India | The Republic Of Hunger | 101 East

Summary

The script highlights the paradox of child malnutrition in India, a country with abundant food resources but marred by inequality and government neglect. It discusses the plight of undernourished children, the government's mid-day meal scheme's successes and failures, and the grassroots efforts to combat this issue. The narrative also touches on the politics of hunger, the black market, and the potential impact of malnutrition on India's future workforce.

Takeaways

• 🍞 Mahatma Gandhi emphasized the importance of food as a divine gift, yet in India, over 40% of children suffer from malnutrition, indicating a significant societal issue.
• 👶 Every second child under the age of three in India is undernourished, highlighting a pervasive problem of child malnutrition.
• 💼 There is a stark contrast between the middle class's affluence and the malnourished children's plight, suggesting a lack of awareness or empathy.
• 🌾 Despite India's capacity to produce enough food for its population, millions still struggle with hunger due to systemic issues.
• 🏭 The government's mid-day Meal Scheme attempts to combat child malnutrition by providing free meals in schools, but it has its flaws.
• 🐛 School meals are sometimes of poor quality, with reports of worms and insects, deterring children from consuming them.
• 📊 Malnutrition in India is often 'hidden' as stunted growth is normalized, making it less noticeable compared to the images of malnourishment from Africa.
• 🏥 Government health centers, like Anganwadi, are understaffed and ill-equipped, failing to provide adequate nutrition and care for children.
• 🚑 Lack of accountability in government programs leads to inefficiencies, with resources not reaching those in need, contributing to child deaths from starvation.
• 📉 The government's denial of the severity of malnutrition and its impact on child mortality undermines efforts to address the issue.
• 🌾 Bureaucratic inefficiencies and corruption result in wasted food resources and a failure to distribute them effectively to the needy.

Q & A

What did Mahatma Gandhi say about a piece of bread to a hungry man?

Mahatma Gandhi once said to a hungry man that a piece of bread is the face of God, emphasizing the importance of food in fulfilling basic human needs.

What is the current situation regarding child malnutrition in India?

Over 40% of children in India are undernourished, which is considered a constitutional crime due to the country's resources in terms of food and finances.

What is the significance of the mid-day Meal Scheme in India?

The mid-day Meal Scheme is the world's largest lunch program, providing a free hot meal to every Indian school student from ages 6 to 14, as a way to combat child malnutrition.

Why is there a problem with the mid-day Meal Scheme despite its scale?

The mid-day Meal Scheme is far from perfect, with issues such as poor quality of food, presence of worms and insects, and inadequate portions, leading to dissatisfaction among children.

How does the lack of a strong welfare system contribute to child malnutrition in India?

The lack of a strong welfare system, along with mismanagement and corruption, has resulted in many families depending on food handouts that are insufficient or not reaching them at all.

What is the role of NGOs in addressing child malnutrition in urban slums of India?

NGOs like the one led by Dr. Siddharth Agarwal aim to improve urban health services, organize women's camps for checkups, and provide support to mothers and children, which is crucial in tackling child malnutrition.

What are the challenges faced by government health centers called Anganwadi in providing nutrition to children?

Anganwadi centers face challenges such as lack of training or equipment, inadequate facilities, and insufficient rations, which hinder their ability to provide proper nutrition to children.

How does the issue of child malnutrition in India compare to that in Sub-Saharan Africa?

India has a larger problem with child malnutrition than Sub-Saharan Africa, with 25 million children suffering from starvation and higher rates of undernutrition.

What is the impact of chronic hunger and malnutrition on the long-term health and development of children in India?

Chronic hunger and malnutrition can lead to stunting, irreversible health problems, and lower cognitive development, affecting the children's ability to grow and learn properly.

What are the issues with the distribution of subsidized grain in India?

Issues with the distribution of subsidized grain include corruption, with some grain being siphoned off and sold on the black market, and inefficiencies in bureaucracy that lead to grain rotting in warehouses.

