Equalising Primary Food Consumption in India

Syllabus: GS3/Issues Related To Food Security

Context

• India’s journey from food scarcity to self-sufficiency has been remarkable; however, millions still face hunger, and even more suffer from inadequate nutrition.

About Primary Food Consumption in India

• According to the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2023–24 by the National Sample Survey (NSS) Office:
  • Rural households spent 47.04% on food items, while urban households allocated 39.68% to food.
  • Non-food expenditure accounted for 52.96% in rural areas and 60.32% in urban areas.
• The World Bank’s ‘Poverty and Equity Brief: INDIA’, 2025 suggests that extreme poverty (living on less than $2.15 per day) fell from 16.2% in 2011-12 to 2.3% in 2022-23.

Beyond Calories: ‘Thali Meal’ Approach

• Conventional method: Poverty in India has historically been measured by the income required to meet minimum calorie needs.
  • It does not capture the broader aspects of nutrition and food satisfaction, while this physiological approach has merit.
• Thali as a Metric: The thali meal, comprising rice, dal, vegetables, roti, curd, and salad, represents a balanced and culturally relevant unit of food consumption in South Asia.
  • Using CRISIL’s estimate of ₹30 per home-cooked thali, researchers have calculated affordability levels based on actual food expenditure data.
• Findings (2023–24):
  • 50% of rural households and 20% of urban households could not afford two thalis a day.
  • Even after accounting for Public Distribution System (PDS) supplies, deprivation remained high: 40% in rural areas and 10% in urban areas.
• It suggests that food deprivation persists at much higher levels than World Bank poverty figures indicate.

Related Concerns & Issues

• PDS Effectiveness: Cereals constitute only about 10% of household expenditure, limiting the system’s effectiveness in tackling broader nutritional deficits.
• Subsidy Distribution: In rural India, the top 10% still receive almost the same subsidy as the bottom 5%, despite having triple the expenditure capacity.
  • In urban India, while the subsidy regime is more progressive, around 80% of households still benefit, including those well above basic nutritional needs.
• Unequal Protein Consumption: The consumption of pulses, unlike cereals, the main source of protein for many Indians — is highly unequal.
  • The poorest consume half the pulses compared to the richest.

Efforts & Initiatives

• Public Distribution System: It provides subsidised cereals and free food, and has equalised cereal consumption across income groups.
  • Even the richest consume roughly the same amount of rice and wheat as the poorest.
• Urban Poverty Alleviation (2024 Pilot Mission): It builds on the success of DAY-NULM, which mobilized over 1 crore urban poor households into Self-Help Groups, with 90% women participation. It targets urban poverty with five components:
  • Community-led Institution Development;
  • Financial Inclusion & Enterprise Development;
  • Social Infrastructure;
  • Convergence with other ministries;
  • Innovative Projects for vulnerable groups (e.g., gig workers, domestic workers)
• The Comprehensive Nutrition Report highlights that improving iron intake and diversifying sources is essential to combat anaemia among women and children.

Other Efforts Supporting Primary Food Consumption

• National Food Security Act (NFSA): Legally entitles up to 75% of rural and 50% of urban populations to subsidized food grains.
  • Covers 81 crore beneficiaries, including 16 crore women, under:
    • Priority Households (PHH)
    • Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)
• Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY): Launched during COVID-19 to provide free food grains to the poor.
  • Extended for five more years from January 2024.
  • Benefits 81.35 crore people, ensuring food access during economic disruptions.
• PM POSHAN (formerly Mid-Day Meal Scheme): Targets nutritional improvement in school children.
  • Covers government and aided schools.
  • Promotes regular school attendance and better learning outcomes.
• Fortified Rice Distribution: Enhances rice with essential vitamins and minerals.
  • Over 406 lakh metric tonnes distributed via PDS since 2019–20.
  • Aims to combat hidden hunger and micronutrient deficiencies.

Policy Recommendations

• Restructure PDS subsidies: Increase support for the poorest households.
  • Eliminate subsidies for households already consuming more than two thalis a day.
• Reallocate resources: Rationalise excessive cereal entitlements.
  • Redirect savings toward subsidising pulses.
• Make PDS compact and effective: Avoid blanket coverage that spreads resources thin.
  • Target support to equalise primary food consumption across the population.

Source: TH