Lok Sabha Question No. 81 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-21
Subject: Hunger Report
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: JYOTIRADITYA MADHAVRAO SCINDIA, MUTHAMSETTI SRINIVASA RAO (AVNTHI), KAMAL NATH

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 81 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21 ST  JULY, 2015

## HUNGER REPORT

81. SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA: SHRI MUTHAMSETTI SRINIVASA RAO (AVANTHI): SHRI KAMAL NATH:

Will  the  Minister  of  CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND  PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken  note  of  the  UN  Annual  Hunger Report which indicates that India has the highest number of hungry people in the world;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto; and
- (c) the  steps  taken/proposed  to  be  taken  to  provide  food  and  check hunger in the country?

## A N S W E R

## MINISTER OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI RAM  VILAS PASWAN)

- (a)  and  (b)  :    Yes,  Madam.    The  Government  has  taken  note  of  the  UN Annual Hunger Report.  United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN FAO) in its Annual report 'The State of Food Insecurity in the World' takes  stock  of  progress  made  towards  achieving  the  internationally established Millennium Development Goal(MDG1) and World Food Summit(WFS) hunger targets. In this report, review of progress has been made since 1990 for every country and region as well as for the world as a whole.

As per the report, India has 194.6 million undernourished people but the number has been declined from 210.1 million in base year of 1990-92 showing  a  change  of  7.4%  towards  progress  to  achieve  WFS  target. Similarly,  proportion  of  undernourished  in  total  population  in  India  has also come down from 23.7 % in 1990-92 to 15.2% in 2014-16 showing a change of 36%.

- (c)          The  Government  is  implementing  the  National  Food  Security  Act (NFSA),  2013  to  provide  food  security  to  the  population.    So  far,  12 States/UTs have implemented the NFSA Act, 2013.  The Act  provides for coverage  of  upto  75%  of  the  rural  and  50%  of  the  urban  population  to receive highly subsidized foodgrains under TPDS.    The Act also contains provisions  for  nutritional  support  to  Pregnant  Women  and  Lactating Mothers or children below 14 years of age.

The Government of India has also accorded high priority to the issue of  hunger  and  malnutrition  in  the  country  and  is  implementing  several schemes/programmes through State  Governments/UT  Administrations  to improve food security situation in  the country.  These include Targeted Public  Distribution  System(TPDS),  Wheat  Based  Nutrition  Programme (WBNP) for providing Supplementary Nutrition, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme for pre-school children and pregnant and lactating mothers through the Ministry of Women and Child Development, National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) through Ministry of Health  &  Family  Welfare,  Mid-Day-Meal  (MDM)  Scheme    for  primary  and upper primary children through Ministry of Human Resource Development, Annapurna  Scheme  for  the  senior  citizens,  Nutritional  Programme  for Adolescent Girls, Emergency Feeding Programme, etc.

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