According to a study conducted in 2014, about 5% of India’s population is obese. There were about 20 million obese women and 9.8 million obese men in the country in 2014. This obesity has reached epidemic levels as the rate appears to go higher as years go by. With heart diseases being the highest cause of death in India in 2016, killing up to 1.7 million people, it is evident that India’s obese population is at grave risk as a result of their obesity – Anupam Gogoi (anupamgogoi.2009@rediffmail.com)
A prerequisite for a healthy, progressive nation is good health of its citizens who can productively contribute to the country’s development. Safe and wholesome food is a basic necessity of life which provides energy and strength and helps in growth and development, keeping us healthy and free from diseases. “Unnecessarily high” economic burden caused by illnesses and diseases towards curing a country’s unhealthy citizens is detrimental to its progress. It is an established fact that the very food that is the basic necessity for sustaining life is also the major cause of the diseases the human race today suffers from. The statistics on the availability of safe and wholesome food in the world are very alarming. Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances causes more than 200 diseases, ranging from diarrhoea to cancers. Besides, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes kill approximately 41 million people worldwide each year, equivalent to 74% of all deaths globally. In India, NCDs contribute to around 5.87 million (60%) of all deaths, or in other words, 1 in 4 Indians has a risk of dying from an NCD before they reach the age of 70 years. One of the major reasons for this high incidence of NCDs is obesity, which is defined as the abnormal accumulation of large amounts of fat in the body, which can be harmful to a person’s health. According to a study conducted in 2014, about 5% of India’s population is obese. There were about 20 million obese women and 9.8 million obese men in the country in 2014. This obesity has reached epidemic levels as the rate appears to go higher as years go by. With heart diseases being the highest cause of death in India in 2016, killing up to 1.7 million people, it is evident that India’s obese population is at grave risk as a result of their obesity. This trend is particularly disturbing because being overweight puts a person at a higher risk of developing heart disease, in fact up to 4 times. Further, the ICMR-India Diabetes (INDIAB) study reported an alarming rise of obesity of 39.6% in urban India and 23.1% in rural India between 2008 and 2020. It is predicted that by 2050, one-third of India’s population could be obese if these current trends persist. Some of the health issues an obese person can develop which put him at a higher risk of suffering from heart disease include high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and diabetes. It is worth mentioning here that if one’s weight is more than what is normal or if one’s Body Mass Index (BMI) is in the overweight range, it is important that he take concrete steps towards losing and maintaining a healthy weight range in order to lower his risk of developing heart disease. One major reason people become overweight is because they are not burning as many calories as they are taking in. One must ensure to stay as active as possible every day through regular exercise, walks and physical activities.
It is in this context that the society today needs to ponder and take urgent effective measures to ensure the right type of food, healthy food habits, and a lifestyle for a healthy nation, which is required for India to achieve the goal of becoming a developed country by the time of its 100th year of independence in 2047. In view of the above, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, 2025, urged Indians to reduce cooking oil use by 10% as a small but effective step towards better health. He also emphasized the need to revive traditional foods like millets and the vulnerability of children to unhealthy food marketing and called for early awareness to foster better dietary habits. In response to the Prime Minister’s above clarion call, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, during the World Food Safety Day, 2025 event themed “Stop Obesity by Eating Safe and Healthy”, launched the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). “Awareness Initiative to Stop Obesity” under the Eat Right India programme, aimed at raising nationwide awareness about health risks of obesity. In order to actively support and implement this crucial initiative in a big way, FSSAI is actively working to combat the growing public health issue of obesity through its Eat Right India Initiatives, which focus on promoting healthier eating habits, reducing sugar and oil consumption by 10%, and increasing public awareness about NCDs. FSSAI has urged all the states and Union Territories, which are key to the successful execution of these public health initiatives, to step up awareness efforts and implement concrete measures to tackle this growing public health concern. It is also advocating for the widespread implementation of ‘Sugar and Oil Boards’ in schools and workplaces, the visual tools placed to curb excessive sugar and oil consumption among children to foster healthier habits from a young age and adults, respectively. In this direction, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has already issued direction for the establishment of ‘Sugar Boards’ in schools. Eat Right Activity Book – Your Guide to Eating Right at School, a resource under the Eat Right School Initiative, designed to engage school children in learning about food safety, hygiene and nutrition through age-appropriate activities, is also being distributed in schools to educate children on healthy eating habits. For this, NCERT will integrate healthy eating, the benefits of millets, and nutritious diets into school textbooks. The agency is also encouraging food businesses, retailers and supply chain partners to cooperate and reduce oil usage to support the anti-obesity drive. The basic goal of the above activities, which are part of an innovative behavioural change strategy, is to ensure awareness amongst citizens, which alone can keep individuals fit.
Despite several such initiatives being undertaken by the government, both at central and state levels, the most pertinent point for all individuals to understand and follow in day-to-day activities is that if this major public health concern called obesity is to improve, it is the individuals themselves who are responsible for making it happen. Most importantly, the initiative of taking effective actions towards each individual to remain healthy and happy must begin with small changes in food habits at the individual family level. Each individual must understand the critical role of food safety, healthy food habits, and lifestyle in combating obesity and NCDs. Such small changes at individual family levels in food habits, ensuring safe and wholesome food and decreasing the intake of oils, sugars and ultra-processed foods, will surely produce remarkable results in preventing the medical emergency called obesity from the society as well as the entire country. If achieved, it will be a major achievement for the country in achieving its goal of becoming a developed nation within the time frame of 2047, as aspired for.