This scheme under the Prime Minster Garib Kalyan Yojna (PMGKY) is not a new idea. The basis lies in the National Food Security Act. According to this act it is the duty of the government to just not fill the stomach of the people but also to ensure proper nutrition. The government notified the National Food Security Act (NSA), 2013 on 10th September, 2013 ‘with the objective 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’.

Food security, as defined by the United Nations' Committee on World Food Security, means that all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life.

The NSA also has a special focus on the nutritional support to women and children. Besides meal to pregnant women and lactating mothers during pregnancy and six months after the child birth, such women will also be entitled to receive maternity benefit of not less than Rs. 6,000. Children up to 14 years of age will be entitled to nutritious meals as per the prescribed nutritional standards. In case of non-supply of entitled food grains or meals, the beneficiaries will receive food security allowance. Ration given under PMGKY is less than what is required for sustenance what to talk of healthy nutrition.

Nutrition does not mean just filling the stomach. It means a balanced supply of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins and other essential items and micro nutrients required for physical and mental growth. We get these from vegetables, eggs, meat, milk and fruits. Lack of any of these items leads to deficiency diseases. Moreover we do not eat raw food. We have to cook food for which we need fuel, oil and several other items. Supply of only Daal and Grain does not serve the purpose of nutrition. It is astonishing that the union government which is talking of nutrition for all citizens, cut down expenditure on nutrition for children and women by 27% from Rs. 3700/- Crore to Rs.2700/- crore in its last budget. Therefore India has fallen much low in the hunger index; even below the other neighbouring south Asian countries. Our rank in hunger index is 94 out of 107 countries, Pakistan ranks at 88, Bangladesh 75, Nepal at 73 and Sri Lanka at 64.

Five Kg. grain and one Kg. daal costs around ₹225/-. That means it is supporting a person by just ₹ 225/- over his/her income. From where this money will come when people are already losing jobs and means for livelihood.

A committee of experts appointed by the world renowned medical journal Lancet had proposed a diet chart wherein it had specified the amount of different types of food including grains, pulses, meat, milk, fruits, vegetables etc. needed by a person. as per the present market rates the average approximate cost of this healthy nutritious diet comes to be around Rs.130/- per person per day. For a family of 5 members this comes out to be Rs.650/- per day or Rs.19500/- per month. This is impossible to be met with in present day economic situation where millions have lost their jobs and means of livelihood. With the national-level minimum wage at around INR 176/- (US$2.80) per day, which works out to INR 5280/- per month as against the workers’ demand of Rs.18000/- per month, to fulfil basic nutritional needs is beyond imagination.

Making people dependent on free rations at the mercy of the government is no good. This affects their self-esteem. What is needed is to ensure sufficient income to the people to increase their purchasing capacity. But with new acts coming up in the name of labour reforms, we are moving towards a society where workers will be denied their right for collective bargaining. The marginal and medium farmers, who are the producers of food, too are facing the problem of nutritional deficiency because of lack of sufficient income. They feel that with new acts on agriculture their situation is likely to get worse; that is why they are protesting in large numbers. The government has already admitted in the Parliament that average income of a farmer’s family of five members is Rs. 8000 per month.

To improve nutrition of the people it is urgently required to increase income of the people, provide them with facilities for proper housing, environment, clean drinking water, sewerage facilities and quality education. (IPA Service)