Stepping in to fill the gap
In 2022, the Indian government rejected the Global Hunger Index ranking, referring to it as “an erroneous measure of hunger” and an attempt to “taint” India’s image. Several public initiatives are in place to address food security of the most vulnerable population in India.Among these initiatives is the National Food Security Act, which seeks to provide subsidized food grains such as rice, wheat, and coarse grains to the economically marginalized groups through the public distribution system. Furthermore, the Integrated Child Development Scheme strives to enhance the nutritional well-being of pregnant and lactating women, and children below six years of age.
This initiative aims to tackle the root-cause of malnutrition in India by concentrating on the critical phase of a child's growth and development. It provides a variety of services, such as supplementary nutrition, health check-ups, immunizations, and referral services, which are implemented through a network of Anganwadi centers.
The impact of changing lifestyles
As India moved from an agrarian economy to an industrialized society, the changes in lifestyle of the people, both in rural and urban areas, were inevitable. The transition was accompanied by a shift in dietary habits from traditional cooking practices to modern ones, driven by the increased intake of processed foods. This shift contributed to a rise in lifestyle disease, with diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol being the most widespread.With the growing burden of lifestyle diseases on individuals and public healthcare, a focus on the International Year of Millets aims to promote the grain as a healthy, nutritious, affordable alternative to processed foods, especially among the urban population.
