Around 50.3 per cent of the population in Jharkhand does not get sufficient food to meet their annual requirement with the situation being worse amongst the backward casts (62 per cent), primitive tribes (53 per cent) and scheduled tribe (38 percent), stated a survey carried out by group of civic society organizations on hunger index.
The report was released during a panel discussion on food and nutrition security in Jharkhand in Ranchi on Thursday. Minister of Food and Civil Supplies Saryu Roy was also present on the occasion. The report on the Global Hunger Index was also released in the function.
The report stated that most of the families face a crisis during the monsoon season which includes months of June, July, August and September when the hunger index rises to a high as 49.5 per cent among the families. The situation turns better with the yield of certain crops including maize and pulses in October.
The report stated that during monsoon most of crops are growing on the fields while the people do not get work due to the rains.
Around 4-5 per cent of the primitive tribes take only one meal a day during the crisis period while 26 per cent of the population somehow manages two meals.
The food pattern in the State varies in different communities. One third of the primitive tribes do not include pulses in their diet while 20 per cent of the scheduled caste cannot afford pulses in their food.
Speaking in the programme Saryu Roy said that Hunger Index report was very useful; however, there was need for micro level study of the food situation. He said that block level and panchayat level study was needed so that government could make their plans in a better manner.
“We have developed districts where certain blocks affected by all pervasive poverty. We need to know where to focus while making our plans,” Roy said. He said that study of the effectiveness of various government schemes should be also done.
Roy also said that so far he has not been able to understand how NITI ayog functions at the Centre and compared its expert as popular comic figure Chacha Chowdhary whose brain is faster than computer and its directives as Saboo.