Expanding the leaky public distribution system wont deliver food security
vinod pandey
Dear all,
This morning I read this article in The Times of India "on Public Distribution System” after reading it , I find it why there is need of PDS run by PRI functionaries, why not a PDS by community? Why the ration in PDS is through FCI why not from the same or near by villages? Why synthetic fertiliser based cultivated food grains in PDS why not organic? I hope we all can reflect on it.
Expanding the leaky public distribution system wont deliver food security
(by Arvind Panagariya )
Perhaps the most powerful argument used by the
proponents of the so-called Food Security Bill to further expand the highly
inefficient,corrupt and leaky public distribution system (PDS) is adult hunger
and malnutrition.Serious flaws exist,however,in both the diagnosis and
prescription the proponents offer.
Civil society groups and international
organisations such as the World Health Organisation,Food and Agricultural
Organisation and World Bank contend that one-fifth or more Indians suffer from
hunger and many more from malnutrition.But this contention is principally based
on the steadily declining trend in calorie consumption in India during the last
two decades.The trend has been observed among all classes of consumers whether
rich or poor,rural or urban.
But when asked in the nationwide expenditure
surveys whether they have had enough to eat throughout the year,the responses
of Indians have shown exactly the opposite trend.Those replying in the negative
to the question were 17.3% in 1983 but fell to 5.2% in 1993-94,3.6% in
1999-2000 and just 2.5% in 2004-05.
Some,who reject these numbers as implausible,argue
that the household heads answering the question in the survey are too proud to
admit hunger in their families.Quite apart from the fact that the same household
heads have rarely let their pride come in the way when applying for
belowpoverty-line or BPL cards and associated benefits,this argument cannot
explain the declining proportion of households reporting
hunger.Surely,households in the 1980s could not have been any less proud than
those in the 2000s!
Several factors have been at work to reduce the
need for calorie consumption and hence decline in it among all income
classes.In the rural areas,farming has been getting progressively
mechanised.Fewer and fewer people rely on long walks or bicycles and more and
more on motorbikes and buses to get from one point to another.The proportion of
population engaged in farming has been declining as well.With more and more
children in school,midday meals are providing calories that do not get counted
in the household expenditure data from which the above-mentioned calorie
consumption trend is derived.
Similar factors have been at work in urban
areas.Improved means of transportation,both private and public,have reduced the
need for more physically challenging modes of transportation.Heavy machinery
has reduced the need for physical labour in activities such as
construction.Workers have increasingly shifted to desk jobs.
Finally,better absorption of calories due to improved
epidemiological environment and access to healthcare has reduced the need for
actual calorie consumption.Increased access to piped water combined with water
purification systems in urban households and proliferation of handpumps and
tube wells in the rural areas have greatly improved the access to safe drinking
water.In turn,this has helped reduce the incidence of diarrhoea,a common cause
of poor absorption of food.Greater availability of medicines has further helped
calorie absorption.
The height and weight trends and improvements in
vital statistics further contradict the inference that the decline in calorie
consumption represents increased malnourishment.The National Nutrition
Monitoring Bureau surveys reveal that the proportion of those having below
normal Body Mass Index fell from 56 to 33% for men and from 52 to 36% for women
between 1975-79 and 2004-05.Data also show both men and women steadily gaining
in height.Vital statistics such as life expectancy,death rates,infant,child and
maternal mortality rates have steadily improved.
For these reasons,the focus on the decline in
calorie consumption when the real problem may be a lack of balanced diet that
goes well beyond cereal consumption is misguided.But even accepting increased
calorie consumption as the goal,an expanded PDS is not the answer.If
individuals are choosing to consume less foodgrains despite rising
incomes,making foodgrain available in larger quantity at lower prices will not
change the outcome.Households will pick their share of subsidised grain and
simply sell the portion not consumed for a higher price on the market.
Recent work by economist Nisha Malhotra on child
malnutrition in India
shows that informing mothers on proper feeding practices rather than just
access to food is what helps improve child nutrition.The same prescription is
bound to apply to adult nutrition that requires a balanced diet.
This evidence and analysis notwithstanding,the
proponents of the Food Security Bill insist that universalising the PDS will
ensure that the poor receive more foodgrain,consume it and become better
nourished.
