This is the right time to wage a decisive battle against malnutrition in India.

The Modi government has come up with a new scheme, in which the food grains distributed under the Public Distribution System are being fortified. In government schemes, salt, edible oil, milk and wheat are already made available to the people by fortifying them, but even after this India was not able to meet its nutritional requirement. On the occasion of Independence Day this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that fortified rice would be made available to the whole of India by the year 2024. The government is working vigorously on this scheme and fortified rice is also being made available among the people through public distribution system and other means.
Malnutrition or say the lack of nutrients in food, is a problem that has crippled India’s economy from within. The report of NITI Aayog suggests that invisible starvation is causing disease like anemia in Indians. In the 2015-16 report released by the National Family Health Survey, it was told that every second woman in India suffers from anemia. Anemia occurs in both married and unmarried women.
Every third child in India is malnourished. People have enough food to eat but there is no essential nutrients in the food. The government had prepared standards on economic basis to determine poverty in India. The government had considered a person who spends 20 rupees per day as above poverty line. After which this standard was changed on the orders of the Supreme Court and the person consuming more than 2000 calories per day was placed above the poverty line, but this target could not be achieved.
As soon as the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power, it insisted on increasing the micronutrients in rice. During his address to the nation on the occasion of 15 August 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the distribution of fortified rice under all the welfare schemes of the government. Now Food Corporation of India tenders for fortified rice to companies certified by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. At present, one percent fortified rice is mixed with rice. For example, 50 kg should contain half a kg of fortified rice. To identify it, the rice mill also puts the mark of F-plus on the sack.

It is noteworthy that the previous Congress government had set standards, but no concerted effort was made to solve the problem of invisible hunger. A scheme like Mid-Day Meal was started, but this scheme got lost due to government corruption. The food that was available to the children was also free from nutrients. On the other hand, the Modi government is providing essential nutrients like Vitamin C, K1, K12, Folic Acid, Iron and Zinc to the poorest of the poor Indians through fortified rice.
Fortified rice delivers nutrients to the body along with eating it naturally, so there are no side effects. Fortified rice is sprinkled with nutrients, or nutrient crystals the size of a grain are added to 200 grains of rice. However, there have been reports in rural areas that some people throw these crystals as fake rice. Therefore, there is also a need to emphasize on necessary public awareness by the government.