Skip to main content

Covid measure for better nutrition? Odisha PDS 'doesn't offer' enough dal to poor

Wall writing to propagate nutritional value of dal 
By A Representative
An Odisha civil society report has revealed that despite the fact that the state government has been offering 1 kg of dal (pulses) per month to each family as a "covid elevation measure", 63% of the families families surveyed said the dal lasted between one and five days, while 27% of families consumed dal between six and 10 days.
While of 99.9% families agreed that dal has nutritional value, the survey, says a civil society note, people need dal from the government “as a nutrition supplement looking at the consumption trend”, insisting, “Access to and availability of dal is a challenge to people, especially in remote areas.”
Carried out to assess whether nutritional food security is being taken care of by the government’s publilc distribution system by NGOs Atmashakti Trust and its allies Shramajeebee Mancha and Mahila Shramajeebee Mancha, and titled “Consumption of Dal and its Impact on nutritional food security in Odisha”, the survey, claimed the report, covered more than 10,000 families in 16 districts, among those are dominated by tribals, Dalits and other marginalised communities.
The report quoted the Sample Registration Survey (SRS) 2016 to say that there were 8.3 lakh live births in Odisha, of which more than 26,000 newborns did not survive their first 28 days of life, and more than 41,000 did not live to celebrate their fifth birthday. “Malnutrition of mother and child is a primary contributing factor for these untimely deaths”, the report insisted.
According to the report, “No doubt, the state has done improvement on the percentage of malnourished children under-5 in the state. Thus in the fourth National Family Health Survey (2015-16), 34.4% were found to be malnourished, as against 40.7% in a decade earlier (NFHS-3). 
However, it underlined, “The tribal communities still suffer the most. Almost half of the under-5 children from tribal communities in Odisha are underweight, and the stunting rate among them is 46%. Malnutrition is as high as 51.8% in Malkangiri district, while other tribal districts are way behind the state average in their performance.”
The report quotes panchayati raj institute (PRI) members as stating that the government should continue dal in PDS and include edible oil and iodised salt in its regular supply under the State Food Security Scheme which will benefit the people who cannot afford these commodities.
Thus, sarpanch of Korukudupa gram panchayat in Kandhamal district Pukuru Majhi said that the government must include dal, edible oil and the iodized salt under PDS as this will help the needy and poor to consume food that has nutritional supplements.
He has written a letter to the chief minister in this regard and hopes that the government would take immediate steps to include these in PDS. Premashila Nayak, a ward member of Bruhabadi village of Raikia block has also written a letter to the chief minister, urging upon the need to ensure nutritional food security for all.

Comments

SAMIR SARDANA said…
CHAIWALA'S HINDOOSTHAN, IS A NATION WHICH LEVIES THE HIGHEST TAXES ON FUEL OILS AND EDIBLE OILS - THE 2 THINGS THAT INDIANS CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT !

Some misconceptions about the edible oils of Chaiwala !

There are TWO "C"'s which nailed the coffin of India !

1st = Chaiwala
2nd = COVID

The Chaiwala has NO revenues - and the only option,is to tax fuel and edible oils !

That is Y the edible oil rates in India,are the highest in the world !

The Crux in the edible oil market,is PALM oil - which INDIA JUST DOES NOT HAVE !

All the rest India has - BUT NOT IN ENOUGH QUANTITIES - AND WILL NEVER BE,AS THERE IS NO SCALE OR QUALITY IN FARMING !dindooohindoo

Indian farmers are lazy dullards,and have neither the capital/technology nor the brain,to do oil seeds farming.

Palm Oil,Mustard/Soyabean/Sunflower/Castor oil etc.,are grown in different geographies,and there is no fundamental link in their prices - but in the COVID time, and in the monkey land of Chaiwala,there is a link

Palm is the Poor Man's edible oil - but Palm Oil harvesting,is a labour intensive process and in COVID times - there is no labour so costs are higher,and the maximum output is lowered.On Top of that,a bio-plague on South East Asian Plantations,is OVERDUE.In the 1st world,Palm Oil is used to make Dog Food !

Then there is the correlation of Palm and Crude,via the bio-diesel and other links.So if Palm oil is elevated in COVID times,all other oils will also be elevated,and by a higher factor.

But in India - the panwari banias,import PALM OIL,to mix it with OTHER HIGHER GRADE OILS -INDIAN DNA !

Then some Panwari Banias import Palm Oil,to mix it in Fuel Oil !

Then some Panwari Banias import lower grade Palm (as the import duty is lower than for Prime),and then refine it in India (but in sone cases,the Oil imported is PRIME - but mislabelled)

THERE MAY COME A DAY,WHEN INDIA WILL NOT IMPORT FUEL OIL (IN FANTASIES) - BUT PALM WILL ALWAYS HAVE TO BE IMPORTED AND SO,WILL THE OTHER EDIBLE OILS - AS INDIAN FARMERS AND NETAS AND BABOOS,ARE JUST INEPT !

