India’s safety net programmes
Before summarising learnings from our visit, it is important to understand the government-led safety net programme system in India. This will prove useful with further understanding of the many different routes available to us in our forwards journey of iron and folic acid fortification in the Indian food system.
Namely, there are three large-scale food security programmes that come under the social safety net programmes, each of which caters to different beneficiaries:
1. Midday Meal Scheme
The Midday Meal Scheme (MDM) in India is a government-funded programme that provides every child between six and 14 years old in public schools with a hot meal at lunch time. Its aim is to improve enrollment, retention and attendance of school-aged children, as well as to improve their nutrition. MDM falls under the responsibility of the Ministry for Education.
2. Public Distribution System
The Public Distribution System (PDS) is the widest-reaching of the safety net programmes; under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 total coverage under PDS has gone up to 75 percent for the rural population and up to 50 percent for the urban population at national level. PDS is responsible for the widespread distribution of staple food grains, including wheat, rice, sugar and kerosene. Dependent on economic status, recipients receive different quantities of staple foods. PDS falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
3. Integrated Child Development Services
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) target children under six years old and pregnant and lactating mothers. It provides a range of supplements, take home rations, meals and nutritious food items. ICDS falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Cost estimates for fortification of food vehicles in India
Estimated marginal costs for the addition of micronutrients to staple foods as provided by the Food Fortification Resource Centre / Food Safety and Standards Authority of India:
Before summarising learnings from our visit, it is important to understand the government-led safety net programme system in India. This will prove useful with further understanding of the many different routes available to us in our forwards journey of iron and folic acid fortification in the Indian food system.
Namely, there are three large-scale food security programmes that come under the social safety net programmes, each of which caters to different beneficiaries:
1. Midday Meal Scheme
The Midday Meal Scheme (MDM) in India is a government-funded programme that provides every child between six and 14 years old in public schools with a hot meal at lunch time. Its aim is to improve enrollment, retention and attendance of school-aged children, as well as to improve their nutrition. MDM falls under the responsibility of the Ministry for Education.
2. Public Distribution System
The Public Distribution System (PDS) is the widest-reaching of the safety net programmes; under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 total coverage under PDS has gone up to 75 percent for the rural population and up to 50 percent for the urban population at national level. PDS is responsible for the widespread distribution of staple food grains, including wheat, rice, sugar and kerosene. Dependent on economic status, recipients receive different quantities of staple foods. PDS falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
3. Integrated Child Development Services
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) target children under six years old and pregnant and lactating mothers. It provides a range of supplements, take home rations, meals and nutritious food items. ICDS falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Cost estimates for fortification of food vehicles in India
Estimated marginal costs for the addition of micronutrients to staple foods as provided by the Food Fortification Resource Centre / Food Safety and Standards Authority of India:
Overview of wheat flour production and distribution industry in India
There are three types of wheat flour consumed in India; atta, maida and sujji, with atta having by far the highest demand.
In India, the wheat flour production industry is fragmented and milling can occur at various levels, dependent on the setting. This means that wheat grain can either be milled at village level, in medium-scale mills or in large industrial mills.
- Chakki mills: Process about 50 percent of wheat in India. Chakki mills are also known as local chakki mills or stone grinder mills. Under the Public Distribution System (PDS), wheat is generally distributed in grain form, as opposed to flour form. Recipients of wheat in PDS take their wheat to their local village miller, called a chakki miller, where their wheat grain is ground into flour. Chakki mills are often preferred given the texture of the grains, the norm of milling one’s own flour, and the short shelf life of flour (often only four to six weeks due to a combination of factors including moisture content, presence of insect eggs, etc.).
- Commercial chakki mills: Centralise stone grinding equipment at mid-size operational scale but use the same general approach in stone-grinding grains.
- Roller flour mills: Use different technology to mass produce flour from grains. Although these are less common, the total output of any one facility is often substantially larger, and the costs per kilogram of flour milled are substantially lower.