54 Percent Households In Odisha Districts Had Fewer Meals During Lockdown: Study

Bhubaneswar: The going has been tough for many households ever since the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic was imposed. People have had to cut down on their intake of food to be able to survive in the face of financial hardships due to unemployment.

According to a study conducted by Odisha Khadya Adhikar Abhijan in Western Odisha, around 54 percent of households have been eating fewer meals during coronavirus lockdown, reported The New Indian Express (TNIE).

The study was conducted in 10 migration-prone blocks of Bargarh, Balangir, Kalahandi and Nuapada districts. It was held between July 1 and 15. It revealed that:

• Two-third respondents (69 per cent of the families) had to borrow or take small loans from relatives or neighbours to buy food items during the lockdown.
• Around 13 per cent of families had to go hungry for one or more days due to the unavailability of food at home
• Around 16 per cent of the households had exhausted the PDS rice
• One-fourth of the sample families had rice stock at home only for two to seven days
• Two-third of the families were left with no money to buy rice or food items
• At least 57 per cent of the families reported they are worried that they might not have enough food to eat due to depleting food resources in the household and non-availability of cash at hand
• There were approximately 10 per cent families where one or more members have been excluded from the scheme either due to non-availability or non-seeding of Aadhaar and deprived of the 5 kg rice they were entitled under the food security scheme.
• Most of the respondents were daily wagers
• Around 40 pc were dependent on agriculture and 11 per cent on their pension or PDS for survival.
• The forum has recommended the State Government to make PDS coverage universal in the state at least till the COVID-19 situation improves, TNIE further reported.