For how long will India continue to fight hunger, and what can be done to combat this secret enemy?

 -Ria Nisar

‘’There are people in the world so hungry that God cannot appear to them in the form of bread’’ - Mahatma Gandhi.

Hunger has been an issue pondered in India for many years. Why is that in a country like India whose food production is close to 297 million tonnes in a year, the most basic human need is such a problem? With the considerable resources the free world has at its disposal, why does this problem still persist to plague the people of India? In the Global Hunger Index 2021, India has ranked 101 out of 116 countries. This isn’t a problem anymore, it’s an obscenity.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation defines hunger as a “situation that exists when people lack secure access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life”. About 15 percent of the country (mainly the rural and economically backward) is undernourished and women contribute to about 60 percent of India’s hungry population. To understand more about the plight of the bucolic, I asked my house-help Prakash (name changed) the obstacles he was facing when he was back in his village. He said that due to the corruption and evil mechanisms of crafty politicians, it took him 10 years to procure a ration card for his family, and back then he was a daily wage-earning laborer who if one day didn’t have work, failed to afford food for his family. The problem for him wasn’t the lack of food, but the means to buy it.

We are also facing an enemy called ‘’hidden hunger’’ where the quality of food does not meet the nutrient requirement. As the situation in India spirals out of control, the pandemic has also reversed much of the progress India has made in controlling the situation.

Reasons for Hunger persistence-

- The small and marginal farmers in India hold the majority of the landholdings in the country. Unfortunately due to illiteracy, century-old cultural rivalries, complex economic and political policies, and religious convictions and differences; they aren’t equipped to efficiently use advanced farming techniques to salvage the land.
- The erratic climatic conditions fueled by Global Warming we live in further lead to the erosion of   soil, low soil fertility and ultimately to bad crop output.
- The unemployment rate in the country is worrisome. Rampant poverty prevalent in the country prevents a substantially large number of people to even go fend for one meal.

- Our country is also prey to vile politicians who abuse the power entrusted to them and refuse to   work for the welfare of the people. The Public Distribution System (PDS) is unable to function well and isn’t accessible to everyone.

Effects of Hunger:

- Hunger sets up a poverty trap. The poor who can’t work to feed their families, often become malnourished which makes them unable to work. This pushes them deeper into poverty and they also produce undernourished children often deprived of mental dexterity to educate themselves; thus unable to find work later on which also threatens the economic stability of the country. 

- To feed a family, rural girls will deliberately be forced to stay out of school and this leads to the disparity in education between urban and rural girls. 

- When you don’t know when your next meal is going to be, it can also lead to tremendous psychological effects. Children can become cranky and lose their attention span which can hamper their academic performance. 

- Some people might also go into depression and many can get chronic illnesses that our overburdened healthcare system will be unable to cure.

The Remedy to Hunger:

A multi-pronged approach needs to come into play.

- The Government needs to mobilize its efforts into creating more job opportunities for the rural class so that they can afford a decent meal.
- The Public Distribution System and other policies implemented by the government need to come under stringent checks so that they serve their purpose. Access to food grains under PDS needs to be streamlined. 

- Food fortification as a complementary strategy presents a good opportunity to address vitamin and mineral deficiencies on a mass scale. Food fortification involves the addition of minute quantities of missing vitamins and minerals in our diet to commonly consumed food such as rice, wheat flour, salt, and milk. This should be added to the Mid Day meal schemes. 

- Glaring gender inequality should also be diminished. Women farmers should be empowered and they should be provided with the same access male farmers have so that they can be providers.

 - The Government should also religiously undertake the training of farmers where they should be constantly upskilled and reskilled with the latest advancements in technology related to farming and should be aware of new sustainable cost-effective ways of farming. 

- The Government can also pass legislation to ensure that all the leftover food at the end of the day from a restaurant or a supermarket needs to be donated to the needy. 

- They can also help install various refrigerators at strategic points where the community can come together to donate food that can be utilized by those in need.

Individuals and the Communities also need to come together:

Every individual and the community as a whole can also lend a helping hand to resolve this issue. 

-While ordering food from delivery apps, many of them have a tie-up with a non-profit organisation where you can simply donate a meager amount and help the community. The popular delivery app Zomato has launched the Feeding India by Zomato campaign to who’s cause you can donate money and they ensure reliable meals are served to underserved communities where food can act as an incentive to education and skill development. 

- Donations to various not-for-profit organizations who are established to fight this issue can also go a long way to create a hunger-free India. In a small town in the Bundelkhand region, the residents make food in their homes to feed the town’s hungry and homeless. An extra portion of roti and sabzi is made in over 500 households, collected by volunteers, and then distributed to the hungry and homeless. Named Roti Bank, the initiative by Tara Patkar, a former journalist, has a team of 10 people who help feed at least 1,000 people in a single day. Three young boys, Padmanaban Gopalan, Sudhakar M, and Dinesh Manickam, started an initiative called No Food Waste, where they collect excess food from events like weddings and parties and distribute it among the hungry in Coimbatore.

Food is not a choice, it’s a necessity. Efforts of the community and the Government need to be mobilized to solve this mammoth obstacle. Working towards a brighter future is the right way forward. Overcoming hunger isn’t an act of charity, it’s an act of justice.