Letter to BS: The existing public distribution system must be reformed

This refers to “The nutrition crisis” (October 17). It is shocking to read that India is slipping and ranked lower than our neighbours, and with sub-Saharan Africa in the Global Hunger Index. The public distribution system was one way of making food grains reach the poor but with Aadhaar being made mandatory, many might have missed out on receiving the benefits and some even succumbed to starvation. With nutritionally deficient and stunted children and now a dismal rank, we are looking at a gloomy future.  

Paradoxically, India has the dubious rank as the third most obese nation in the world after the US and China. There is no shortage of food grain in India but there is an inability to conserve its food grains because of poor storage facilities. If one were to go by media reports, thousands of tonnes of rotten food grains have been burnt because of poor storage. Even our Supreme Court has commented on these losses. The estimated loss is over Rs 60,000, crore. Instead of spending money on more fruitful and beneficial projects, India has gone into a frenzy of statue erection spending thousands of crores. This money could have been better spent on modern, hygienic and pest-free systems of storage to help the farmer, the poor, the needy and the hungry.

H N Ramakrishna, Bengaluru

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