Malnutrition: A Dangerous Virus Facing India
Even before the Coronavirus pandemic hit us, India was one among the most malnourished countries. It was expected that Covid-19 would deal a death blow to the poor in India that has one of the worst development indicators. The situation got worse when the government imposed a stringent lockdown last year without making adequate preparations.
Now, the government is making unsuccessful attempts to restore India’s dignity and economy by promising free vaccine and rations. In a recent paper, economists Jean Dreze and Anmol Somanchi highlighted the extent of food deprivation experienced by the poor after the 2020 lockdown in India by analyzing survey data. All economic activities came to a standstill in the country after the Covid-19 lockdown that was regarded as the toughest one in the world. It is now clear that the lockdown impacted income and employment generation. The survey has revealed that there is a huge fall in income of people after the lockdown when compared to their pre-lockdown income.
Non-agriculturist participants of the survey reported that their income was Rs 6,858 in March 2020 that fell to Rs 1,929 in May 2020 and remained the same till September 2020. Their days without work that was at 7.3 per cent in the beginning of March 2020 shot up to 23.6 per cent in the first week of May 2020 and remained high at 16.2 per cent till September 2020 first week. About 52 per cent of the people who had jobs before the lockdown lost their jobs in May 2020 and the breadwinners of the remaining 20 per cent families had their jobs but their income had reduced substantially. Dreze and Somanchi argue that the impact of the lockdown on the Indian economy is not temporary. They show that it is unlikely that the income and jobs would be restored to their pre-lockdown levels.
Similar to income-related issues, surveys have also drawn attention to the increase in food insecurity. About 53 per cent to 77 per cent participants in the survey have stated that their food consumption has reduced now when compared to pre-Covid days. This situation has not changed even after the lockdown was lifted, they said.
The survey conducted by the Centre for Sustainable Employment of Azim Premji University is more worrisome. It says that around 60 per cent of the people surveyed have stated that their consumption of food between September-November was lower when compared to their food intake before the pandemic.. The situation of those living in abject poverty is far worse. A substantial number of migrant labourers consumed less than two meals a day in May 2020. Similarly, according to a study conducted by Pradhan, a not-for-profit organization, half the laborers of the unorganized sector in rural areas are consuming less food than what they used to have earlier.
The fact that there has been a reduction in nutrition levels in the food consumed during the lockdown is equally worrying. Though there was no difference in the amount people spent on pulses, there was a huge fall in the amount spent on consuming protein-rich food such as eggs, meat, fish, and different types of fruits. There was a 50 per cent reduction in the amount that people spent on meat and fish
In the midst of this, the Indian Public Distribution System that provides food grains for free or at low prices emerged as a ray of hope. During the lockdown, the Centre and state governments announced supply of free food grains and increased the quota of food grains. About 89 per cent of Indians obtained food grains under the PDS and an equal number of Indians escaped hunger by receiving free food grains as part of different schemes during the lockdown.
With Covid-19 second wave raging this summer, many states have implemented lockdowns. But the government is unable to prevent the kind of humanitarian crisis that the country faced last year. The relief measures announced for lockdown is not yielding results as expected. Though the amount of financial aid provided has been the same as last year, it is not reaching the beneficiaries. Due to problems in the public distribution system at the state levels, it has not been possible to distribute free food grains provided by the Centre. The immediate need is for the Centre and state governments to coordinate and work in tandem to ensure efficient distribution of food grains and financial aid and make sure that crores of Indians are saved from the crisis. The onus is on the government to uplift the country after lockdown, for which preparations must start immediately. In the fight against infectious diseases, nutritious food is as much important as vaccines. The government should also consider the danger of infectious diseases that malnutrition can precipitate in the future.
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Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani to be India's next Chief of Defence Staff
New Delhi (PTI): Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani will be India's new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and his key task is set to be to implement the ambitious theaterisation plan that seeks to ensure tri-services synergy.
He will succeed Gen Anil Chauhan whose tenure will come to an end on May 30.
Gen Chauhan, a former Eastern Army Commander, took charge as the country's senior-most military commander in September 2022, over nine months after the first CDS, General Bipin Rawat, died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu.
The government has appointed Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani (Retd) as the Chief of Defence Staff, who will also function as the secretary of the Department of Military Affairs, the defence ministry said on Saturday.
Lt Gen Subramani is currently serving as the military adviser to the National Security Council Secretariat.
Prior to that, he was the Vice Chief of the Army Staff from July 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025, and was General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Command from March 2023 till June 2024.
As Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen Subramani's primary task will be to implement the theaterisation model to bring in tri-services synergy by rolling out integrated military commands.
The officer is a graduate of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He was commissioned into the eighth battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on December 14, 1985.
Lt Gen Subramani is an alumnus of Joint Services Command Staff College, Bracknell (UK), and the National Defence College, New Delhi. He holds a Master of Arts degree from King's College London and an MPhil in defence studies from Madras University.
In his illustrious career spanning over 40 years, Lt Gen Subramani has served across a wide spectrum of conflict and terrain profiles and tenanted a host of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments.
He commanded the 16 Garhwal Rifles in Counter-Insurgency operations in Assam as part of Operation Rhino, the 168 Infantry Brigade in Jammu and Kashmir, and the 17 Mountain Division in the Central Sector, all during a challenging operational environment.
He also has the distinction of commanding two Corps, including the Indian Army's premier strike Corps on the Western Front.
