Latest news with #NutritionalIntakeinIndia
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Business Standard
08-07-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
Nutrition transition: Focus should now be on diet quality, protein shifts
More importantly, the wide disparities in calorie consumption between the poorest and the wealthiest have narrowed significantly, signalling a welcome reduction in nutritional inequality Business Standard Editorial Comment Mumbai Listen to This Article The National Statistics Office recently released the Nutritional Intake in India report. Analysing the data from the Household Consumption Expenditure Surveys (HCES) for 2022-23 and 2023-24, the study offers several insights into India's evolving dietary patterns. The findings suggest stability in average daily per capita calorie intake, with rural India recording 2,233 kcal in 2022-23 and a marginal dip to 2,212 kcal in 2023-24. Urban India shows a similar plateau, with 2,250 kcal and 2,240 kcal for the respective years. While this seems reassuring, India's nutrition landscape reflects both progress and persistent challenges. A particularly encouraging trend is the improvement
Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Top 5% in rural India consume nearly double the animal protein of bottom 5%
A report by the Ministry of Statistics titled 'Nutritional Intake in India (2022–23 & 2023–24)' indicates that as Monthly Per Capita Consumer Expenditure (MPCE) — the average monthly spending per person in a household— goes up, so does the reliance on eggs, fish, and meat as sources of protein. This pattern is especially pronounced in rural India, where dietary habits are more sensitive to income levels. Among the poorest 5% of the rural population based on MPCE fractile classes, just 9% of their total protein intake comes from animal-based sources like eggs, fish, and meat. In contrast, the richest 5% in rural areas derive 17.1% of their protein from these non-vegetarian items, almost double the share seen among the poorest. In urban India, however, the gap is narrower. The lowest MPCE group in urban areas gets 11.2% of their protein from animal sources, compared to 13.8% among the highest MPCE group. While income still influences dietary patterns in cities, the difference in protein source preferences is less stark than in rural regions. MPCE represents the average monthly spending per person within a household. It is widely used in National Sample Survey (NSS) reports serving as a key indicator of household consumption patterns and is often used as a proxy for assessing living standards and poverty levels. To analyse consumption distribution across the population, MPCE data is divided into fractile classes statistical groupings that split the population into equal segments based on their expenditure levels. According to the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023–24, the bottom 5% of India's rural population ranked by MPCE has an average monthly per capita expenditure of Rs 1,677, compared to Rs 2,376 among the bottom 5% in urban areas. In stark contrast, the top 5% of the population spends significantly more: Rs 10,137 in rural India and Rs 20,310 in urban India. The report highlights a shift in the sources of protein intake as MPCE levels rise. As incomes increase, the reliance on cereals as a primary source of protein declines significantly. In rural India, the share of protein derived from cereals drops from 56% among the bottom 5% of the population by MPCE to 33.8% among the top 5%. A similar trend is observed in urban India, where the contribution of cereals to protein intake falls from 51.9% in the lowest MPCE fractile to 24% in the highest. This decline is offset by an increased contribution from other food groups as MPCE levels rise. The most notable increase is seen in the share of milk and milk products, which rises from 5.5% to 14.6% in rural areas and from 7.8% to 14.6% in urban areas across the same MPCE range. The Nutritional Intake in India (2022-23 & 2023-24) survey covered a nationally representative sample of 2.61 lakh households across 8,684 villages and 6,143 urban blocks, providing insights into changing dietary patterns across income groups. The average daily per capita calorie intake in India stands at 2,212 kilocalories (Kcal) in rural areas and 2,240 Kcal in urban areas. However, calorie consumption is closely linked to MPCE and shows a monotonically increasing trend across MPCE class that is, calorie intake consistently rises with higher expenditure levels. The gap between the lowest and highest MPCE fractiles is particularly stark. In rural India, individuals in the bottom 5% of the population by MPCE consume an average of just 1,688 Kcal per day, while those in the top 5% consume 2,941 Kcal, a difference of over 1,250 Kcal. The pattern is similar in urban areas, where average daily calorie intake increases from 1,696 Kcal in the bottom 5% to 3,092 Kcal in the top 5%.
