Indian Food Security

1.                                 Indian Food Security      291                                     
2.  Food was always been a political issue in India. With nearly 1/4 of its 1.1 billion population hungry, India is a hunger capital. Recently, the Indian government approved a nineteen and a half billion-dollar bill to provide 5 kilograms of rice and grains to 2/3 of the population. The government has also started a program to help people get food at a lower market price. According to this plan, India will cost $19.5 billion in 2013-2014, more than 70% while the nation budget is only 900 billion rupees, which is 100 million rupees less than that. This decision may leave Indian food management in danger and increase the already high cost food inflation. Although it costs a lot of money, it has some benefits. Firstly, it establishes a good meal program; for example, children are able to have a cooked meal including an egg per day. Secondly, it gives all pregnant women sixteen dollars per month for food, and thirdly, it gives an opportunity for people to afford rice and grains. The biggest challenge is to build a strong and solid backing for food security. Two months ago, twenty-two children died and many others went to the hospital from free lunches at an Indian school. The cause was the cooking oil that had been stored in an insecticide container. Before those children suffered, they complained that the food tasting odd. School meals and other government programs are not taken seriously because of corruption. Even though those children received treatment in the local hospital, tragically, many of them still died. According to a survey, nearly half of Indian children lack proper nutrition. This program will improve the situation, but the government should pay more attention to the food quality.

Sources:

Gardiner, Harris. "22 Children Die From Tainted Lunches at Indian School." The New York Times. N.p., 17 07 2013. Web. 8 Sep. 2013.

<http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/17/21-children-die-from-poisoned-lunches-at-indian-school/?_r=0>.

Amrutha, Gayathri. "India's Ambitious $19.5 Billion National Food Security Bill Wins Lower House Approval." International Business Times. N.p., 27 08 2013. Web. 8 Sep. 2013. <http://www.ibtimes.com/indias-ambitious-195-billion-national-food-security-bill-wins-lower-house-approval-1400125>.

Jean, Dreze. "The Food Security Debate in India." New York Times. N.p., 09 07 2013. Web. 8 Sep. 2013. <http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/09/the-food-security-debate-in-india/?_r=0>.