The perception that people become lazy if they are given free food grains is not well-founded. According to the Global Hunger Index report 2022, India ranks 107 out of 121 with a score of 29.1, which is considered ‘serious hunger’.

A hungry population is malnourished, leading to increased incidence of child wasting/stunting, anaemia, cognitive impairment, and a surge in chronic diseases like tuberculosis, obesity, diabetes, etc. This incapacitates the human resource, which is an asset to India.

Cooking requires vegetables, meat, and groceries. People have to work to meet these needs. Providing rice is just a basic step in reducing the burden and mitigating hunger.

Some sections of society complain that labourers and workers will demand higher wages. According to changing societal needs and aspirations, the cost of labour should also increase. We can’t expect poor people to work only to earn a meal. Their lifestyle should improve beyond that.

Nourishing the population with good nutrition will have a positive impact on public health, which in turn strengthens the human resource and helps the economy.