FOOD SECURITY AND MALNUTRITION IN INDIA: STATUS, PROBLEMS AND MEASURES

Abstract

Food with nutritional content is important input for the survival of human being. Food and nutritional security is important in an economy for its development. Despite of continuous growth of food grains in the country, India suffers from hunger and nutritional food security. The objective of this article is to study the conditions of food security and malnutrition in India, along with their problems and measures. This article is based on the secondary data from various sources and followed analytical framework in its analysis. The physical availability of foodgrain has grown up in total and per capita availability terms. But there is problem of composition of food grains dominated by rice and wheat but the share of pulses, coarse cereals is very low. The institutional mechanism for food security in India is not sufficient to eradicate food and malnutritional problem. NFSA 2013 is land mark in the history of food security in India which makes the food security as right. Despite of all these, India fare poor in malnutrition as about one third of children and women suffer from this. Integration of Food and Nutritional security with Global SDGs is significant. There should not be any compromise on this basic right of food and nutrition despite of fiscal burden in the country. There is need to reorient the economic growth to increase food security and reduce malnutrition in India.

Key Words: Food security, Malnutrition, India, Food, Hunger, Health.