Starved of ideas: Expanding the leaky public distribution system won't deliver food security
Abstract:
Perhaps the most powerful argument used by the proponents of the so-called Food Security Bill to further expand the highly inefficient, corrupt and leaky public distribution system (PDS) is adult hunger and malnutrition. Serious flaws exist, however, in both the diagnosis and prescription the proponents offer.Civil society groups and international organisations such as the World Health Organisation, Food and Agricultural Organisation and World Bank contend that one-fifth or more Indians suffer from hunger and many more from malnutrition. But this contention is principally based on the steadily declining trend in calorie consumption in India during the last two decades. The trend has been observed among all classes of consumers whether rich or poor, rural or urban.But when asked in the nationwide expenditure surveys whether they have had enough to eat throughout the year, the responses of Indians have shown exactly the opposite trend. Those replying in the negative to the question were 17.3% in 1983 but fell to 5.2% in 1993-94, 3.6% in 1999-2000 and just 2.5% in 2004-05.