While i have already questioned the second and
third links in the argument,the available evidence brings into question even
the first link.In a recent article,economist Peter Svedberg makes the point
thus: The evidence in support of universality as an efficient method for
eliminating,or even notably reducing,exclusion errors is not altogether
convincing.Before 1997,the PDS was in principle universal,but large proportions
of poor households were either effectively excluded,or purchased very small
amounts of subsidised grains.
It is disappointing that having decided to move to
cash transfers while also facing severe pressure to cut fiscal deficit,the
cabinet has cleared an entirely flawed Bill in the name of food
security.Genuine reform requires a shift to cash transfers,public-information
campaigns on balanced diet and reforms in agriculture and food safety and
health instead.Massive food distribution is neither the comparative advantage of
the government nor promises to raise calorie consumption,let alone promote a
balanced diet.
Regards
Vinod Pandey
VINOD PANDEY
(Project Officer North Zone)
Caritas India ,Divya Deepti Sadan,9-10 IBhai Veersingh Marg , New Delhi. 110
001
email: vinod...@caritasindia.net, www.caritasindia.org
<vinod...@caritasindia.net>
Tel: +91 11 65293191 Mob: +91 9716529491 (Delhi) & +91 9529912881 (Common)
**
**
shipra gupta
Hi all!
The article clearly states about how things on health front are not moving well through PDS and this happens because PDS has considered as just mere a system to supply food grains consideration has not given on quality and nutritional food grains. Why not Milk through PDS, why not vitamin rich cereals through PDS, why not organic food grains through PDS? And I agree with Vinod that best possible way to strengthen PDS through making it operated by community and let the food grains in the PDs comes through the same village or near by village. Generally grains through FCI and poor in quality when it reach to the PDS shops.
Important is not only food security, but also health security must be attained through PDS.
SHIPRA
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "SANJHA SAMVAD-a network for development" group.
To post to this group, send email to
sanjha-samvad-a-net...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
sanjha-samvad-a-network-f...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/sanjha-samvad-a-network-for-development?hl=en?hl=en
Philip
Why do we need Public distribution system for supplying food for the people in the village.
In this PDS the government buy food from the villagers and take to godown and give back to the people in a damaged condition.
And we have a serial levels of officers eating away the salary and further make money through corrupt practice.
Even the retailers do not give the food to the people and sell it outside.
Then we have to fight it out to get whatever food is available.
Why we want this system
Let the people in the village buy food items from the villagers itself and sell it to the people want it.
This system ensures good food. Locally familiar food. People controlled distribution and the profit go to the people themselves. Let us try to promote this
May be the government system shall provide other non food primary needs like cloth and medicines which are not available in the rural areas
P. M. PHILIP
Manager (Operations)
Caritas India, C. B. C. I Centre,
Gole Dakhana, Ashok Place,
New Delhi - 110 001.
girish
Dear Friends,
I would like to keep my response in the below mention suggestion on PDS. The idea of allowing the villagers to sell their own food grains and get money and Gov. provide only other services like cloths. Health education etc. But the idea seems to be impractical, as we all know there is a huge uneven land holding pattern in our country. So the main food grains production is basically is in the hands of big landlords. The food grain produced by our poor and marginalized farmers are very less in quantity. These food grains doesn’t even last for whole year. They are forced to sale there food grains so that get hard cash which is required for other basic amenities like health education etc. If the Gov. allows this landlords to sale the food grains directly than there are chances of black marketing, stocking and price rise, again our poor community will be in loss.
I would say the Gov. intention or objective behind the present PDS system is for the welfare of the poor. Through PDS Gov. envisage to provide food grains to the poor families in subsidies rate, which they can access easily. At present the rice which Gov. provided at 3/- per K.G through PDS, costing Gov. @ 30/- per KG approx.
So we should think how these PDS shops can become more effective. Some of the state has handed over these PDS to women CBOs which is successful in most cases.
GIRISH PETER
State Officer, Bihar
Caritas India, Sewa Kendra, Patna, Bihar 800010
Email: gir...@caritasindia.net Web: www.caritasindia.org
Phone: 0091 612 2272425 Mobile: 0091 9308608562
Philip
Dear Girish. With the PDS the food security is a remote possibility. Women SHGs controlled pDS also have to distribute what the government is giving. We need to reflect further on the idea to make it practical
P. M. PHILIP
Manager (Operations)
Caritas India, C. B. C. I Centre,
Gole Dakhana, Ashok Place,
New Delhi - 110 001.