What is the proposed solution to improve food security and address malnutrition in India?

A proposed solution is the twenty billion dollar food security bill, which aims to guarantee subsidized wheat and rice prices for a large portion of the population, although it has faced criticism for potential supply and fiscal deficit issues.

Outlines

00:00

🥺 Child Malnutrition in India: A Constitutional Crime

The script addresses the paradox of child malnutrition in India, a country with abundant resources. It highlights the stark reality that over 40% of children suffer from malnutrition, despite the nation's capacity to feed its population. The issue is framed as a constitutional crime, reflecting the government's failure to ensure basic rights. The narrative introduces nine-year-old Roshan, whose family prioritizes rent over nutrition, and discusses the government's Mid-Day Meal Scheme, which aims to combat malnutrition in schools but is marred by issues of mismanagement and corruption.

05:01

🏥 The Plight of Urban Child Malnutrition and Efforts to Combat It

This paragraph delves into the urban aspect of child malnutrition in India, where despite economic growth, infant mortality and undernutrition rates remain high. It discusses the lack of a strong welfare system and the government's failure to prioritize education and health. The story of Dr. Siddharth Agarwal, who left his medical profession to fight malnutrition, is highlighted. His NGO focuses on improving urban health services and the challenges of reaching children in slums are underscored, including the problem of malnourishment being normalized and the difficulty in tracking and providing adequate care.

10:09

🌾 Rural Starvation and the Struggle for Survival

The script shifts focus to rural areas, particularly Madhya Pradesh, where malnutrition rates are among the highest globally. It describes the desperate measures families take to survive, such as eating grass and roots, and the tragic stories of children dying from severe malnutrition. The role of legal advocates and government officials is examined, with allegations of neglect and corruption in the distribution of food and resources. The narrative also touches on the lack of basic facilities and training at Anganwadi centers, which are meant to provide nutrition and support to children and mothers.

15:09

📉 Systemic Failures in Monitoring and Distribution of Food Aid

This paragraph discusses the systemic failures in monitoring and distribution of food aid in India. It describes the absence of essential tools for assessing malnutrition levels at Anganwadi centers and the issue of grain rotting in government warehouses due to bureaucracy. The script also addresses the problem of subsidized grain being sold on the black market for profit and the ration card system's flaws, which leave families without proper allocations and subject to the whims of shop owners.

20:10

💼 Policy Debates and Grassroots Solutions to Combat Hunger

The final paragraph examines policy debates around a proposed food security bill and the challenges of implementing it, including concerns about farm supply and fiscal deficits. Critics argue for universal entitlement to discounted food, while others advocate for targeted distribution towards the poor. The script introduces grassroots solutions, such as women's committees and community savings pools, as potential ways to empower disadvantaged populations and improve the effectiveness of food distribution systems. It concludes with a reflection on the broader implications of child malnutrition for India's economic future and the importance of addressing this issue for the sake of the nation's workforce and growth.

Keywords

💡Undernourishment

Undernourishment refers to a state where an individual's diet lacks sufficient nutrients to maintain good health and growth. In the context of the video, it is a critical issue affecting Indian children, with the script highlighting that 'every second child under the age of three is undernourished.' This term is central to the video's theme, illustrating the disparity between available resources and the actual nutritional intake of a significant portion of the population.

💡Malnutrition

Malnutrition encompasses both undernourishment and overnourishment, but in the video, it is primarily used to describe the inadequate intake of nutrients. The script emphasizes the severity of child malnutrition in India, stating that 'across India 25 million children suffer from starvation,' and 'one in three of the world's malnourished children live in India.' It underscores the video's focus on the nutritional crisis and its impact on the country's youth.

💡Stunting

Stunting is a measure of long-term undernutrition and is characterized by a low height-for-age ratio in children. The script mentions that 'the big problem in India is stunting,' and describes a four-year-old child who 'might just look like a healthy two-year-old child.' This keyword is significant as it illustrates the chronic nature of malnutrition and its long-term effects on children's physical development.

