Value Added Article: Food to Nutrition Security | Category – Poverty and Hunger | Source – Yojana

Relevance: GS Paper 2 (Development & Welfare)

Source:

Yojana Magazine - Chrome IAS


Introduction

Since 1947, achieving food security has been a major goal of our country. This was because the Bengal Famine created awareness of the need for paying priority attention to the elimination of hunger. Our Food Security Act 2013 specially mentions the need for nutritional security.


Meaning of nutrition security

Nutrition security can be defined as “physical economic and social access to balanced diet, clean drinking water, sanitation and primary healthcare”.


Govt’s response towards malnutrition

  • Government has approved a National Nutrition Mission with a three year budget of Rs. 9,000 crore.
  • How can National Nutrition Mission be made successful?
  • It should be designed on a mission mode with symbiotic interaction among components and with a Mission Director who has the requisite authority coupled with accountability.
  • Overcoming undernutrition through the effective use of the provisions of the Food Security Act and also taking advantage of the enlarged food basket which includes millets in addition to rice and wheat.
  • Assuring enough protein intake through increased pulses production and increased consumption of milk and poultry products.
  • Overcoming the hidden hunger caused by micronutrient malnutrition through the establishment of genetic gardens of biofortified plants.
  • Organizing National Nutrition Week and other such events to generate awareness of the implications of malnutrition.
  • Ensuring food quality and safety through steps for the adoption o f improved post – harvest management.
  • There is a need within the mission for provision of clean drinking water, sanitation, primary health care and nutrition literacy.
  • Further we must ensure that Community Hunger Fighters well versed in the methods of applying agricultural remedies to nutritional maladies are trained with the help of agriculture universities.
  • The Nutrition Mission should have proper monitoring tools so that the efficacy of the intervention can be judged.

Conclusion

If the above areas are attended to concurrently, we can achieve the goal of the National Nutrition Mission.


 

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