India-China Border Tensions: An Assessment of the Current Situation and Proactive Steps for India

Instead of maintaining the status quo, India must take aggressive steps to handle the ongoing border conflict with China in Ladakh. Concerns about India’s ability to handle the crisis have arisen due to the government’s apparent incompetence and use of euphemism language in response to the situation.

Detailed history of the Ladakh border problem

When China staked claims to the area and occupied sizable portions of it in the 1950s and 1960s, a border dispute arose.

The two nations engaged in a brief conflict in 1962 over the matter, which China ultimately won. As a result, the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a de facto boundary line, was established.

Since then, the two countries have had several standoffs and skirmishes in the region, with tensions escalating in recent years. T

he latest border standoff in Ladakh began in May 2020 and continues to remain unresolved.

The Depsang crisis of 2013

Depsang Plains of Ladakh: The Depsang crisis of 2013 refers to a tense border standoff between India and China that took place in the Depsang Plains of Ladakh in April-May 2013.

Chinese troops set up a camp: The crisis began when Chinese troops set up a camp in the Depsang Plains, which is located about 19 km inside what India considers to be its territory.

Strategically important area: The area is strategically important as it overlooks the strategically important Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) road that India had built to improve its connectivity to the border areas.

Negotiations and agreement over the withdrawal: The situation was resolved after three weeks of negotiations, with the Chinese agreeing to withdraw their troops in exchange for a pledge from India to scale down its military presence in the area.

The crisis led to other standoffs: The crisis highlighted the long-standing boundary dispute between India and China, which has led to several other standoffs and skirmishes over the years.

What is the current situation?

The current situation at the Ladakh border is that some areas have witnessed disengagement, while two areas, Depsang and Demchok, remain unresolved. Indian soldiers are not allowed to touch 26 of the 65 patrolling points in Ladakh.

Diplomatic meetings and talks between corps commanders have not elicited any progress since September last year. Regular meetings between Indian and Chinese Ministers, Foreign and Defence, have not yielded results either.

India needs to find a way to transfer the pressure back to China, as Beijing has never compromised unless it has been forced into an uncomfortable spot.

Way ahead: Steps to transfer the pressure back to China

Bold use of imagination: The political leadership needs to use its imagination boldly to find a way to impose its will upon China.

Be proactive: India needs to be proactive in dealing with China, as Beijing has never compromised unless it has been forced into an uncomfortable spot.

Tactful action on LAC: Tactical actions on the LAC need to be daring, and the military needs to be used as an instrument to pursue policy ends and try to impose its will upon the adversary.

Increase strategic thought: Strategic thought in Delhi needs to be bold and innovative to find a way to wrest the initiative from China.

Avoid fear of military escalation: India’s fear of military escalation is holding back progress in the Ladakh border issue, and the government needs to overcome this fear to take proactive steps.

Utilize diplomatic channels: India should leverage diplomatic channels and international forums to put pressure on China to resolve the border issue.

Strengthen domestic capabilities: India should focus on building domestic capabilities, including military and economic, to match up to China’s strengths and position itself better in negotiations.

Leveraging PDS to Improve Nutrition Security

The fact that the purchase of wheat has reached 20 million tonnes (MT), which is an increase over previous year, must have relieved the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DoF&PD) and the Food Corporation of India (FCI). To the central pool, three states—Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh—have contributed more than 98%.

Wheat production estimates

Earlier estimates from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW) put this year’s wheat production at 112 MT. The new projection is dubious, though, because of how unseasonal rains have affected wheat production.

Punjab: Punjab, one of the largest contributors to wheat procurement, is also in the process of estimating losses due to rough weather just before the harvest time. Despite the unseasonal rains, interactions with Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), market functionaries and farmers suggest that the production of wheat this year is higher than last year.

Uttar Pradesh: Uttar Pradesh produces almost double the amount of wheat (about 35 MT) than Punjab (about 18 MT). UP is estimated to procure 3.5 MT of wheat, but so far it has procured a meagre 0.12 MT. Unless it brings a surprise in May and June, the overall wheat procurement may stop well short of even 30 MT.

