The fuel of our energy directly accounts from the food that we intake and the supplements. Consuming a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, cereals and grains is the most optimum part of our daily lives that enhances our daily metabolism rate.

Apart from these, a recent report has been released by the Food And Agriculture Organisation in partnership with other United Nations organisation.

The methodology defines three types of survey that includes:-

• Basic energy sufficient diet
• Nutrient adequate diet
• Healthy diet

Whereas the Indian recommendation for a healthy diet includes consumption of items from six major groups that include Starchy staples, Protein-rich food(meat and eggs), Dairy, Vegetables, Fruits and Fats.

OBSERVATION FROM SOUTH ASIA

The research from south Asian countries revealed that the energy sufficient diet is affordable to a poor person.

A poor person could be defined as having an income of $1.9 per day. So the nutrient adequate diet would require a person with income just above the poverty line to spend their entire daily expenditure on food if he ignores other essential needs.

Even in such a scenario, they would not be able to afford the nutrient adequate diet.

So this could be clearly clarified that a healthy diet is totally unaffordable with those having incomes at even twice the poverty line.

The report examined by the authorities states that 18% of South Asian countries cannot afford a nutrient diet whereas 58% of South Asians can’t afford a healthy diet which still stands a major concern.

The Indian poverty line is lower than the international poverty line used in the report.

It corresponds to roughly $1 a day at international PPP rates.

This implies that poor in India can’t even afford a nutrient adequate diet and even those with incomes having twice the international poverty line can’t afford a healthy diet.

This indicates a major concern that a large majority  can’t afford a balanced diet.

NUTRITION AND PANDEMIC

The subsequent lockdowns and pandemics have only worsened the situation where the number of people who could not afford a healthy diet will have risen as employment and  their incomes have collapsed for the majority of workers in the informal sector.

The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana which offered an additional 5kg of wheat and rice and 1 kg of gram and lentils and a month free of cost to all the households who acquire ration card, though is indispensable during the crisis is still utterly inadequate to address the challenge to malnutrition.

This analysis proves that the problem of inadequate nutrition in India is mainly the unaffordability of good diets and not the lack of information or awareness on cultural nutrition as it used to be previously believed.

Hence in order to restore the power of good and proper food security to all India will have to address the problem of affordability of healthy diets. And this undoubtedly involves the best of best orientation of proper allotment of foodgrains to the needy irrespective of owning ration cards by false means in the society keeping in mind the nutritional requirements.

Article Written By Mousami Jena

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