India Stands Committed to Promote Food Security and Eliminate Poverty: PM Narendra Modi

By R Anil Kumar

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19. Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised that India stands committed to promote food security and eliminate poverty.

Addressing the opening session of the G-20 Summit on “Social Inclusion and the Fight against Hunger and Poverty”, PM Narendra Modi highlighted the initiatives taken by India in this regard.

Elaborating on the initiative taken by India, PM Narendra Modi noted that India had pulled 250 million people out of poverty in the last 10 years and was distributing free food grains to 800 million people in the country.

Speaking about India’s Success in tackling food security, PM Modi emphasised that its approach based on ” Back to Basics and March to Future” was yielding results.

India is not only ensuring  food security, but also is focusing on nutrition. The Saksham Anganwadi and Nutrition 2.0 campaign which is an integrated Nutrition Support programme, focuses in particular on Nutrition for pregnant women, newborn babies, children below the age of 6 and the adolescent girls. Through the Mid-day meal scheme special attention is being given to the nutritional needs of the school going children, PM Modi said.

This is not all, India is also contributing to global food security. We have provided humanitarian assistance to Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, recently, the PM said and highlighted the steps taken by India towards food security in Africa and elsewhere.

Sharing success story initiated by India on various fronts, the Prime Minister said 550 million people are benefitting from the world’s biggest Health Insurance scheme and 60 million Senior Citizens above the age of 70 are also being benefitted from the free health insurance scheme, he added.

Maintaining focus on women led development and social inclusion, over 300 million women micro entrepreneurs have been linked to banks and given access to credit.

Under the world’s largest crop insurance scheme, over 40 million farmers have received benefits worth 20 billion US Dollars. This apart, under the farmers scheme, assistance over 40 billion dollars has been given to 110 million farmers.

Institutional Credit worth US$ 300 billion is also being given to farmers, PM Modi added.

We have not only given thrust to natural farming, Organic farming but also on implementing newer technologies and have focused on sustainable agriculture, protection of environment, nutrition, food security through Sri Ann or Millets.

We have developed over 2000 climate resilient crop varieties and have started the” Digital Agriculture Mission,” the Prime Minister informed.

“India stands committed to promote food security and eliminate poverty. We will build on our success and harness our collective strength and resources to ensure brighter future for all,” PM Modi said.

India supports Brazil’s initiative for a “Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty.” This is an important step towards the implementation of the Deccan High Level principles for food security adopted at the New Delhi Summit during India’s G-20 Presidency, PM Modi stated.

The people-centric decisions taken at the G-20 Summit in New Delhi have been taken forward during Brazil’s Presidency, PM Modi said and appreciated the Brazilian G-20 agenda focused on Sustainable Development Goals, noting that, this approach highlighted the concerns of Global South. The Prime Minister underscored that the India’s G-20 Presidency’s call for “One Earth, One Family, One Future” continued to resonate at this Rio Conversations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the President of Brazil H.E. Luis Inacio Lula Da Silva, for excellently hosting the Summit and for his gracious hospitality.