As part of Covid elevation measures, a meagre amount of 1 kg of Chana dal has been provided to BPL/PDS beneficiaries as per monthly quota. But of late the State Government has planned to stop its allocation from November.
As it has been a key arsenal in rural Odisha’s pandemic fight and will be crucial to address malnutrition in the long run, civil society groups have urged the State Government to continue the supply of one kg of dal for at least 12 months and provide an additional quantity of 2 kg dal per family at Rs 10kg and add 1 kg of cooking oil at Rs 10 per litre and 1 kg of Iodized salt free of cost to keep hunger and malnutrition at bay.
Following Covid-19 lockdown, people witnessed a spike in prices compared to 2019 and high prices of pulses may affect nutrition security, claimed NGO Atmashakti Trust and its allies Odisha Shramajeebee Mancha and Mahila Shramajeebee Mancha, according to a study they had recently conducted to know the consumption practices of dal and its impact on nutritional food security in rural Odisha during Covid-19.
The online survey titled “Consumption of Dal and its impact on nutritional food security in Odisha” which was undertaken with more than 10,769 families in the State in 16 districts covering 405 villages of 371 Gram Panchayats in 83 blocks reveal the emerging need of dal and edible oil in (PDS) public distribution system to ensure nutritional food security among people in rural Odisha. According to the study report, 99.9 per cent of surveyed families said that the dal provided under the PDS are benefiting them. It emphasizes that people need dal from the Government as a nutrition supplement looking at their consumption trend.
The survey report also revealed that 46.6 per cent of the families have to spend between Rs 81 and Rs 100 for 1 kg of dal and around 2 per cent of families have also said that they have to pay more than Rs 110 for 1kg dal. The enhanced price of dal will most likely distort spending and consumption decisions and this may affect nutrition security, especially for low-income families.
The State Government is additionally providing 1 kg of milled Chana dal per family per month during Covid-19. But the study results reveal that 63 per cent of families reported this dal lasting between 1 and 5 days while 27 per cent of families reportedly consumed this dal within 6 to 10 days while 76.45 per cent of families reported that they were consuming the dal for one meal only. 92 per cent families told that they would increase their Dal consumption if they could afford it.