💡Mid-day Meal Scheme

The Mid-day Meal Scheme is a government initiative aimed at providing a free lunch to school students in India. The script refers to it as 'the world's largest lunch program,' highlighting its scale and the government's efforts to combat child malnutrition. However, it also points out issues with the scheme, such as 'school meals are not good, because we find worms and insects in them,' indicating the challenges in execution and quality.

💡Welfare System

The welfare system in the script refers to the government's social safety nets, including food handouts and subsidies. It is mentioned that 'many families depend on food handouts from a welfare system,' but critics argue that it is 'plagued by mismanagement and corruption.' This keyword is essential as it reflects the video's exploration of the effectiveness and integrity of government support mechanisms.

💡Accountability

Accountability in the video pertains to the responsibility and oversight of government programs meant to address malnutrition and hunger. The script criticizes the lack of accountability, stating that 'critics say serious rights of child starvation exist in India's booming cities because of a lack of accountability in government programs.' This keyword is crucial for understanding the systemic issues that contribute to the persistence of malnutrition despite economic growth.

💡Anganwadi

Anganwadi is a government-run health center in India, particularly in rural and slum areas, that provides child care and nutrition services. The script describes these centers as places 'where workers here feed children way babies and provide help to mothers.' However, it also points out their shortcomings, such as 'there are only two... for a slum this size,' indicating the insufficient coverage and resources allocated to these vital community services.

💡Cross-generational Malnutrition

Cross-generational malnutrition refers to the perpetuation of malnutrition across generations due to poverty and inadequate nutrition. The script illustrates this with the example of 'we see this cross-generational malnutrition in our country quite a bit... the mother is stunted and we have to mannerist children in the family.' This concept is key to understanding the cyclical nature of poverty and malnutrition and the challenges in breaking this cycle.

💡Poverty Line

The poverty line is the threshold of income below which a person is considered to be living in poverty. The script discusses the issue of misidentification regarding the poverty line, stating that 'families here have been issued cards which say they live above the poverty line,' despite their evident need. This keyword is significant as it highlights the discrepancies between official poverty measures and the actual living conditions of people.

💡Food Security

Food security refers to the availability of food and the ability of people to access it on a consistent basis. The script mentions a 'twenty billion dollar food security bill' which aims to guarantee subsidized food prices for a large portion of the population. This keyword is central to the video's discussion on policy measures to address hunger and malnutrition.

💡Grassroots Governance

Grassroots governance involves community-level decision-making and initiatives. The script highlights the work of an NGO that has started a women's committee to represent urban communities, using grassroots governance to identify slums and collect savings for grain loans. This keyword is important as it showcases the potential of local, community-driven efforts in tackling malnutrition and food insecurity.

Highlights

Mahatma Gandhi's quote about bread being the face of God highlights the stark contrast to the current reality of child malnutrition in India.

Over 40% of children in India are undernourished, indicating a constitutional crime and denial of rights.

India's middle class shows apathy towards the widespread issue of child malnutrition.

25 million children in India suffer from starvation, a problem more severe than in sub-Saharan Africa.

Mismanagement and corruption in the welfare system contribute to the food crisis in India.

Every second child under the age of three in India is undernourished, a shocking statistic.

The Mid-Day Meal Scheme is the world's largest lunch program, aiming to combat child malnutrition.

Despite being a food surplus nation, India struggles with providing adequate nutrition to its children.

The government's health centers, Anganwadi, are under-resourced and not reaching all children in need.

Cross-generational malnutrition is common in India, leading to a cycle of health problems.

Dr. Siddhartha Agarwal's NGO focuses on improving urban health services to tackle child malnutrition.

Government neglect and lack of accountability are blamed for the high rates of child starvation in India's cities.