Indian Express
29-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Knowledge Nugget: National Statistics Day- Understanding the legacy of the father of Indian statistics for UPSC Exam
Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here's your knowledge nugget for today on National Statistics Day and the legacy of the father of Indian statistics. National Statistics Day is celebrated every year on June 29th to commemorate the birth anniversary of Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, the father of modern statistics in India. This year it will be observed under the theme '75 Years of National Sample Survey', marking the significant contribution of the National Sample Survey in providing timely and reliable statistical data that supports evidence-based decision-making and governance in India. In this context, let's understand the legacy of Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. 1. In 2007, the Government of India designated June 29th as National Statistics Day to honour Mahalanobis' birth anniversary. The first National Statistics Day celebration took place in 2007 and has since become an annual event that highlights the crucial role of statistics in national development. 2. The day aims to raise public awareness, particularly among the youth, about the importance of statistics in strategic planning, economic development, and policy-making. 3. This year, on the occasion, a number of significant statistical publications will also be released, such as Nutritional Intake in India 2022-23 & 2023-24 and the Sustainable Development Goals – National Indicator Framework Progress Report 2025. 4. Additionally, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) will introduce the GoIStat smartphone application, which was created to make official data easier to obtain. 5. An Indian scientist and statistician, Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, has made significant contributions to the field of statistics and economic planning in India. He is renowned for the Mahalanobis distance, a statistical measure. 6. Mahalanobis was born on June 29, 1893, in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in British India. He received his early schooling at the Brahmo Boys School, from where he graduated in 1908. 7. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in 1931 and and lay the foundations of the Indian statistical system through the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) and the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO). He made pioneering studies in anthropometry in India. 8. Mahalanobis was instrumental in designing the way we conduct surveys today. He introduced the concept of pilot surveys and advocated the importance of sampling methods. He also introduced a method for estimation of crop yields using statistical sampling. 9. During the latter part of his life, Mahalabonis was a part of the Planning Commission of India which was responsible for independent India's five-year plans, in which he emphasized on the importance of industrialization and also corrected previous census methodology errors. 10. Mahalabonis was deeply interested in cultural pursuits and was awarded one of the highest civilian awards, the Padma Vibhushan from the Government of India for his contribution to science. Mahalabonis died on June 28, 1972. 11. Mahalabonis Distance (MD) is a multi-dimensional generalisation of the idea of measuring how many standard deviations away is point P from the mean of D. Apart from MD, which measures distance relative to the centroid – a base or central point which can be thought of as an overall mean for multivariate data. 1. The National Sample Survey Organisation has been conducting large scale sample surveys in diverse fields on All India basis since 1950. These surveys are conducted in the form of rounds extending normally over a period of one year though in certain cases the survey period was six months. 2. Primarily data are collected through nation-wide household surveys on various socio-economic subjects, Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), etc. Besides these surveys, NSS collects data on rural and urban prices and plays a significant role in the improvement of crop statistics through supervision of the area enumeration and crop estimation surveys of the State agencies. It also maintains a frame of urban area units for use in sample surveys in urban areas. 1. The MoSPI came into existence as an Independent Ministry on 15.10.1999 after the merger of the Department of Statistics and the Department of Programme Implementation. 2. The Ministry has two wings, namely, Statistics and Programme Implementation. The Statistics Wing called the National Statistical Office (NSO) consists of: 📌Central Statistics Office (CSO) 📌National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) 3. The Programme Implementation (PI) Wing has three Divisions, namely, 📌Central Twenty Point Programme (TPP) 📌Infrastructure and Project Monitoring (IPM) 📌Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) 4. Besides, there is National Statistical Commission (NSC) created through a Resolution of Government of India (MOSPI) and one autonomous Institute, viz., Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) declared as an institute of national importance by an Act of Parliament. Consider the following statements with reference to the contributions of Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis: 1. He introduced the concept of pilot surveys. 2. He was the first Chairperson of the Planning Commission of India. 3. He introduced a method for estimation of crop yields using statistical sampling. 4. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Indian Statistical Institute in 1931. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 1, 3 and 4 only (c) 2, 3 and 4 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Sources: Who was Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis or 'PCM'?, Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for June 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at
