Chennai, Sept 21: An ambitious roadmap has been drawn up by the Chennai-based M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) here for achieving the goal of a hunger-free India by August 15, 2007, which marks the 60th anniversary of India's independence. The road map, prepared in association with the UN World Food Programme (WFP), deals with methods of overcoming poverty-induced endemic hunger (mostly under-nutrition), micro-nutrient deficiencies and transient hunger resulting from drought, floods and cyclones.
The MSSRF-WFP strategy involves bringing about convergence and synergy among all ongoing food security programmes and involving grass root democratic institutions in implementation, says Dr M S Swaminathan, renowned agro-scientist and founder director of MSSRF.
"The whole idea is to convert the concept of food as a basic human right into reality," Swaminathan said, adding that MSSRF would be releasing an atlas describing the status of sustainability of food security in different states of the country later this year.
Bureau Report