50 per cent of surveyed households in rural India eating less due to COVID-19 lockdown

Half of over 5,000 households surveyed in rural areas of 12 states have been eating fewer meals during the coronavirus lockdown, a PTI report said quoting a survey.

The study, 'COVID-19 induced Lockdown-How is Hinterland Coping', was conducted in 47 districts.

While 50 per cent of households in rural India have reduced the number of meals ever since the lockdown was imposed as part of immediate adjustment for food security, about 68 per cent of the households reduced the number of items in their meals.

The findings of the study were released in a webinar on Wednesday.

The study found that households have depended on kharif stock more than rabi, but that stock is now depleting fast.

"Households are coping with the shock by eating less food and fewer times and with large dependence on PDS Need for increased food support through PDS and promotion for food crop cultivation in kharif," the study said.

It further said that a large chunk of migrants are yet to return to rural India.

"Lockdown and rumours have indeed adversely affected income - dairy and poultry. The coping mechanisms mostly clustered around change in food habits and reduction in expenditures," the study said.

The states where the survey was conducted were Assam, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

The survey was carried out by civil society organisations PRADAN, Action for Social Advancement, BAIF, Transform Rural India Foundation, Grameen Sahara, SAATHI-UP and the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme with research support of Vikas Anvesh Foundation and Sambodhi.

(With inputs from PTI)