Challenges for providing nutritious food through PDS

Infrastructure and supply chain: There is a lack of proper infrastructure and supply chain to transport and store nutritious food items such as millets, pulses, and oilseeds. This leads to spoilage, wastage, and ultimately affects the quality of food provided through PDS.

Cost: Providing nutritious food items through PDS may increase the cost of the program, which can be a challenge for the government to sustain in the long run.

Awareness and demand: There is a lack of awareness among the general public about the benefits of nutritious food items and the need to include them in their diet. Also, there may not be enough demand for these items, leading to poor offtake and wastage.

Operational challenges: There are several operational challenges such as sourcing, storage, and distribution of nutritious food items, which need to be addressed for an effective PDS program.

Political interference: There may be political interference in the selection of food items to be included in PDS, leading to a focus on populist measures rather than on nutritious food items. This can undermine the effectiveness of the program.

Nutrition security through PDS and a help to climate resilient agriculture

Introducing more nutritious food: The introduction of more nutritious food, such as millets, pulses, and oilseeds, in PDS can help achieve the twin objectives of nutrition and climate resilience.

Encouraging climate-resilient food: Encouraging the production of climate-resilient food crops like millets, pulses, oilseeds, etc., can help create a steady flow of nutritious food.

Upgrading fair price shops to Nutritious Food Hubs: At least 10% of fair price shops can be upgraded and declared as Nutritious Food Hubs (NFHs). These NFHs can have fortified, including bio-fortified, rice and wheat, millets, pulses, oilseeds (especially soyabean products with 40% protein), fortified milk and edible oils, eggs, etc.

Electronic vouchers for targeted beneficiaries: Consumers of PDS list may be given electronic vouchers (like an e-food coupon in a food court) that can be charged by the government three or four times a year.

Government assistance for upgrading NFHs: The NFHs can be upgraded with government assistance, creating demand for more diversified and nutritious food from the masses.

Capping the procurement of rice: The procurement of rice would have to be capped, starting with districts where the water table has been depleting alarmingly.

For example, Sangrur in Punjab has witnessed a fall of groundwater level by more than 25 meters during 2000-2019. Farmers of such districts could be incentivized to grow millets, pulses, oilseeds, etc., that are climate smart, use much less water and fertilizers, thus saving power and fertilizer subsidies.

Giving a special package for carbon credits: The Centre and the states need to join hands to give a special package for carbon credits for growing such crops. Farmers can be rewarded about Rs 10,000/acre (to be shared equally by the Centre and the state), as these crops would save that much fertilizer subsidy of the Centre and power subsidy of the state.

Golden Globe Race: Voyage of mad men

Abhilash Tomy, a former Commander in the Indian Navy, has achieved the remarkable feat of completing a solo circumnavigation worldwide by finishing second at the Golden Globe Race (GGR), 2022.

He achieved this record under even more challenging circumstances than his previous record-breaking feat of going worldwide on a sailboat solo and unassisted back in 2013.

What is Golden Globe Race?

The Golden Globe Race is a non-stop, solo, unassisted yacht race around the world which was held for the first time in 1968-69.

The race requires contestants to use boats designed to prescribed premodern specifications and rely entirely on sextants and paper charts.

Satellite phones are available for extremely restricted use, and the use of modern navigational gear is not allowed.

The sailing would be along a stipulated route, rounding the three great capes.

His return to GGR

After several injuries, in 2021, Tomy began to look for sponsors and boats to participate in GGR-2022.

He announced his participation in the race on the Bayanat in March 2022, sponsored by a UAE-based company in the field of geospatial artificial intelligence.

However, just three weeks before the race, the boat collided with a ship and required massive repairs.

Significance of his achievement

Only three of the 11 contestants of GGR-2022 lasted the course of the race, with Kirsten Neuschafer becoming the first woman to win a solo around-the-world yacht race.

Tomy’s boat was the most ‘repaired’ boat in the race and it was all carried out by the sailor fighting unimaginable sea conditions and lack of sleep.

In the end, Tomy became the first Asian to complete the 30,000-mile GGR by finishing second after Neuschafer.

