Lok Sabha Question No. 566 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-06-25
Subject: Starvation Deaths
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Prataprao  Jadhav

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 566 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 th  JUNE, 2019

## STARVATION DEATHS

## †566.   SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV:

Will  the  Minister  of  CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND  PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION उपभोक्ता त मल , ाखतद्ा औा तावर्ज�ाका्औता  मं be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether  a  lot  of  cases  of  death  from  starvation  have  been received from various States during the last three years;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor, State/UT-wise; and
- (c) the details of the action taken/to be taken to provide foodgrains to the  families  affected  by  it  and  check  the  deaths  taking  place  due  to starvation in the country?

## A N S W E R

MINISTER OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI RAMVILAS PASWAN)

(a) to (c): No  State/UT  has  reported  any  incidence  of  death  due  to starvation in the country.

However,  to  prevent  the  starvation  deaths  in  the  country  and  to provide  food  security  to  the  vulnerable  population  and  to  ensure  that people living below poverty line get adequate food grains, the Government has been providing food grains at highly subsidized prices to the targeted population through the State Governments/UT Administrations  under  National  Food  Security  Act,  2013  and  Other Welfare Schemes (OWS) (Mid Day Meal Scheme, Wheat Based Nutrition Programme, Scheme for Adolescent Girls, Annapurna Scheme, Allocation of  foodgrains  under  Welfare  Institutions  &  Hostels  Scheme).  The  main responsibility  for  implementation  of  the  Act  including  distribution  of foodgrain lies with the States/UTs. An annual allocation of over 610 LMT of foodgrain is made by Government of India under NFSA and OWS.

..............2/-

Further Department has issued instructions to all States/UTs that no person/ household shall be deleted from the list of eligible beneficiaries/households  and  denied  subsidized  foodgrain  under  NFSA only on the ground of not possessing of Aadhar number. Instructions have also been issued for providing foodgrains even in the event of authentication failure through alternative mechanisms.

To improve the health and nutritional status of vulnerable population of the country, Govt. of India has taken various other measures as well.  Some of these are:-

1. Under    Reproductive    and    Child    Health    (RCH)    Programme  of National  Health  Mission, various interventions are  implemented to    improve    the    health  of    mother  and  children  which  have implication on nutritional status of children. These are:
- i. Promotion  of  appropriate  infant  and  young  child  feeding practices (IYCF) that  include  early Initiation of  breastfeeding and  exclusive    breastfeeding    till  6    months    of  age  during Village  Health  and  Nutrition  Days  and  household  visits  for counseling by ASHAs.
- ii. Treatment  of  children with severe  acute  malnutrition at special units called the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers
4. (NRCs).
- iii. Specific program to prevent and combat micronutrient deficiencies  of  Vitamin  A  and  Iron  &  Folic  Acid.    Vitamin  A supplementation is provided for children till the age of 5 years. Under the National Iron plus Initiative, bi-weekly Iron & Folic Acid supplementation is provided to children 6 to 60 months.
- iv. Management  of  under-nutrition  and  common  neonatal  and childhood illnesses at community and Facility level by training service providers in IMNCI (Integrated Management of Neonatal    and Childhood Illnesses) training.
2. National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme (NIDDCP) for  promotion  of  adequately  Iodated  salt  (>  15  ppm  Iodine  content) consumption at household level.
3. Nutrition  Education  to  increase  the  awareness  and  bring  about desired changes in the dietary practices including the promotion of breast feeding and  dietary diversification  is  being  encouraged  under  both Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) of M/o Women and Child  Development  and  National  Health  Mission  (NHM)  under  MoHFW. Monthly  Village  Health  and  Nutrition  Days  are  observed  in  villages  for provision  of  maternal  and  Child  care.      Emphasis  is  given  to  intake  of green leafy vegetables and other important sources of iron and means to promote iron absorption.

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