In rural areas, families resort to eating grass and roots due to severe food scarcity.

The government's distribution system is flawed, with grain often being sold on the black market or rotting in warehouses.

Cash transfers and biometric cards are being considered to improve the welfare system's accountability.

The proposed food security bill aims to guarantee subsidized food prices but faces criticism for potential misuse.

Empowering local communities and improving grassroots governance is key to addressing malnutrition.

India's economic growth could be hindered by the impact of malnutrition on its future workforce.

Roshan's story represents hope for a future where children no longer endure hunger and can aspire to better lives.

Transcripts

Mahatma Gandhi once said to a hungry man

a piece of bread is the face of God but

in the country where he preached

equality over 40% of children are now

merged here we are resources in terms of

food in terms of finances it means

there's something wrong there's a

negligence there's a denial of Rights

that's why it is a constitutional crime

the one thing that startles me even

today is when I look at the numbers and

I say that every second child under the

age of three is undernourished it just

doesn't make sense there's a huge middle

class apathy in India people don't

really understand that there is so much

child malnutrition their lives are very

very different from the children who are

malnourished it would seem that they

don't care across India 25 million

children suffer from starvation it's a

bigger problem here than sub-saharan

Africa many families depend on food

handouts from a welfare system which

critics say is played by mismanagement

and corruption I'm Joe Ambrose on this

edition of 101's we ask why are

thousands of Indian children dying from

hunger

Hindu festivals elia are often a feeding

frenzy these offerings to celebrate the

birth of Lord Rama bring good karma this

boisterous nation produces enough

Hodja's to feed its 1.2 billion people

yet for millions the fight for food

remains half of all families in India's

urban slums struggle to find food and

experience chronic hunger

nine-year-old Roshan lives on Delhi's

outskirts with her relatives going to

bed hungry is something she's used to

six days out eat then the next six days

I wouldn't eat at all Kolkata Tech okay

when I was small I would eat less

because my stomach would burn whenever I

ate Roshan grew up on a daily diet of

around 600 calories eggs chapatis

sometimes a glass of milk a girl her age

should be consuming three times that

amount she tells us this diet made her

repeatedly sick but for Roshan's family

paying rent was more of a pressing

concern than her nutrition

I used to vomit have a fever

and a constant cold I couldn't eat

properly I didn't always get admitted to

the hospital or be seen by a doctor I'll

just cry UNICEF estimates that one in

three of the world's malnourished

children live in India unless the child

is very severely malnourished and about

to die visibly it's not something that

looks like in this like a stunted child

either the big problem in India is

stunting so if you look at a

four-year-old child who's come to it

might just look like a healthy

two-year-old child but does not look

like the images you see from Africa

weather is family men where you have big

bellies if 80% of your children are

stunted then it just seems normal that

that's the way they are

every school morning meals full of

protein and calories are packed into

pots then carted from factories to

classrooms across India this is one way

the government is trying to combat child

malnutrition through a mid-day Meal

Scheme

it's the world's largest lunch program

by law every Indian school student from

ages 6 to 14 is entitled to a free hot

meal development economist Radhika Cara

says the program has been a great

success 140 million children are being

fed every day and that's pretty massive

the other thing with respect to the food

schemes that are geared towards children

is that they don't differentiate between

rich and poor and they're supposed to be

for everyone but the 50 year old program

is far from perfect

Roshan says she and other children don't

eat the meals school meals are not good

because we find worms and insects in

them and those portions are not even

replaced we are made to eat what's

served if someone gets a worm or insects

in your food and doesn't want to eat it

then he or she Machaut it to the teacher

but the teachers are not shouting at

children for that and that upsets the

kids and they end up leaving school this

alleged neglect is occurring just an

hour from the corridors of power New

Delhi the capital has India's highest

per capita income Roshan lives in a

nation of food surplus which has

witnessed rapid annual economic growth

over the past two decades why do we care

about

we care about growth because we wanted

to translate into a better quality of

life for people and on those things