INDIA JUST CANNOT PRODUCE THAT GRADE OF OIL FRUIT (And will never be able to)- AND THE REFINING CAPACITIES ARE THE BEST O/S INDIA - SO BY ALLOWING REFINING OF EDIBLE OIL IMPORTS IN INDIA - THE GOI IS WASTING RESOURCES,AS THAT OIL CAN BE REFINED CHEAPER AND BETTER O/S INDIA.

SO Y IS CHAIWALA ALLOWING IT ?

SIMPLE - TO ALLOW HIS PIMPS TO MAKE A SUPERPROFIT FROM A MONOPOLY BUSINESS !

BASICALLY ANY EDIBLE SNAKE OIL SOLD IN SHOPS IN INDIA,CAN BE REFINED IN BULK - FAR CHEAPER, IN SOUTH EAST ASIA OR BRAZIL OR ARGENTINA - BUT INDIA STILL REFINES AND VALUE ADDS,IN INDIA !

Y

SO THAT CHAIWALA CAN TAX THE RAW OIL IMPORT,AND THEN TAX THE PROFIT OF INDIAN REFINERS,AND ALSO GST FOR GOI - WORKING CAPITAL FINANCNG !

And then the refining and value add In India,is another story ! It is elementary chemistry , and there is NO TRADE SECRET IN THE SAME.

AND SO,COMES IN THE ADVERT BLITZ !

SO THE MISERABLE INDIANS ARE PAYING THE HIGHEST IMPORT DUTY ON EDIBLE OILS,AS CHAIWALA IS BUST,AND THEN INDIANS ARE ALSO PAYING THE HIGHEST GST ON THE RETAIL OIL,AND THEN ARE PAYING TO BE CONNED,AS 30% OF THE NSR OF A BOTTLE, IS THE BRAND AND ADVERT COST - WHICH IS THE MONEY SPENT TO FOOL THE INDIAN DUDS (ABOUT THE MAGICAL SNAKE OIL)- USING AMITABH BACHHAN,WHO HAS NO TEETH TO EAT THE FOOD,MADE FROM THAT OIL !

THIS IS HINDOOSTHAN OF CHAIWALA - HEADING TO COMPLETE DESTRUCTION !

INDIA HAS TO BE DESTROYED FOR THE EMANCIPATION OF THE LOWER CASTES AND MINORITIES !

TRENDING

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup*  I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra  International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars. 

Dhurandhar: The Revenge — Blurring the line between fiction and political narrative

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan*  "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" does not wait to be remembered; it arrives almost on the heels of its predecessor, released on March 19, 2026, just months after the first film’s December 2025 debut. The speed of its arrival feels less like creative urgency and more like calculated timing—cinema responding not to storytelling rhythm but to the emotional climate of its audience. Director Aditya Dhar, along with actor Yami Gautam, appears acutely aware of this moment and how to harness it.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan   In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

BJP accounts for 99% of political donations in Gujarat: Corporate giants dominate

By Jag Jivan   An analysis of the official data on donations received by national parties from Gujarat during the Financial Year 2024-25 reveals a staggering concentration of funding, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounting for nearly the entirety of the contributions. The data, compiled in a document titled "National Parties donations received from Gujarat during FY-2024-25," lists thousands of transactions, painting a detailed picture of the financial backing for political parties from one of India’s most industrially significant states.

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan  A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.

Captains extraordinaire: Ranking cricket’s most influential skippers

By Harsh Thakor*  Ranking the greatest cricket captains is a subjective exercise, often sparking passionate debate among fans. The following list is not merely a tally of wins and losses; it is an assessment of leadership’s deeper impact. My criteria fuse a captain’s playing record with their tactical skill, placing the highest consideration on their ability to reshape a team’s fortunes and inspire those around them. A captain who inherited a dominant empire is judged differently from one who resurrected a nation’s cricket from the doldrums. With that in mind, here is my perspective on the finest leaders the game has ever seen.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

‘No merit’ in Chakraborty’s claims: Personal ethics talk sans details raises questions

By Jag Jivan  A recent opinion piece published in The Quint by Subhash Chandra Garg has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Atanu Chakraborty from HDFC Bank , with Garg stating that the exit “raises doubts about his own ‘ethics’.” Garg, currently Chief Policy Advisor at Subhanjali and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, writes that the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) appears to find no substance in Chakraborty’s claims, noting, “It is clear the RBI sees no merit in Atanu Chakraborty’s wild and vague assertions.”