HOW about an idea which can improve nutrition in ways that will also reduce costs significantly? Such a win-win situation can be realized if the food procurement system is decentralized in significant ways.
Over the years, India has built up an elaborate food security system based on procurement mainly of wheat and rice and its allocation for subsidized food rations under the public distribution system (PDS) as well as for nutrition schemes like mid-day meals and for the anganwadi.
The existing system relies to a large extent on procurement from a few limited surplus areas like Punjab, Haryana. . .