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Towards Hunger Free India - Speeches
Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Atal Bihari
Vajpayee Mr. K. C. Pant, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Prof M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman of M.S. Swaminathan
Research Foundation Dr. N. C Saxena, Secretary to the Government of India,
Planning Commission Mr. M.D. Asthana, Principal Advisor to the Planning
Commission Mr. Pedro Medrano, WFP Representative and Regional Manager
for South Asia Excellencies, Colleagues
and Friends, "We are daily
witnessing the phenomenon of the impossible of yesterday becoming the
possible of today." (Ghandhiji) We are meeting here today
because we share a vision - and that vision is an India free from hunger.
Yes. That is an ambitious goal, but it is one that can be achieved with the
right kind of development strategies. The two publications we
are launching at this consultation, we hope, will help the people and the
Government of India to shape those strategies. One is an Atlas that depicts
and analyses food insecurity problems in India. The other, "Food
Assistance in South Asia", focuses on challenges often faced in food
assistance programmes and presents recommendations on how such assistance can
improve the livelihoods of poor people. This is the first time that food
insecurity in India and in South Asia has been analysed in this depth taking
into account all dimensions of the problem. The book also provides for the
first time a comprehensive overview on the evolution of food based
interventions in the region. For WFP this evening is
however more than just another inaugural session. This evening and the next
two days mark the culmination of a very fruitful collaboration with the
Government of India and M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. In the name of
WFP, and especially on behalf of colleagues here in India I would like thank
the Planning Commission and M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation for the
privilege of working together. Today, all of us gathered
here, I believe, share a common aim of linking food security analyses with
the elaboration of policies that have a clear poverty focus. Such policies
should also lead to the design and implementation of targeted programmes in
order to truly reach people in need. Our collaboration, among
WFP, the Planning Commission and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation has
sought to apply lessons learnt and develop new models of food assistance to
reach out to the hungry poor. As an illustration, the
Food Insecurity Atlas provides a sound basis to improve targeting of national
food assistance programmes in India. And the book stresses the importance of
linking food security policies with food assistance. It is a great
achievement that the results of this collaborative effort will be considered
in India's Tenth Five-Year Development Plan. Let me now concentrate on
an issue that is central to the consultation as well as to the two books: The
focus on women and children. We often talk about
giving food aid programmes a stronger poverty focus. There are no better ways
to do that than by targeting women and children in need. Yet, it is women and
children who are least empowered and who have little or no voice in the world
of politics. From a political perspective, they are the easiest to neglect,
from a developmental perspective they are the least served. Women and children are
worst affected by hunger. Malnutrition among young children in India is among
the highest in the world. More than half of all children under the age of
five, or some 71 million, are underweight. That means that some 35 percent of
the World's malnourished children live in India. On the other hand there
are more than 40 million metric tons of foodgrains in stocks. Obviously, in
South Asia, India is not alone in this paradox of hungry people living next
to overflowing warehouses. What is particularly
worrying is that hunger is handed over from one generation to the next. Poor
nutritional status of girls and women can result in an inter-generation cycle
of malnutrition. Sixty percent of women in their childbearing years are
stunted as a result of inadequate nutrition during their own childhood.
During pregnancy their anemic condition is further aggravated. A malnourished
anaemic woman is likely to deliver a baby with low birth weight. This baby is
disadvantaged by the bequest of hunger even before birth, and will carry this
handicap throughout its life. Another reason to focus
on women is that women are the main nutritional caretakers for the whole
family. They prepare the food and feed the children. What they eat also
influences the growth potential of the unborn baby in their womb. Their role
in the gender division of labour is inextricably linked to food security and
nutrition. And it's under their control that food resources are more likely
to benefit children and increase household food security. In the past, not enough
progress was made in reducing malnutrition despite growing food production.
To confront the intractable problem of widespread hunger, the Government of
India has built the biggest food assistance programmes in the developing
world. The three largest schemes together cover almost one third of India's
entire population. Some 24 million children and mothers are covered by the
Government's Integrated Child Development Services. 98 million school
children get a daily snack or meal in their schools and almost 200 million
poor people benefit from subsidised food distribution. Successive governments of
India have clearly shown their commitment to eradicate malnutrition. And,
Honourable Prime Minister, your presence here this evening reinforces the
importance your government assigns to the issue of food security. But, we all
agree a lot more needs to be done. One of the key recommendations the book
"Food Assistance in South Asia" makes is to work more through
women. Women are mostly marginalized and have only a very limited role in
decision-making. Their needs are not adequately considered as their voices
are often not heard. 'Make women the key
players' is thus the first recommendation of the Book. Involve women in all
aspects and stages of food assistance programmes, because this is a
prerequisite for success. Half a century ago there
lived an exemplary Indian scholar and statesman, Dr. Ambedkar, who said:
"I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have
achieved". The big challenge that
remains not only here in India but in most countries in the world is to create
an environment in which women can be equal partners to men in the development
process. It is Dr. Ambedkar's dream that we call today "gender
equality". 36 years after Dr.
Ambedkars death the Indian government took an important step by strengthening
women's role in the Panchayat Raj system. The 73rd amendment of
1992, was a path breaking decision on the inclusion of women in governance.
It tackled 'institutionalised inequalities' through 'institutionalised
counter measures'. I am sure, if Dr.
Ambedkar would still be alive, he would also passionately applaud you -
Honourable Prime Minister- for declaring the year 2001 as the "Women's
Empowerment Year". Food-based assistance has
a comparative advantage over other kinds of interventions in contributing to
women's empowerment. Food is one of the few resources that most women
traditionally manage as part of their household responsibilities. Food is a
good vehicle for initiating changes in the lives of women, for increasing
their awareness and self-help capacities. With food women can be reached who
otherwise are often excluded from public events and programmes. In India WFP is piloting
a programme approach that focuses on women as key agents of change. It is the
women's educational level, nutritional status and control over food resources
and assets that determine household food security. Consequently, the problem
of food insecurity is addressed from various angles. Three different
food-based interventions - Supplementary feeding, food-for-work and incentive
schemes for girls' school attendance - are promoted in the same area, in
carefully identified and targeted communities. Supplementary feeding
ensures that small children receive nutritious food and alleviates mother's
burden to scrounge around for food. Food for school attendance acts as an
incentive to send girls to school. FFW offers employment to women as well as
men within the community and helps to check migration to already overcrowded
urban areas. Assets created through community work such as irrigation
channels, wells or protected watersheds improve livelihoods of the entire
family and community. It is the combination of
these interventions that can make a difference in the lives of the poor
people, and particularly of women. Strengthening opportunities and options is
the key to alleviating hunger and poverty. It is the key to a hunger free
India. Honourable Prime
Minister, I firmly believe that what seems impossible today - an India where
everybody has access to enough food to lead a healthy and active life - can
become reality tomorrow. Just think back: Only
four decades ago India was desperately struggling to cover its food
shortfalls. It could not produce enough food to feed its 440 million people.
Thanks to the commitment of successive governments and the dedicated work of
people like Professor Swaminathan, the father of the "green
revolution", today, India with a population of one billion has surplus
food stock. I am optimistic -
Honourable Prime Minister - that with the strong commitment of your
government working together with civil society organisations and the
international community to target the most vulnerable and to invest in the
country's human resources development, we can realise the vision of a hunger
free India. Thank you
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