Millions fighting hunger in India: What is to be done?

Swati Chaturvedi
Aug 31, 2018 · 3 min read

India is an agricultural nation but for past few years, the state of Indian agriculture seems to be lagging at several areas. Despite having a doubled up food production and 4.5 times increase in GDP, FAO estimated that around 190.7 million people in India are still undernourished with 51.4% of women in reproductive age being anaemic and around 38% of children below 5 years of age have a stunted growth. All the reasons draw attention to the cause of inadequate food production and distribution in India.

The precarious situation that depicts the rank of Global Hunger Index of India to be 100 out of 119 countries is truthfully in dire need of some stringent measures that will alter the current scenario. Time and again the need for another Green Revolution has arisen to suppress the problem with a finality. Even the capital is seeing some shocking starvation deaths due to food crisis which is unbelievable.

Why are the hunger death reports are soaring high?

There are several reasons pertaining to this situation.

Poverty: This alone has led to numerous cases of malnutrition and hunger in India. Those poor people do not have access to nutritious food which has resulted in such a condition.

Lack of access to food & water: Not only poverty but several topographical factors and inaccessibility of transporting food along with low financial resources has led to the burgeoning hunger problem. Lack of potable and drinking water has resulted in water-borne diseases and malnutrition in India.

Natural Disasters: The climatic changes like flood, drought or earthquake in the most vulnerable areas are also the causes for hunger as the devastated infrastructure or spoiled agriculture result in inaccessibility of food.

Lack of treatment: Deadly diseases like tuberculosis, diarrhoea, typhoid need a complete medical treatment along with nutritious food which is not afforded by most of them resulting in their deaths.

The Need for Green Revolution

The Green Revolution happened in the 1970s when the people were suffering hunger due to famines. The newly independent country of ours was also lacking in modern technology and was practising inappropriate food distribution. Thus all this made way towards Green Revolution which got a breakthrough in that era.

But, the agricultural landscape though after undergoing advance transformation in the long run still seems to be backward in irrigation, value addition and market linkages which the currently government is looking to modernize.

Moreover, research in this field emphasizing the need to study the health of soil and the type of crops that could be grown on them are being encouraged. The production of pulses is majorly encouraged as their production is very low. Government wants to create and implement an integrated plan that will prove to be beneficial in the long run.

The growing population is putting pressure on the food security of India and if this continues, India needs to take up strict measures to stop this hunger epidemic from going out of hand. A nation gets developed only when its people are healthy and able-bodied. Let us unite and help make India developed with your individual efforts.

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