What are the Facts?The Authentic Voice of the Poor
NSS 38th Round in 1983, as well as NSS 50th
Round in (1993-94) and NSS 55th Round in (1999-2000) had direct questions
on Hunger that allow a clear answers from the sufferers. The NSS questions on
hunger were,
·
Do all members
of your households get two square meal/enough food every day?
·
If not, then during which calendar months did
you or other members of the household not have enough food every day? The
number of months indicated by the household was recorded.
The proportion of households that were hungry during any
part of the year by this definition[i] was 15.7
percent in 1983, 4.5 percent in 1993-94 and only 2 per cent in 1999-2000. In
terms of individuals assuming that every person in the household was hungry, the
estimate that the number of hungry people declined from 15.7 per cent of the
total population (101million) in 1983 to 4.4 percent of population ( 37
million) in 1993-94 and further 2 per cent of the population (18.5) million in
1999-2000. It is useful to look at numbers in relation to poverty because
logically the number of hungry people must be a fraction of the poor for any
reasonable definition of poverty.
More formally the line defining the very poor or hungry must
logically lie below the poverty line. Thus the hunger ratio must be lower than
the poverty ratio. The ratio of very poor / hungry to the poor may decline,
stay constant or rise, depending on the distribution of consumption in the
lower half of the distribution.
NSS data reveal that the consumption distribution has
consistently improved for the bottom 40 per cent of the population over time as
can be seen in the table-3. The consumption of course has increased of the bottom 40 percent of the population
from 22 percent in 1972-73 to 24 per cent in 1999 -2000 but still people are
hungry and a sizable number are poor. It is a matter of great sadness and
shame for the nation. Therefore, serious efforts are needed to achieve the food
security at the national level. This is also essential in the light of the
facts that India is committed to achieve the target set under MGDs. The
proposed Food Security Bill is a great hope in this direction. Before we
discuss the provisions and implications of the Food Security Bill it will be
better if we devote some time for understanding the concept of the Food
Security.
Table: 3 Rural Consumption Distribution (NSS 30 Day Recall)
|
Year
|
Cumulative percentage of Rural
Population
|
Poverty HCR
Percentage
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
10
|
20
|
30
|
40
|
50
|
60
|
70
|
80
|
90
|
100
|
||||||||||||
|
Cumulative Consumption Distribution
|
Rural
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
10
|
20
|
30
|
40
|
50
|
60
|
70
|
80
|
90
|
100
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
1972-73
|
3.7
|
8.9
|
15.0
|
22.0
|
30.1
|
38.7
|
49.1
|
60.5
|
74.8
|
100
|
56.5
|
54.9
|
|||||||||
|
1977-78
|
3.5
|
8.4
|
14.3
|
20.8
|
28.4
|
36.7
|
46.2
|
57.6
|
71.7
|
100
|
53.1
|
51.3
|
|||||||||
|
1983
|
3.8
|
9.0
|
15.2
|
22.1
|
30.2
|
39.2
|
49.2
|
60.9
|
75.5
|
100
|
45.6
|
44.7
|
|||||||||
|
1987-1988
|
4.1
|
9.5
|
15.8
|
22.9
|
30.7
|
39.7
|
49.6
|
61.5
|
74.7
|
100
|
39.1
|
38.6
|
|||||||||
|
1993-1994
|
4.1
|
9.6
|
16.0
|
23.1
|
31.1
|
40.0
|
50.1
|
61.7
|
75.8
|
100
|
37.3
|
36.2
|
|||||||||
|
1999-2000
|
4.4
|
10.1
|
16.7
|
24.1
|
32.8
|
41.9
|
52.1
|
63.8
|
77.8
|
100
|
27.1
|
26.2
|
|||||||||
Source: P.D.
Joshi Changing Pattern of Consumption Expenditure in India and some selected
states Sarvekshana Analytical Report No. 2 (July 1998) and NSS.
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