India ranks 94th in the Global Hunger Index of 119 countries, according to the report released by WFP. Here the questions arises why is the government serious about showing its top ranking in share market, growth rate, investment in India, GDP, billionaires etc.? Is it a wise strategy to make a wealthy man wealthier and leave common people to die of hunger? The government should neither neglect industry, nor the social responsibilities of common masses, especially, the poor. But, it seems the government has left balanced diet, clean drinking water, sanitation and primary healthcare for every child, woman and man etc. vulnerable. That’s why the report questioned the government’s definitions of hunger and poverty. The fact that calorie deprivation is increasing during a period when the proportion of rural population below the poverty line is claimed to be declining rapidly, highlights the increasing disconnect between official poverty estimates and calorie deprivation.

The incumbent govt. is boasting of its achievements advertising song (bharat ke badhate kadam… badh chalein hain aage hum……chand pe pahucha tiranga…..) like the previous government had done in advertisements. So the political parties must understand that Bhojan, Kapda aur Makan (food and security) wins elections. But what about the report which said more than 70 per cent of children (under-5) suffer from anemia and 80 percent of them don’t get vitamin supplements. The proportion of anemic children has actually increased by 6 per cent in the past six years with 11 out of 19 states having more than 80 percent of its children are suffering from anemia.

Poor and rural families are much dependent on the Public Distribution System (PDS). But the ambitious Targeted Public Distribution System is failing. Apart from failing to serve the intended goal of reduction of food subsidies, the TPDS also led to greater food insecurity for large sections of the poor and the near-poor. India is failing its rural poor with 230 million people being undernourished — the highest for any country in the world. According to the latest report on the state of food insecurity in rural India, more than 1.5 million children are at risk of becoming malnourished because of rising global food prices.

So what is the best situation, whether to save life of living or non-living things like companies, industries, capital etc? For the better future of our nation people and companies all are necessary, but it is essential to save life first. The government must strengthen the PDS, Health System, including rural health mission, ‘Education to All’ etc. by allocating sufficient funds. Because children are the future of our country.