‘PDS not serving needs’

Food technologist K C Raghu has observed that the food grains distributed through the public distribution system (PDS) in the country is still far from addressing the essential nutritive contents required.

“Wheat and rice are being pushed through public distribution system but not pulses, which are the major sources of nutrition,”he said.

He was speaking at the first annual conference on malnutrition and food adulteration held here on  Saturday.

Lamenting that nutrition science, still in its nascent stages, is yet to be connected to food and culture, he pointed out that the disconnect here is a bigger problem than the ‘calorie and protein  problem’.

Dr C R Banapurmath , a specialist in paediatrics-medicine from Davanagere,  pointed out that the schemes implemented by the Department of Health and Family Welfare and the Integrated Child Development Scheme must focus on children from the age of one month instead of tracking them only after they reach three years.

Dr K S Sriprakash, Vice-chancellor Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, (RGUHS),  Bangalore, and Dr S Y Kulkarni, Principal of  M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology were among those present in the   conference.