Nutritional Food Security And Hidden Hunger In India: With Reference To The National Food Security

Nutritional Food Security And Hidden Hunger In India: With Reference To The National Food Security Act, 2013

Suvek Singh Chauhan, Assistant Professor, Department of Law, N.A.S. (P.G.) College, Meerut

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” - Hippocrates

ABSTRACT

Due to rapid increase in the population and limited resources of food production, providing food security to all its Citizens is an herculean task in India while ensuring nutritional food security to all, seems impossible with existing mechanism. Achieving food security is always a great concern for all around the world including India. Achieving zero hunger till 2030 is one of the goal under United Nations Sustainable development goals (SDGs) and also under millennium development goals. To be a food secured country Government of India has taken many steps in the form of policy and law. Enactment of the National Food Security Act 2013 is one of the major step taken in this respect. But less priority is given to providing nutritional food security to all under the NFSA, 2013. Only four sections (4,5,6 & 31) of the Act with less implementation are related with ensuring Nutritional Food Security which is matter of great concern due to rapidly increase in malnutritional diseases in India. The government think tank NITI AAYOG through its Discussion Report 2021 suggested to focus on ensuring nutritional food security in India with other relevant suggestions. Proper implementation of laws is always a challenging issue. From the year 2013 to 2022 NFSA, 2013 has almost 9 years long journey. Although during this journey India has done well regarding food security but numerous challenges, including beneficiary identification, inadequate storage, food preferences, ensuring nutritional food security to all etc., are still unresolved. In global food security index 2021 India's position is 71st out of 113 countries which is not satisfactory. India has to evolve an evaluative mechanism for achieving the objective to provide nutritional food to all its citizens. Nutritional food is the requirement of all either eligible household under public distribution system or any individual not covered under PDS. It is surprising that malnutrition is not uncommon in economically stronger section of people in India. This paper aims to provide the challenges and obstacles ensuring nutritional food security in India with effective solutions. We will try to understand legality of the right to food security in the context of reality in India. Main object of this paper is to improve the existing situation and ensuring nutritional food for all in India.