LPG shock could impact nutrition outcomes, Pg12

Key Highlights:

• The West Asia conflict has triggered an LPG crisis in India, leading to price hikes and supply disruptions.
• Rising LPG costs increase meal preparation expenses, impacting access to nutritious diets.
• The Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) in India was estimated at Rs 73.1 per person per day in 2023-24 for a non-vegetarian diet.
• Fuel costs contribute significantly to the CoHD, making healthy diets unaffordable for a large percentage of the population.
• Expanding social safety nets to subsidize nutritious foods and continued support through schemes like PMUY are crucial.

Detailed Insights:

• Disrupted fertilizer supply chains and rising transportation costs may lead to food inflation, further limiting access to healthy diets.
• Prior to the crisis, a significant portion of the Indian population already struggled to afford a healthy diet based on ICMR's food-based dietary guidelines.
• Including fuel costs in meal preparation increases the CoHD by approximately Rs 9.5, with Rs 6.5 attributed to fuel expenses.
• The proportion of the population unable to afford a healthy diet could rise from 25-49% to 32-62% due to increased fuel costs.
• A food systems approach to policy is essential to address the interconnected challenges of fuel costs, food prices, and nutrition security.
• Social safety net programs should be expanded to include migrant populations, even temporarily, to ensure access to affordable nutrition.
• Agricultural policies can enhance the long-term availability of nutritious foods, contributing to improved nutrition outcomes.

Key Concepts Involved:

• LPG Crisis: A situation characterized by disruptions in the supply and availability of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, leading to price increases and shortages.
• Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD): The minimum daily expense required to meet nutritional guidelines through food consumption.
• PMUY (Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana): A government scheme providing subsidized LPG connections to women from below poverty line (BPL) households.