Heed the cries of hunger
In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, the world is not as much dismayed at the deaths due to the infection as much as it is at the deaths due to hunger. At one level, It can be accepted that disease is part of nature But the collective inability to address hunger in the world is not a natural problem. Mass hunger is a man-made problem and the series of deaths that are occurring due to hunger is indeed a massacre committed by man. And the number of these murders during the time of Coronavirus has only doubled. Recognizing the importance of efforts to eradicate hunger, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the World Food Programme (WFP). The WFP has bagged the prestigious award for its mammoth efforts towards hunger eradication from Yemen to North Korea after the Coronavirus pandemic pushed crores of people towards hunger. This has in in a way reiterated the role of developing countries such as India in fighting hunger and has sent out a message that the focus should be on removing peoples’ hunger instead of wasting money on religion or erecting statues.
In India, the Public Distribution System (PDS) has been taking a back seat for nearly a decade due to various factors. The main reason for this is that the measures of poverty are being changed in order to show a fall in the overall number of the officially recognized poor. Changing the method of estimating poverty essentially meant reducing the number of the poor by excluding those who were identified as poor and keeping them below poverty line. With this, substantial funds to the PDS was saved. But, there is a direct link between the alarming levels of malnutrition and the failure of the PDS. A recent study has revealed the shocking reality that the families that have the maximum need for free food grains have been kept out of the PDS. A report of this study was published last week in Nutritional Journal, a magazine published by BioMed Central.
For this particular study, data from the National Family Health Survey-4 was used. The study has exposed the inefficiency in the distribution of BPL cards that has deprived the poor of benefitting from the re-distributional programmes such as PDS. This report has identified about 15 per cent of families as ‘real poor’ (economically backward and those who have the BPL card or green card.) About 16 per cent have been identified as economically poor but without BPL cards and about 23 per cent as not being economically poor but who possess welfare cards. About 46 per cent of those who have welfare cards have been identified as not being economically poor.
Of the surveyed families, about 57 per cent of those who either use or do not use PDS have at least one child with stunted growth. Of those who are not identified as poor by the government, about 36 per cent of the families have at least one child who has stunted growth. In Uttar Pradesh, about 27 per cent families are deprived of basic needs and do not have PDS or BPL cards. In Bihar, this number is about 15 per cent and in Jharkhand it is 21 per cent. Similarly, in Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, it has been found that families that are not deemed poor have BPL cards.
The study has also shown that problems such as stunted growth and low body weight can be found in children who have been kept out of PDS and subsidy systems. Also, it has revealed that in many states the number of children with stunted growth and who are out of the gamut of the PDS and subsidized food system is more than the actual number of poor families. It has exposed the fact that families that have the maximum need for welfare measures have not been included in these programmes. The study has recommended that including poor families as beneficiaries of welfare programmes should be prioritized and welfare programmes should include provisions for the availability and distribution of food. It has also asserted the need to improve the quality of nutritious food provided under the PDS and expand the food inventory to help reduce malnutrition.
At present, the Coronavirus has reduced the gap between the poorest of the poor, the poor, and middle-class people. In a way, those who were called as ‘middle-class’ have been demoted as the ‘poor.’ But, the government records do not identify them as poor and at the same time, the number of the poor without the card has increased. It is important then that not only the poor below the poverty line but also the poor not identified as poor should be effectively included in the PDS. The government should accept that winning over the Coronavirus also means winning the war against hunger.
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Modi should leverage his ties with world leaders to de-escalate war in West Asia: Omar Abdullah
Jammu (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said India can play a meaningful role in de-escalation in West Asia, given Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong relations with the warring countries and their neighbours.
He said Pakistan was leveraging ties with Iran and the United States, and that any effort towards ending the war should be welcomed.
"As I said in the House (Assembly), we would like the war to end as soon as possible. The role that the prime minister can play may not be possible for anyone else because of his good relations with all these countries," Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
He, however, said any escalation would not be easy to manage.
"Any such move by US President Donald Trump, despite the long history of Iran resisting external domination, would not be easy," the chief minister said.
Asked about Pakistan mediating in the war, he said, "I will simply say that if any country can play a role in preventing this war, no one should have any objection to it."
He added, "I will repeat what I said … our prime minister has good and close relations with all countries — whether it is Israel, the United States, Iran, or the countries around Iran. If those relationships can be used to make some progress and help ease the situation, it would be a good thing."
Abdullah said attacks by terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in India, as suggested by a report from the United States, are not unlikely.
Meanwhile, he asserted that any efforts to end the war, be it from Pakistan, must not be resisted.
"Pakistan is using its good relations with Iran and the United States to its advantage, and it has done so. How can we object to that? If that angle helps in stopping the war, would you want them not to act and let the war continue? We want the war to stop. If any country can play a role in that, it should. And if we can play an even better role, then we should do so," he said.
On unemployment in J-K, the chief minister said the issue cannot be resolved overnight, and government jobs alone are not the solution.
He stressed the need to explore alternative avenues, highlighting the importance of Mission Yuva in promoting entrepreneurship.
"Mission Yuva provides not just funding but also support in preparing DPRs and post-startup assistance, such as marketing. In just nine months, distributing Rs 1,000 crore and approving numerous schemes is a significant achievement," he said.
Abdullah credited the coordination between the government and Jammu and Kashmir Bank for the scheme's progress.
