UPSC DAW Mains Answer Writing 2025 19th August

UPSC DAW Mains Answer Writing 2025 19th August

Question

While India has made notable progress in reducing hunger through food security measures, the greater challenge lies in ensuring nutritional adequacy. Discuss the transformation of India’s Public Distribution System and the reforms needed in the agrifood system to address hunger and malnutrition. (15 marks, 250 words) 

Model Answer

Introduction:  

  • Hunger in India has witnessed a declining trend, with undernourishment falling from 14.3% (2020–22) to 12% (2022–24), as per the SOFI Report 2025. Yet, while caloric sufficiency has improved, nutritional adequacy remains a challenge where over 70% of Indians cannot afford a healthy diet (FAO, 2023). Thus, India’s fight has shifted from ‘food security’ to ‘nutrition security.’ 

 Transformation of the Public Distribution System (PDS): 

  • Digital Governance & Leakages Control: 

  • Aadhaar-enabled PDS (AePDS) and biometric authentication reduced ghost beneficiaries and diversion, as per the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution annual report, 2023. 

  • Real-time tracking through Annavitran portal ensured transparency. 

  • Portability of Benefits: 

  • One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) covers ~800M beneficiaries, ensuring portability across 36 States/UTs, which is crucial for migrants’ welfare. 

  • Pandemic Expansion: 

  • Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) provided free foodgrains to 800M people for 28 months during COVID-19. 

  • Nutritional Fortification: 

  • Rice fortification scheme, as announced in Budget 2021–22, which targets to distribute fortified rice in all PDS and mid-day meals by 2024. 

  • Integration with Welfare Schemes: 

  • PM POSHAN (Mid-Day Meal, 2021) shifted to nutrition-rich menus. 

  • Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) delivers hot meals and take-home rations for 100M women & children. 

  • Judicial Endorsement: 

  • Supreme Court in PUCL vs Union of India (2001) upheld PDS as part of Right to Food under Article 21. 

Reforms Needed in Agrifood System: 

  • Diversification of Production: 

  • Shift procurement focus from wheat–rice dominance to pulses, millets, fruits, vegetables, and animal-source foods (FAO SOFI 2025). 

  • Reform MSP to incentivise nutrient-rich crops (NITI Aayog, Strategy @75). 

  • Reducing Post-Harvest Losses: 

  • Reduce 13% food loss from farm to market (as per FAO report, 2025) and expand cold storage, warehouses, and digital logistics (e-NAM, AgriStack) to lower costs of perishable nutritious foods. 

  • Make Healthy Diets Affordable: 

  • Price policy reforms to subsidise nutrient-dense foods. 

  • Expand cash/DBT nutrition entitlements for poor households. 

  • Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture: 

  • Integrate POSHAN Abhiyaan targets into agricultural planning. 

  • Empowering Smallholders & Women: 

  • Strengthen 10,000 FPOs by 2027 for collective bargaining. 

  • Support women-led enterprises and SHGs to build nutrition-sensitive local food chains. 

  • Climate-Resilient & Sustainable Crops: 

  • Promote climate-smart crops like millets and pulses to ensure food security amid climate shocks. 

  • Global Knowledge Sharing: 

  • India’s digital innovations in food governance can serve as templates for the Global South and thus boost Agrifood systems across the world. 

 Conclusion:  

  • India’s digitally transformed PDS demonstrates how hunger can be curbed through strong governance. But to tackle hidden hunger and malnutrition, reforms must shift India’s agrifood system from cereal-centric security to nutrition-focused resilience. This transition is vital for positioning India as a global leader in hunger eradication.