Kolkata: In a recent report by the Pratichi Trust, led by economist Amartya Sen, 20 percent of the Indian population was seen to be suffering from a food crisis. The trust conducted a survey from August 2020 to November 2020, taking into account a sample size of 2,500 people. "87.8 percent of marginalized people lost their jobs during the Corona period. Of the migrant workers from Bengal, 93.2 percent lost their jobs. Only 55 percent of job card holders in the state got 100 days of work," revealed the report.
It also noted that the food crisis lasted for a maximum of 240 days during the COVID-induced lockdown. One in every five persons, amounting to 20 percent of the people, are suffering from a food crisis. However, the most affected are the lower middle class or middle class who do not have ration cards, the report stated.
Educationist Debashis Sarkar said, "The food crisis in a country can be understood through hunger. The hunger indicator depends on the production, distribution, and purchasing power of the food. However, compared to other countries in the world, the corona situation reduced the rate of production and the distribution was not fair. The number of unemployed has increased during the lockdown. As a result, India is naturally at the top of the Hunger Index."