precisely India has not done very well

infant mortality rates are still very

high rates of undernutrition are very

high

critics say serious rights of child

starvation exist in India's booming

cities because of a lack of

accountability in government programs

we've fallen back on creating a strong

welfare system right from the beginning

and earlier there was the excuse that is

a poor country and we didn't have the

money to do it I don't think that excuse

holds anymore we've been growing fast

but the priority for education for

health for creating public institutions

is completely lacking in these biggest

eyes Uttar Pradesh is also home to the

Taj Mahal but in 400 slums around the

nation's biggest icon half the children

under two are underweight we have a

immense group in this slum a physician

by training doctor siddharth Agarwal

left the profession and made it his

lifelong mission to tackle child

malnutrition his NGO aims to improve

urban health services in cities across

India the doctor shows me a government

health center called an Anganwadi

workers here feed children way babies

and provide help to mothers in villages

and slums across India this two-year-old

girl on the scales is malnourished even

at this tender age there will be

irreversible health problems the jail

would no

optimal development in the land who

lasted a London school and then when the

time rose older the WP if the child ends

up being like a daily way neighborhood

he would work far less there should be

four Anganwadi centers for a slum this

size yet there are only two just a few

blocks from the centre

our crews spotted an unhealthy looking

baby girl we think the worker should see

little Sonny is five month old and just

two kilograms the weight of a newborn

baby sadly she's a textbook case of

severe malnutrition her mother's

underweight and there's many mouths to

feed in a family we see this

cross-generational malnutrition in our

country quite a bit that babies are born

small they grow up to be smaller and in

this particular case we have this

situation right before us where the

mother is stunted and we have to

Mannerist children in the family these

children fall through the cracks and

they worry dr. Sadoff the most the onion

lardy workers have never seen this

family

despite the children's poor health and

their proximity to the center tackling

child malnutrition is hard in urban

areas because migrants move around and

centers - this will outreach that's

where the flowing that system is there

are lots of families outside the

coverage of your own right center and we

are trying to encourage them gently

steadily to take charge of a few more

to help fill the gaps dr. Siddhartha NGO

organizes women's camps where mothers

and children receive checkups from a

private doctor for 20 cents a visit he

believes empowering Indian mothers is

key to investing in their children's

nutrition it's difficult for women and

children to go out to the health center

or the hospitals which are quite distant

if they go out they would end up wasting

at least three to four hours so if we

are able to bring these camps to them

then a greater number of women and

children will be availabe services

in India's rural provinces families

struggle for assistance and infant

mortality is amongst the worst in the

world here in Mara Pradesh lower caste

and tribal groups suffer the most

starvation in this province has been

described as extremely alarming by the

global hunger index the worst

number in sub-saharan Africa of

malnutrition is 24% in Madhya Pradesh we

have 60% children malnourished which is

highest in the world legal advocate such

an Jane works with NGOs here to raise

awareness of food security he blames

government neglect for chronic hunger

and starvation deaths here many

villagers survive by eating grass and

roots this family resorts to eating

seeds collected from cow manure and they

just washed the cow dung and get these

seeds out of it and they are breaking

these seeds and the smaller seed is

eaten by muddy muddy children here and

you can imagine by seeing this situation

that how serious the issue of childhood

hunger this particular committee is and

because they are opposed to see they are

they can't find these seeds fresh in the

forest

so it's very much an act of desperation

in some respect definitely and

definitely I'm sure our government of

officers must not be aware about this

thing in this small district 900

children have died from malnutrition

I don't know how the kids here shrivel

up and die they just do not even eyes

and are presentable there's nothing in

our house by Ivana we're poor we live

hand-to-mouth

along with rather me Prem Bhatia

collects herbs from the forest and sells

them to feed her children women here

always work immediately after childbirth

when her infant son hada ma was dying

last June she did what she could

wouldn't be good either by giving I took

him to the hospital nutrition center but

he didn't get better

ah my name is Lee I was asked to stay

