Even if there are reserves... food security is a concern!

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India has become one of the largest economies in the world but... food security, malnutrition There are still challenges to overcome. Out of a total of 123 countries, India ranks at the bottom of the 102nd position in the Global Hunger Index. Although the country has abundant grain reserves, food security is alarming. The main reason for this is the lack of coordination between production and distribution.Today on the occasion of World Food Day...

The World Food Conference held in Rome in 1996 stated that the primary objective of food security is to make food grains available to people at all times. In order to achieve this, 'availability, availability, usability and availability' are essential. Availability is a product related factor. For this reason, National Food Security Mission was established in 2007-08 and in 2014-15, cereals were also included. By 2024-25, the scheme has been converted into a National Food and Nutrition Security Mission, aiming to provide nutritious food to everyone. rounded">According to the 'United Nations-India Report 2025', about 17.2 crore people, especially 43 percent children, are suffering from malnutrition in our country. This is the reason why 53.7 percent of pregnant women suffer from anemia. As the famous economist Amartya Sen said, we may not see deaths of hunger but... starvation and malnutrition are serious. The main reason for this predicament is… Reduce grains and protein in the diet; Increase oil products, fast food, soft drinks. Meanwhile, between 1972-2024, the expenditure on food grains has decreased from 57 percent to 47 percent in villages and from 47 percent to 36 percent in towns. Many types of agricultural products become available two or three times a year, but consumption is constant. Therefore, these should be stored carefully and supplied as per requirement. According to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) norms, the country should have 3.1 crore tonnes of food grains in stock as of January 1. In fact they accumulated to the tune of 8.7 crore tonnes. That is, 5.6 crore tonnes of food grains did not reach the distribution system. It is not proper to store food grains in warehouses beyond the requirement. Domestic production of food grains increased from 5.08 crore tonnes in 1950-51 to 37.66 crore tonnes in 2025-26. But, the daily per capita availability of food grains has not increased much. Still it's 690 grams! Aimed to provide food items to pregnant and lactating women under the National Food Security Scheme. In addition to this, measures such as providing nutrition to six-month-to-six-year-old children through Anganwadi centers and mid-day meals to 6-14-year-old children are being implemented. Better to be in 'bazaar-canteen' model. That is, subsidized food grains and other items should be supplied through canteens to those below the poverty line. They should be provided through bazaars to those above the poverty line. Although food grains are provided to the poor through the public distribution system in the country, this needs to be strengthened. Prices should also be controlled in the open market. In particular, changes in domestic food production, diversity in consumption, distribution problems and poverty should be brought under one framework and efforts should be made to solve them together. A step towards sustainable agriculture can be made by creating climate-resilient crops. Transparent management of food stocks in warehouses is essential. Moreover, ration cards should be linked with Aadhaar and bogus should be eradicated. It should be seen that none of the deserving ones suffer. Governments, agricultural research institutes, experts and farmers should work together for a India with comprehensive food security.