A Troubling Statistic in India’s Nutritional Landscape

A troubling statistic in the fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) data, conducted in 2019-21, is not well-known. At this crucial juncture in a child’s development, going without meals for a full day raises major questions about extreme food hardship.

Data from the NFHS-5, in statistics

Zero-food: 18% of mothers with children aged between 6 and 23 months indicated that their kid had consumed no food at all in the 24 hours prior to the survey (also known as “zero-food”). Infants aged 6 to 11 months had a 30% zero-food prevalence, followed by 12 to 17 months (13%), and 18 to 23 months (8%).

Zero-protein: More than 80% of children in the age group of 6-23 months had not consumed any protein-rich foods for an entire day (“zero-protein”). Close to 40% of children in the age group of 6-23 months did not eat any grains (roti, rice, etc.) for an entire day.

Zero-milk: Six out of 10 children in the age group of 6-23 months do not consume milk or dairy of any form every day (“zero-milk”).

The current measures for undernutrition

Stunting: It is a measure of chronic malnutrition, where children are too short for their age. It is determined by comparing a child’s height with the World Health Organization (WHO) child growth standards.

Wasting: It is a measure of acute malnutrition, where children have a low weight for their height. It is determined by comparing a child’s weight with the WHO child growth standards.

Underweight: It is a measure of both chronic and acute malnutrition, where children have a low weight for their age. It is determined by comparing a child’s weight with the WHO child growth standards.

Limitations of current measures of undernutrition

Anthropometric measures: The assessment of the extent of nutritional deprivation among young children in India has relied on measures of anthropometric failure such as the percentage of children short for their age (stunting) or weighing less given their height (wasting), compared to a reference population. These measures are, at best, proxies suggesting plausible overall deficiencies in the child’s environment, without any guidance on the specific nature of the deficiencies. They do not provide insight into the specific food groups that are lacking in the child’s diet.

Multifactorial nature: Given the multifactorial nature of what causes stunting or wasting among children, it is challenging for any single ministry or department of the Government of India to take responsibility for designing, implementing and monitoring policies to reduce undernutrition among children.

Sensitivity: The sensitivity of the stunting prevalence to what population reference is being used makes it problematic as a policy metric for creating and evaluating the effectiveness of current programs and interventions.

Lack of data: The fact that we do not know what India eats highlights a core deficiency in data related to food and dietary consumption. This limits the ability to design effective policies and programs to improve nutritional security among Indians.

Calorie intake recommendations by WHO

According to the World Health Organisation, at six months of age, 33 per cent of the daily calorie intake is expected to come from food. This proportion increases to 61 per cent at 12 months of age.

The recommended calorie percentages mentioned here are the minimum amount that should come from food.

It is presumed that the child obtains the remaining calories through on-demand breastfeeding, meaning the child is breastfed whenever they need it throughout the day and night, and not solely when the mother is able to provide it.

Consequently, the percentage of food-sourced calories only increases further when a child cannot receive breast milk when needed.

What is the need for Poshan 2.0?

Achieving SDG 2: Poshan 2.0 is a flagship program that aims to achieve SDG 2, which aims to end hunger and ensure year-round access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food by 2030.

Targeting maternal and child nutrition: Poshan 2.0 focuses on food-based initiatives, including its flagship supplementary nutrition program service as mandated by the 2013 National Food Security Act, to target maternal and child nutrition.

Developing food-based metrics: To effectively monitor and assess the performance of Poshan 2.0, there is an immediate need to develop appropriate food-based metrics to measure the extent of food insecurity among Indian households.

Improving nutritional security: The goal of Poshan 2.0 is to ensure affordable access to sufficient quantity and quality of nutritionally diverse food, with a special and immediate focus on India’s youngest children to improve nutritional security among Indians.

Establishing routine dietary and nutritional assessments: A national effort to establish routine dietary and nutritional assessments for the entire population is the need of the hour to measure the availability, accessibility, and affordability of nutritious food, especially for disadvantaged and vulnerable populations such as young children, and constitute the foundation for any evidence-based policy to end hunger and improve nutritional security among Indians.