back at a hospital I couldn't spare time

so I brought him back right Nathan

anything he was fed well but I had two

more kids at home to look after sway to

leave and bring him home

Prem body has given birth to seven

children three have died from severe

malnutrition

now her younger son Rajkumar is in poor

condition and she's worried she could

lose him too when I put a lid on but I

want to admit him to the hospital but I

can't Oh welcome my husband is away at a

moment so there's no way I can do

anything about it severely malnourished

children are given this facility from

bottie son should be in this hospital

nutrition center but it's a 90-minute

drive from the village that's time and

money she can't afford

despite malnutrition severe grip on

matter pradesh other states have more

centres of young john Kingsley is the

head district officer he says 70% of

children improve when they stay at the

centre for two weeks we are providing

advanced quick medical facilities as far

as possible in all the villages we are

the in our district we have employed

more than 50 ambulances with hospitals

hard to reach families rely on unknown

wari centres for supplementary meals

like cereals and milk finally ready we

get nothing today what milk

we don't get any government officials

make a record of handouts that don't

even reach us they give something but

writes something else

they clearly fill their own pockets I

add the i/o we get a packet over once a

week any nothing else really Prem Bhatia

neighbor Susheela

also lost a baby to malnutrition the

Anganwadi is supposed to provide her

daily rations because she's eight months

pregnant I don't even know what handouts

they have at the center

no one ever informs us about anything

uncle Watty senate has 40 Sachin and I

visit the local Anganwadi centre which

is manned by just one woman she tells us

she hasn't received any training or

equipment so the centre remains shut

good monitoring is a very integral part

of to assess the level of malnutrition

there is no Psalter scale there is no

Venga scale there is no growth chart

available here she should be providing

hot cooked meal to the children but she

is only receiving some packaged food

here it's it's it's a complete mess

actually

the worker also says she hasn't been

paid in months the salary thing what you

talked about it's a purely it's

transferred to their account

maybe she must not have opened our

account our onion body centers are

working very well and we have a closed

system of monitoring but children have

starved to death two minutes from the

Anganwadi there is no punishment we I

have told that there have been nine

hundred deaths of children in this

particular district but not a single

government official has been punished

such a giant claims local officials are

understating the levels of malnutrition

with no cause attributed to hundreds of

child deaths

in January he referred 19 child deaths

including prom bottie San Parma

- John Kingsley's office the response

was that 12 the children including Parma

died of malaria or other causes not

malnutrition government has been in

denial mode for last 12 years they just

do not consider children are dying

because of malnutrition but we have been

putting all these data in front of them

then that even if children in mother

padishah are dying because of diarrhea

malnutrition is a underlying cause of

all these deaths

we showed photos of Prem Bhatia son in

his dying days - John Kingsley if you

look at that photo how is that not

malnutrition see I am myself accepting

that is malnutrition 10,000 of my

children in this district are

malnourished I am NOT domaine that but

if you look at that photo I mean the

belly is completely bloated that's one

of the 12 that you said did not die from

causes related to malnutrition and with

all due respect I take to differ see

actually we have formed a high-level

team of doctors and they gave the report

such and it must be here to report and

it may not be

I don't think see in this child in this

child if it dies of malaria is it

because of malnourishment we have gone

through each and every death in detail

and now we have taken a decision all the

child deaths will be reported with all

reasons

meanwhile excess grain sits in

government warehouses across a country

we're over a million Indian children die

every year from hunger related illnesses

needy families are supposed to receive

these wheat bags through a government

distribution system but such an says a

lot of the bags get siphoned off and

sold on the black market some grain also

rots because of slow bureaucracy at the

national average around 25% of the total

procurement goes vest every year this is

what we call actually politics of hunger

shops like this one distribute

subsidized grain using a ration card

system to make a profit many owners

operate up to nine shops with only a few

staff families often come to find shops

closed and sometimes they're not given

their proper allocations by the shop

