1. Assessing the True Cost of Nutritious Diets: Limitations of Thalinomics and the Need for CoHD
Introduction:
India faces a paradoxical situation of high malnutrition levels despite falling poverty rates and rising incomes. The National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) for 2015-16 and 2019-21 highlight persistent issues of undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and an increase in overweight and obesity. Access to healthy diets remains a significant challenge for a large section of the population, particularly for economically vulnerable groups.
Key Highlights:
- The Malnutrition Burden:
- Malnutrition in India exists in three forms:
- Undernutrition: Particularly prevalent among children and pregnant women.
- Overnutrition: Increase in overweight and obesity in urban and rural areas.
- Micronutrient Deficiency: High rates of anemia and vitamin deficiencies among adults and children.
- Malnutrition in India exists in three forms:
- Nutritional Guidelines:
- The Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) by ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) cover 60-65% of the recommended daily requirements for food groups like vegetables, dairy, and nuts, but fall short of addressing the need for low-cost, nutritious options.
- There is an increasing focus on vegetarian diets, but the affordability of non-vegetarian food remains critical for meeting protein and micronutrient needs.
- Thalinomics: Cost of a Meal:
- The concept of Thalinomics (introduced in the Economic Survey 2019-20) calculates the cost of an affordable meal (thali) based on typical food components like rice, wheat, pulses, and vegetables.
- Thalinomics is insightful but does not fully capture the cost of meeting nutritional recommendations.
- The Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD):
- The authors propose using CoHD (Cost of a Healthy Diet) as a more accurate method to measure the expenditure required to meet nutritional recommendations based on ICMR’s FBDGs.
- The CoHD reflects food group-wise expenses required to meet the daily nutritional needs, addressing disparities across food groups and the economic burden on households.
- Discrepancies in Food Prices:
- Analysis shows that non-vegetarian thalis are typically more expensive than vegetarian thalis. However, fluctuations in food prices during events like the COVID-19 lockdowns reveal the vulnerability of food systems, especially for perishable items.
- Supply chain disruptions and inflation have disproportionately affected the ability of households to access nutritious, diverse diets.
Issues and Challenges:
- Rising Costs of Nutritious Foods:
- The cost of purchasing a nutritionally adequate diet has increased, with 6% of India’s population unable to afford healthy meals as per World Bank estimates.
- Inequitable Access to Food:
- While economically better-off households can diversify their diets, the poor often rely on basic staples like grains and pulses, missing out on essential nutrients from fruits, vegetables, and animal products.
- Shortcomings of Thalinomics:
- Thalinomics provides useful insights but underestimates the actual cost of meeting nutritional standards, especially for vulnerable groups. It focuses on basic calorie intake but fails to account for micronutrient-rich foods.
Conclusion:
Given India’s high malnutrition burden, tracking the cost of a healthy diet (CoHD) is essential for ensuring food security and meeting nutritional goals. The CoHD is a more accurate measure than Thalinomics because it better reflects the real cost of meeting nutritional recommendations.
The government must address the rising costs of nutritious foods, improve access to diverse food sources, and consider CoHD as a routine metric for policy planning and intervention to combat malnutrition effectively.
Mains Practice Question:
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Q. The rising cost of nutritious diets presents a significant challenge in combating malnutrition in India. In light of this, discuss the limitations of Thalinomics and the advantages of adopting the Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) as a policy measure to ensure food security and nutrition.
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2. India’s National Security Strategy: A Call for Comprehensive and Strategic Preparedness
Introduction:
As India’s geopolitical environment evolves with rising regional tensions and global uncertainties, the demand for a National Security Strategy (NSS) is becoming more urgent. The term ‘national security’ has varied interpretations globally, but in India, it encompasses a broad range of aspects, from military defense to economic resilience, climate change, and technological security.
Key Highlights:
- Importance of National Security Strategy:
- National security is multi-dimensional—ranging from territorial integrity and military strength to economic growth and environmental challenges.
- A clear strategy helps prioritize resources and policy efforts, especially for a country aiming for ambitious economic goals, like becoming a $4 trillion economy.
- Global Comparisons:
- United States: Focuses on values and leadership. The U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) revolves around democracy, human rights, and defending economic interests globally.
- United Kingdom: Addresses a global vision centered around integration with allies to maintain global influence.
- France: France’s 2022 NSS reflects European leadership and military deterrence, influenced by the war in Ukraine.
- India’s Current Approach:
- India’s national security discourse is often fragmented, with budget speeches making little to no reference to external or internal threats.
- A multidimensional NSS is needed to reflect India’s diverse priorities, including sovereignty, economic strength, energy security, and technological advancements.
- Multi-alignment and Strategic Autonomy:
- India’s NSS should incorporate the concept of multi-alignment, cooperating with various global powers—such as the Quad (Australia, India, Japan, U.S.) and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa)—without fully aligning with any single power bloc.
- India faces a complex geopolitical environment, with significant threats from China, Pakistan, and terrorism, as well as challenges like cybersecurity and environmental stress.
- Need for Transparency and Flexibility:
- A successful strategy requires transparency and flexibility, ensuring that India’s military and economic capacities are sufficient to counter external threats.
- A national security strategy would also enable policymakers to maintain a balance between internal security and external diplomacy.
Strategic Areas to Address in the NSS:
- Military and Defense Modernization:
- The NSS must outline defense procurement priorities, focusing on modernizing the military and preparing for multi-front warfare.
- India’s strategic goals must emphasize self-reliance in defense production, enhancing indigenous capabilities while collaborating with key international partners.
- Economic Resilience and National Security:
- The strategy must integrate economic security with national defense. Economic growth is critical for funding military and security-related initiatives.
- Energy security, particularly in the context of global supply chain disruptions and India’s dependence on energy imports, must be a key focus.
- Technological and Cybersecurity:
- The NSS should include a robust plan for cybersecurity, focusing on safeguarding critical infrastructure and digital networks from cyber-attacks.
- Artificial intelligence, space technology, and 5G telecommunications are crucial for maintaining strategic technological superiority.
- Climate Change as a Security Threat:
- Climate change impacts are increasingly viewed as national security concerns, with the potential to cause resource conflicts, mass migration, and humanitarian crises.
- The NSS must recognize the strategic importance of addressing environmental sustainability and disaster preparedness
Conclusion:
India’s evolving geopolitical landscape and its ambitions to become a $4 trillion economy make it essential to adopt a comprehensive National Security Strategy (NSS).
This strategy must prioritize defense modernization, economic resilience, technological advancements, and climate security, all while balancing internal stability with external diplomacy.
As a global player, India needs a flexible and transparent strategy that aligns its military, economic, and environmental capacities to counter emerging threats.
A well-defined NSS will not only secure India’s sovereignty but also enhance its global influence through strategic partnerships and multi-alignment, making it a critical necessity for long-term stability and growth.
Mains Practice Question:
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Q. In light of India’s geopolitical challenges and economic ambitions, discuss the need for a comprehensive National Security Strategy. What key areas should it address to ensure both internal stability and external security?
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