Covid-19 has pushed half of India’s poor away from nutritious food: report (Indian Express)
April 14
Indian Express published an article detailing the findings in the 2021 Global Food Policy Report. According to the Report, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions that followed has resulted in half of India’s poor people being deprived of nutritious food. The lack of a social safety net resulted in misery for workers, many of whom were suddenly left without means of transport. Women were at the receiving end of the restrictions with the report pointing out how 50 per cent of households surveyed reported that women were spending more time in cooking or fetching firewood than before. The Report added, “Lockdowns shuttered schools and day-care centers, which provide critical meals and supplementary nutrition to hundreds of millions of young children. The country’s school closures likely exacerbated food insecurity and malnutrition, especially for girls and disadvantaged populations.”