BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI: The Indian Government’s focus needs to shift from food security to nutrition security so that attention is paid not only to calories and proteins but also to micronutrients, the CEO National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), Ashok Dalwai, has said.

Speaking at an ASSOCHAM National Conference on “Nutrition and Food”, Mr Dalwai said that the Government and the industry need to link up and work towards addressing the nutrition requirement of the people, employment engagement and the livestock sector.

India has been able to fight protein hunger and calorie hunger but now there is a need to fight hidden hunger, Dr Shikha Sharma, Managing Director, NutriHealth told DTMT.

She said, “While working as a junior cardiologist in Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi, I learnt that most patients in the ICU had no idea about the root cause of their heart problems.”

The patients were also likely to relapse into unhealthy eating after treatment, Dr Sharma added.

Head of Nutrition, UN World Food Programme, Dr Shariqua Yunus, said that children in India are growing up stunted and tackling malnutrition is a key challenge for the country.

“This needs to change for India that is doing well in many other areas, and it needs to come together to tackle the challenge of nutrition,” Dr Yunus said.