owner what these people do they do fake

entries in the registers and they just

take all this food grain to open market

to the floor Mills because it's a

subsidized grain it's 300% profit they

make out of it but this shop owner says

he doesn't shortchange families and

keeps his shop open six days a week and

therefore they aren't educated someone

else from their household can always

keep check on what's written on their

card people are absolutely happy with

the system and no one has any problem

whatsoever

we came back the next working day to

test that claim the street was empty as

you can see the lock completely shut all

the shutters are down and when we

arrived there was one man at the store

over here and he basically couldn't tell

us whether the shop was open for

business he's since scarpered round the

corner and all that's really left is the

scales on the front porch

we're soon surrounded by angry local

villagers who call the shopkeeper a liar

and say the shop is only open once a

month leading to huge queues of

desperate locals snapping up the grains

to improve accountability some states

are considering cash transfers or

biometric cards if you start guest

transfer we have a patriarchal society

if you give money to a family you never

know how it is being used back in Uttar

Pradesh impoverished families don't have

the documents required to get their

ration entitlements this squatter

settlement is home to a few hundred

children but families here have been

issued cards which say they live above

the poverty line which means they must

buy grains at market price the

authorities are very strict about the

poverty line and very conservative in a

way stingy in giving out below poverty

line cards so there is a truth which we

see before us and there is this paper

which we see before us and which does

not match

dr. siddharth says the poverty line

isn't measured properly and entire slums

are invisible to authorities he

estimates 35 million Indians are not

identified correctly inviting sure the

corruption it is an opening for the

dealer to sell in the black-market there

is no accountability there is nobody

keeping track the dealerships are given

based on local power politics but all of

these can be corrected if there is a

will to correct

helia wants to solve these problems with

a twenty billion dollar food security

bill which will guaranteed subsidized

wheat and rice prices for two-thirds of

the population

critics say there's not enough farm

supply and the fiscal deficit is too

large to introduce such a scheme others

argue the bill doesn't go far enough

saying discounted food should be a

universal entitlement in rural areas the

reason why I think it's important is

that actually the undeserving households

the sort of resources and the energy

that goes into identifying these people

doesn't necessarily justify the cause

but dr. Siddharth believes food

distribution should remain targeted

towards the poor so that more starving

children can reap the benefits I think

there is going to be a very large

proportion of the population which does

not need any food subsidy you will end

up having people who have access to food

subsidy will purchase food grains from

this universal food distribution system

and then use it to supply some industry

or supply someone else at a higher cost

dr. Siddharth says char malnutrition is

best tackled through grassroots

governance his NGO has started a women's

committee who represents urban

communities around the Taj Mahal already

they've identified slums using mapping

and collected a pool of savings through

which families can borrow grains to tide

them over in times of crisis

if we do not think of empowering the

disabled populations then we are

basically ignoring them so any system

which relies heavily on giving away is

not likely to be a very successful

system if the system invests in human

beings not making them recipients of

doles then only that system has any

future India is pedaling along as one of

the largest growing economies it could

be the world's biggest by 2050 but

without adequate social welfare for

children tomorrow's workforce its

economic engine could be greatly

impacted I think it's a pretty serious

problem and we are not going to be able

to just junk all these people into the

CV they are going to be here and so

they'll probably pull down the growth

rate Roshan is eating more and feels

healthier now let them add bell pepper

nuts a team I like to grow up to become

a doctor so I can attend to sick

patients and help them get better I'll

give children biscuits and people's

families would be happy and I'll tell

everyone what they can and should and

eat then if they listen to me it's a

good thing in a country where the sky is

the limit

it's a dream that could change the

future of kids who've endured hunger

like Roshan despite a strong economy and

a comprehensive welfare system to

address starvation malnutrition is

linked to half of child deaths here

it remains India's national shame