33.4 percent of children under five years are underweight, 28.4 percent adolescents aged 10-19 years are anemic. As per NFHS-4, 2015- 16, almost half of the pregnant women aged between 15 and 49 years are anemic.

Further, the second wave of covid-19, reportedly, hit hard the sections, already lying on the verge of food insecurity. Migrant workers, informal workers became more dependent on PDS rations.

Like previous year, the Central Government again announced Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna (PMGKAY), which is aimed at providing free additional 5 kg food grains per month to beneficiaries covered under National Food Security Act over and above their monthly entitlement till November 2021.

However, on the other hand, the two schemes of nutrition, i.e., Integrated Child Development Scheme (Aanganwadis) and Mid-Day Meal scheme were reportedly affected badly due to the pandemic. In March, 2021 the Supreme Court ordered to continue to delivery of supplementary dry rations or provide cash transfers to the beneficiaries of these schemes. The need of the hour is to monitor the progress in the matter.

The National Family Health Survey-5 of the 22 States/ UTs, out in December, 2020, 13 showed a rise in stunting, including some of the populous states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Kerala, to name a few. Stunting was highest in Meghalaya (46.5%), and Bihar (42.9%); higher than as reported in the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey 2016-2018. Sikkim was the lowest at 22.3 per cent, a significant decline (7.3 percentage point drop) since 2015-16. Wasting has either risen or remained stagnant in most of the States/ UTs. The increase was in a range of 0.1 to 8.2 percentage point for 13 States/ UTs. The prevalence of anemia among women in the age group of 15-49 years also has a similar trend. Out of the 22 States/UTs covered in Phase 1 of NFHS-5, 16 show an increase in anemia among women.

One Nation One Ration Card Scheme, ONORC was announced as part of technology reforms in Targeted Public Distribution System in the country. With growing inter-State migration from villages and rural towns to big cities, the effort was to ensure that migrant workers and their families got assured access to nutrition via national portability of ration cards under the Food Security Act.

However, there have been media reports in some sections that biometric authentication, using electronic point of sale (ePoS) machines, results in exclusion of some of the most marginalized because of multiple reasons including network issues, authentication failure and so on. The benefits of PMGKAY may not have reached to several migrant workers who do not possess a ration card in their destination states.

As per Integrated Management of Public Distribution Portal, which gives real time data on transactions under ONORC, there were total 9441 transactions and 87,569 beneficiaries in the month of May, 2021. Portability of PDS across the states is important as it ensures food security for migrants.

On 29th June, 2021, the Supreme Court of India, on a petition seeking welfare measures for migrant workers, gave seven directions to the Centre and the States, out of which 05 were related to ensure food security to the migrant labourers.

*****