THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - June 25, 2018 - Topic 2
The UN’s State of Food Security and
Nutrition in the World report for 2017 has important pointers to achieve
nutrition policy reform. At the global level, the five agencies that together
produced the assessment found that the gains achieved on food security and
better nutrition since the turn of the century may be at risk. Although
absolute numbers of people facing hunger and poor nutrition have always been
high, there was a reduction in the rate of undernourishment since the year
2000.
That has slowed from 2013, registering a worrying increase in 2016. The
estimate of 815 million people enduring chronic food deprivation in 2016,
compared to 775 million in 2014, is depressing in itself, but more important is
the finding that the deprivation is even greater among people who live in
regions affected by conflict and the extreme effects of climate change. In a
confounding finding, though, the report says that child under-nutrition rates
continue to drop, although one in four children is still affected by stunting.
These are averages and do not reflect the disparities among regions, within
countries and between States. Yet, the impact of the economic downturn, many
violent conflicts, fall in commodity export revenues, and failure of
agriculture owing to drought and floods are all making food scarce and
expensive for many. They represent a setback to all countries trying to meet
the Sustainable Development Goal on ending hunger and achieving food security
and improved nutrition.
India’s efforts at improving access to food and good nutrition are
led by the National Food Security Act. There are special nutritional schemes
for women and children operated through the States. In spite of such
interventions, 14.5% of the population suffers from undernourishment, going by
the UN’s assessment for 2014-16. At the national level, 53% of women are
anaemic, Health Ministry data show. What is more, the Centre recently said it
had received only 3,888 complaints on the public distribution system (PDS) over
a five-year period. All this shows that the Centre and State governments are
woefully short on the commitment to end undernourishment. Institutions such as
the State Food Commissions have not made a big difference either. Distributing nutritious
food as a public health measure is still not a political imperative, while
ill-conceived policies are making it difficult for many to do this. The report
on nutritional deficiency should serve as an opportunity to evaluate the role
played by the PDS in bringing about dietary diversity for those relying on
subsidised food. In a report issued two years ago on the role played by rations
in shaping household and nutritional security, the NITI Aayog found that
families below the poverty line consumed more cereals and less milk compared to
the affluent. Complementing rice and wheat with more nutritious food items
should be the goal.
Vocabulary
Achieve: reach
or attain a desired objective, level, or result by effort, skill, or courage.
Example: He
achieved his ambition to become a journalist
Synonyms: attain, reach, arrive
at, realize, bring off/about, pull off, accomplish
Reform: the
action or process of reforming an institution or practice.
Example: The
reform of the divorce laws
Synonyms: improvement, amelioration, refinement, alteration, change, adaptation
Assessment: the
evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality, or ability of someone or
something.
Example: The
assessment of educational needs
Synonyms: evaluation, judgment, rating, estimation, appraisal, analysis, opinion
Absolute: not
qualified or diminished in any way
Example: Absolute
secrecy
Synonyms: complete, total, utter,
outright, entire, perfect, pure, decided
Enduring: suffer
something painful or difficult patiently.
Example: It
seemed impossible that anyone could endure such pain
Synonyms: undergo, live
through, experience, meet, encounter, cope with
Deprivation: the
damaging lack of material benefits considered to be basic necessities in a
society.
Example: Low
wages mean that 3.75 million people suffer serious deprivation
Synonyms: poverty, impoverishment, penury, privation, hardship, destitution, need
Stunting: prevent
from growing or developing properly.
Example: Some
weeds produce chemicals that stunt the plant's growth
Synonyms: inhibit, impede, hamper, hinder, restrict, retard, slow, curb, check
Intervention: the
action or process of intervening.
Example: They
are plants that grow naturally without human intervention
Imperative: giving
an authoritative command
Example: The
bell pealed again, a final imperative call
Synonyms: peremptory, commanding, imperious, authoritative, masterful, dictatorial
Conceive: form
or devise a plan or idea in the mind.
Example: The
dam project was originally conceived in 1977
Synonyms: think
of, dream
up, devise, formulate, design, originate, create
Consume: eat,
drink, or ingest food or drink
Example: People
consume a good deal of sugar in drinks
Synonyms: eat, devour, ingest, swallow, gobble
up, wolf down, guzzle, feast on, snack on
