Why in News: The NSS 2024 survey and World Bank 2025 brief show extreme poverty at only 2.3%. Yet, the ‘thali index’ reveals that 50% of rural and 20% of urban households cannot afford two thalis/day, exposing hidden nutritional poverty.
Current Status
- Cereal Sufficiency: Per capita cereal consumption has equalised across classes, reflecting PDS success.
- Protein Deficit: Pulses consumption in the poorest 0–5% is half that of the richest 95–100%.
- High Food Deprivation: Even after PDS adjustment, 40% rural and 10% urban households remain below the two-thali threshold.
- Unequal Subsidy Distribution: In rural India, the top 10% still receive nearly 88% of the subsidy amount given to the poorest.
- Residual Spending: Food remains the residual category after rent, health, education, and telephony.
Challenges
1. Inequitable PDS targeting → Leakages to better-off households.
2. Over-reliance on cereals → Only 10% of household budget; not sufficient for balanced diet.
3. Protein gap and malnutrition → Pulses and micronutrients remain unaffordable.
4. Fiscal inefficiency → Subsidy regime spreads resources thin.
5. Urban vs rural disparity → Strongly progressive PDS in cities, but still high rural deprivation.
Way Forward
- Restructure PDS: Limit cereal entitlement to actual need, cut off higher-income groups.
- Prioritise Pulses: Expand subsidised pulses distribution as the major protein source.
- Progressive Subsidy Design: More support to bottom 40%, minimal to top 40%.
- Rationalise Stocks: Reduce FCI’s cereal stocking, divert savings to nutrition.
- Holistic Nutrition Policy: Combine PDS with Poshan Abhiyaan, Mid-Day Meals, ICDS, ensuring diverse diets.
Conclusion
India has moved from calorie poverty to nutrition poverty. A restructured PDS focusing on pulses and equity can equalise primary food consumption, ensuring dignity, nutritional security, and alignment with SDG-2 (Zero Hunger) and Viksit Bharat 2047.
UPSC Relevance
GS Paper 1 – Indian Society & Geography
- Changing consumption patterns
GS Paper 3 – Economy & Agriculture
- Poverty measurement debates: Shift from calorie-based norms to multidimensional poverty indices.
Mains Practice Question
- Q1. Discuss how regional variations in food consumption patterns reflect social and economic inequalities in India.