March 8, 2021

Seventeen percent of global food produced wasted, even as hunger affected 690 million in 2019: UN Report

Environment: According to the Food Waste Index Report 2021, approximately 931 million tonnes of food was wasted globally in 2019. The report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partner organisation WRAP, stated that 61 percent of food waste is generated from households, 26 percent from food service, and 13 percent from retail.

“This suggests that 17 percent of total global food production may be wasted,” said the report. This data contrasts sharply with the other major finding in the report which noted that 690 million people were affected by hunger in 2019, and three billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet.

Indian households waste almost 50 kg of food per person or 68.7 million tonnes in a year. In the US, the household food waste estimate is 59 kg per person, or 19.4 million tonnes annually, while China wastes 64 kg per capita per year, or 91.6 million tonnes a year.

The report showed that every country had a substantial amount of food waste, regardless of the income level. It shows that most of this waste came from households. Food loss and waste causes about USD 940 billion per year in economic losses. Reductions in waste can help save money for farmers, companies, and households.

“If we want to get serious about tackling climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste, businesses, governments and citizens around the world have to do their part to reduce food waste,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UNEP.

The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 12.3 aims at halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels, and reducing food losses along production and supply chains.

Read this article on how we can safeguard our farmers from the projected reduction in supply, demand, and value in the agriculture sector.


May 20, 2021

Home Ministry extends validity period of FCRA registration certificates

Fundraising & Communications: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a circular extending the validity of FCRA registration certificates to September 30th, 2021. This applies to all FCRA licences that have expired or will expire between September 29th, 2020 and May 31st, 2021. The decision to extend the deadline has been driven by the exigencies arising from the COVID-19 situation.

FCRA refers to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010, which permits charitable organisations based in India to raise funds from foreign sources.

The order also clarified that nonprofits that have already opened an account and have the requisite permission to receive foreign aid, can henceforth receive it only in these newly-opened accounts.

The FCRA law was amended in September 2020 to include a clause that mandated that all nonprofits receiving foreign aid must necessarily open an account in State Bank of India’s New Delhi Main Branch. The government had initially set the deadline for this account opening as March 31st, 2021; it later extended it to June 30th, 2021 after several nonprofits argued in court that there had been delays because necessary approvals from MHA had not been received.

Several organisations have not been able to receive foreign funds during the crisis caused by the second wave, and this has impacted their COVID-19 relief efforts. Relaxing the foreign funding rules could significantly help organisations ramp up their operations to help individuals, supply critical healthcare equipment, and respond to communities in rural areas.

Read this article to know how amending the FCRA can have unforeseen implications.


May 20, 2021

Corporate spending on oxygen support and medical equipment now counts as CSR

Philanthropy & CSR: The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has issued a circular that allows corporate spending on health infrastructure for COVID-19 care to qualify as corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure.

This includes setting up medical oxygen generation and storage plants, manufacturing and supply of oxygen concentrators, ventilators, cylinders, and other medical equipment to counter COVID-19.  

The announcement comes at a time when all efforts are being directed towards expediting efforts to support the country’s healthcare infrastructure.

According to the circular, companies can now undertake projects and activities in collaboration with other companies using CSR funds. Additionally, they can contribute to specified research and development projects, as well as publicly funded universities and certain organisations that conduct research in science, technology, engineering, and medicine.

The government had earlier clarified that setting up makeshift hospitals and temporary COVID-19 care facilities would also be considered a CSR activity. Rajesh Verma, the Corporate Affairs Secretary, has requested businesses to consider converting vacant office buildings into COVID-19 facilities to cater to the rapidly increasing caseload.

Read this article to understand why media attention on COVID-19 deaths due to lack of oxygen in big cities has skewed donor priorities.