In recent findings, the Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index measures households’ various and concurrent deprivations across the three macro aspects of health, education, and living standards.
According to data given by NITI Aayog in 2021, 25.01 percent of the Indian population is multidimensionally poor, with a Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) score of 0.118, according to Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar.
The minister was answering a question in the Lok Sabha. The national MPI in India captures various and concurrent deprivations experienced by families across the three macro dimensions of health, education, and living standards.
Climate discussion
During the present winter session of the Rajya Sabha, certain parliamentary issues about climate change were raised. Phulo Devi Netam, a Rajya Sabha member, highlighted concerns about the impact of climate change on forest products and output.
The lawmaker has also requested information on the government’s climate change action plan.
However, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, answered that the ministry has not done any particular monitoring studies.
Climate change is expected to have an influence on animal output and health, resulting in a decrease in milk, meat, and wool productivity, Tomar stated in answer to another question on the impact of climate change on agriculture.
Major negative impacts of global climate change on agriculture include increased irrigation requirements, changes in rainfall patterns, and weather hazards; a decline in soil and water quality; shifting dynamics of insects, diseases, soil flora and fauna; seawater intrusion on land, and biotic and abiotic stresses caused by climatic extremes, according to the minister.
According to the minister, the horticulture sector is anticipated to be badly impacted by unseasonal rainfall and temperature fluctuations.
Losses incurred after harvest
According to Prahlad Singh Patel, minister of state for food processing industries, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries has not done any particular research to analyse the impact of high temperatures on post-harvest losses of agricultural output in India.
The minister was replying to queries from Akhilesh Prasad Singh, a member of Parliament.
“High temperature conditions cause fruit and vegetable quality to deteriorate,” the minister stated. The ministry, however, has commissioned a research through NABARD Consultancy Services Pvt Ltd to calculate post-harvest losses of agricultural products in India in 2022, according to the minister.
The research looked at output losses from 2020 to 2021.
Since 2016-17, the ministry has been implementing a central sector umbrella programme, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY), for the overall growth and development of the food processing industry, according to Patel.
The project intends to increase the country’s preservation and processing capacity in order to decrease post-harvest losses, provide off-farm jobs, and boost value addition and exports.
PMKSY’s component schemes are as follows:Infrastructure for value addition and integrated cold chainCluster infrastructure for agro-processingFood processing and preservation capacity creation/expansionInfrastructure for food safety and quality assuranceHuman resources, research and development institutes, and Operation Greens
The PMKSY also included the Mega Food Park and the Scheme for Backward and Forward Linkages, both of which have since been cancelled.
Doubling of farmers’ income
Tomar asserted that the government’s attempts to quadruple farmers’ income had generated favourable results.
From 2018-19, the government has increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all mandatory Kharif, Rabi, and other commercial crops, with a return of at least 50% of the total average cost of production.
MSP for paddy has raised from Rs. 1,310 per quintal in 2013-14 to Rs. 2,040 in 2022-23. Tomar informed the Rajya Sabha that the MSP for wheat will rise to Rs. 2,125 per quintal in 2022-23, up from Rs. 1,400 in 2013-14.