Why Majority of Indians Don’t Have Sufficient, Safe and Nutritious Food

Speaking to IndiaSpend, Economist Reetika Khera Advocates for Community Kitchens

Newsreel Asia Insight #236
May 29, 2024

Nearly 74% of Indians could not afford a healthy diet in 2021, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023 report. In late 2021 and early 2022, 80% of respondents in a survey conducted by the Right to Food Campaign reported facing food insecurity, with almost half having run out of food the previous month. So, why do the majority of Indians not have sufficient, safe, and nutritious food? In an interview with IndiaSpend, economist Reetika Khera explained some possible reasons.

Food security is defined as a situation where all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. This includes food availability, accessibility, utilisation and stability over time, ensuring that everyone has reliable access to adequate food supplies.​

Based on Khera’s responses to questions posed by IndiaSpend, below is a summarised explanation of why India has extremely high food insecurity.

One of the major reasons for food insecurity is the exclusion of community kitchens from the National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013. The Act, which aimed to provide subsidised food grains to the needy, did not include provisions for community kitchens or canteens that could offer heavily subsidised, hot, cooked food. This omission left many people, especially in urban areas, without access to affordable, nutritious meals. This gap has been significant in ensuring food security for the urban poor.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Khera, along with other researchers, highlighted that 100 million people were excluded from the government’s subsidised food grain program, which caters to over 800 million beneficiaries. This exclusion is largely due to the indefinite delay in the 2021 population census. Without up-to-date population data, the government has been unable to accurately target and distribute food aid, leaving millions without the necessary support.

Surveys conducted in cities across Rajasthan, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu reveal that community kitchens are highly appreciated by diverse groups, including working professionals, the elderly and single individuals. These kitchens offer meals that are both affordable and similar to home-cooked food, providing significant monetary savings for low-income households. For those relying on community kitchens for even one meal per day, monthly savings could amount to 5% to 10% of their salaries.

The government’s One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme, intended to improve food grain access for migrants, has also been limited in its reach, mostly to the Delhi NCR region. Migrants in other areas continue to face difficulties accessing food. Many of these migrants rely on community kitchens, which have proven crucial for those lacking cooking facilities in their accommodations.

For instance, Rajasthan’s Indira Rasoi scheme, launched in 2020 in response to the humanitarian crisis created by the COVID-19 lockdown, had more than 1,100 canteens as of November 2023. These canteens offer meals at extremely subsidised rates, ranging from 3 rupees to 8 rupees per plate, providing a significant financial relief to the urban poor.

Another issue is the lack of diversity in the food provided through the Public Distribution System (PDS).

The PDS primarily distributes rice and wheat, with little inclusion of nutritious items like pulses (dals) and oils. Some states, like Karnataka and Odisha, have made progress by including millets and pulses, but such initiatives are not widespread.

The reliance on the outdated 2011 Census data for the PDS also leads to the exclusion of many who need subsidised food, as the population has grown significantly since then. Three in four Indians could not afford a healthy diet in 2021, highlighting the extent of the issue.

Economic challenges further worsen food insecurity.

The decline in real wages has increased the burden on households to spend a larger portion of their income on food, reducing their ability to afford nutritious options.

For instance, in rural areas, the percentage of monthly expenditure on food has fallen to 46.4%, compared to more than half in previous surveys, indicating that families are likely consuming less food overall. This decline in food expenditure is not necessarily a positive development, as it often reflects reduced food intake rather than falling food prices.

Government support for maternity entitlements, such as the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), has been insufficient. The financial support provided to  pregnant women has not kept pace with inflation, and the scheme remains underfunded. As per the NFSA, maternity entitlements were supposed to be 6,000 rupees per pregnancy, but when the scheme was operationalised in 2017, this amount was reduced to 5,000 rupees and limited to the first child only. Years later, the amount remains stuck at 5,000 rupees and 6,000 rupees. In contrast, states like Tamil Nadu provide 18,000 rupees per child under the Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy scheme, yet even these amounts have stagnated over time.

It’s not surprising that India ranked 111th out of 125 countries in the 2023 Global Hunger Index, indicating a serious level of hunger.