Poverty and malnutrition form a vicious cycle that severely hampers human capital formation, impeding economic growth and social development. This analysis explores targeted interventions, including improving access to quality education, enhancing food security, and promoting health and nutrition programs, to disrupt this cycle and foster a healthier, more productive population.

Q7. Poverty and malnutrition create a vicious cycle, adversely affecting human capital formation. What steps can be taken to break the cycle?

Model Answer:

Introduction

A two-way link exists between malnutrition and poverty, creating a vicious cycle with each fueling the other. Malnutrition produces conditions of poverty by reducing the economic potential of the population and likewise, poverty reinforces malnutrition by increasing the risk of food insecurity.

Body

‍

Steps that can be taken to break this vicious cycle:

• Ensuring food security: some text
  • Subsidized Nutritional Programs: For example, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme provides food, preschool education, and healthcare to children under six years and their mothers.
  • Community Kitchens and Meal Programs: For example, Mid-Day Meal Scheme offers free lunches to schoolchildren, ensuring they receive at least one nutritious meal a day, which can improve attendance and learning outcomes.
• Improving agriculture productivity:some text
  • Support for Farmers: The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme provides direct cash transfers to small and marginal farmers to help them meet their agricultural needs.‍
• Promotion of Sustainable Practices: Initiatives like the Soil Health Card Scheme promote sustainable agriculture by providing farmers with information about soil health and recommended practices.

• Skill Development: The Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana provides skill development and training to rural youth, promoting better employment opportunities that can improve family nutrition.
• Access to Healthcare: The Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana offers health insurance coverage to low-income families, ensuring access to essential healthcare services, including maternal and child health.
• Social Protection Measures: Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) provides accidental death and disability coverage at a low premium.
• Community Involvement: Programs like Self-Help Groups (SHGs) empower women and encourage collective efforts in nutrition and income generation.
• Feedback Mechanisms: Surveys like the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) provide valuable data on health and nutrition indicators, guiding policy and program development.

Conclusion

Breaking the cycle of poverty and malnutrition requires a multifaceted approach that combines immediate interventions with long-term strategies. By enhancing food security, improving agricultural practices, increasing access to healthcare, and promoting education and community involvement, it is possible to create an environment conducive to better nutrition and human capital formation.

‍

Instant Mains Evaluation with SuperKalam

✅ Now that you have gone through the model answer, try practicing and writing it in your own words and evaluate it instantly with SuperKalam here - Evaluate Mains Answer instantly

‍

✅ Download Model Answer PDF for complete UPSC Mains 2024 GS2 Paper with analysis here - Download GS2 Model Answers