Class 9 (Economics) Chapter 4 – Food Security in India

 

Class 9 (Economics)

Chapter 4 – Food Security in India

Introduction

The concept of food security in India goes beyond ensuring that food is free from contamination. It encompasses the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food to ensure that individuals from diverse financial backgrounds face no challenges in procuring food. The foundation of food security in India relies on the watchfulness of the government and the efficiency of the public distribution system (PDS). In times of potential threats to food security, the PDS intervenes to address and resolve issues.The study of food security involves an examination of its various aspects. Officials responsible for food security grapple with ensuring the availability of food for every individual residing in India. Additionally, the administration takes diligent measures to identify and overcome any impediments that local populations may attempt to impose on the distribution of food.

Important Notes:

 

1.   What is Food Security?

·         Food security is more than just having two square meals; it encompasses:

·         Availability of food (production, imports, and stock).

·         Accessibility of food to every person.

·         Affordability for individuals to buy sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.

2.   Importance of Food Security:

·         Essential during national disasters or calamities (earthquake, drought, flood).

·         Affects both the poorest and those above the poverty line.

3.   Who are Food-Insecure?

·         Rural areas: Landless people, traditional artisans, petty self-employed workers, destitutes.

·         Urban areas: Families with underpaid occupations, casual laborers.

·         Those affected by natural disasters and migrants searching for work.

·         Pregnant/nursing mothers and children under 5 years.

4.   Types of Hunger:

·         Seasonal Hunger:

·         Related to agricultural cycles, prevalent in rural areas.

·         Urban areas affected by reduced work during specific seasons.

·         Chronic Hunger:

·         Result of persistently inadequate diets in terms of quantity and/or quality.

·         Linked to very low income and inability to buy sufficient food.

5.   Buffer Stock:

·         Stock of food grains (wheat and rice) procured by the government through the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

·         FCI purchases from states with surplus production, paying Minimum Support Price (MSP).

6.   Public Distribution System (PDS):

·         Food procured by FCI distributed through government-regulated ration shops.

·         Ration shops, also known as Fair Price Shops, provide essential items at prices lower than the market.

7.   Current Status of PDS:

·         Universal coverage initially, later modified with Revamped Public Distribution System (RPDS) in 1992.

·         Introduced a differential price policy for the poor and non-poor.

·         Special schemes like Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Annapurna Scheme (APS) launched in 2000.

8.   Issues with PDS:

·         Criticized for instances of hunger despite surplus stocks.

·         Poor quality of commodities supplied, including sub-standard wheat and rice.

9.   Role of Cooperatives in Food Security:

·         Cooperative societies establish shops selling low-priced goods to the poor.

·         In Tamil Nadu, around 94% of fair-price shops are run by cooperatives.

·         Academy of Development Science (ADS) in Maharashtra facilitates NGOs in setting up grain banks in different regions.

 

 

Important Question Answers

 

1. How is food security ensured in India?

Answer:

To ensure that food is available to all segments of society, the Indian government meticulously built a food security system consisting of two components: (a) buffer stock and (b) public distribution system. Food security is provided in India using the following methods:

1. Food availability refers to domestically produced food and government-saved supplies from prior years.

2. Access to food for all citizens of the country.

3. Access to safe and nutritious food should be affordable for everyone.

2. Which are the people more prone to food insecurity?

Answer:

People living below the poverty line may be food insecure at all times, whereas better-off people may become food insecure as a result of misfortune or disaster. Food insecurity is also influenced by social factors, such as the inability to purchase food. SCs, STs, and some OBCs (lower castes included) with either poor land-based or very low land production are vulnerable to food insecurity. Aside from these parts, those affected by a natural disaster are more likely to be food insecure.

3. Which states are more food insecure in India?

Answer:

The largest food insecure states in India are eastern and south-eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and parts of Maharashtra.

4. Do you believe that green revolution has made India self-sufficient in food grains? How?

Answer:

After independence, India implemented a new agricultural policy that resulted in the Green Revolution, particularly in the production of wheat and rice. Since then, India has avoided famine despite terrible weather circumstances, and a wide range of crops have been grown throughout the country. The availability of food grains, even in severe situations at the national level, meant that the government had a proper food security system. As a result, the green revolution has helped India become self-sufficient in food grains.

5. A section of people in India are still without food. Explain?

Answer:

Despite a significant rise in food grain output, a portion of India's population remains food insecure. This is due to higher commodity prices and people's inability to purchase food for themselves and their family. Unemployment can also contribute to the chronic hunger experienced by low-income persons in rural areas.

6. What happens to the supply of food when there is a disaster or calamity?

Answer:

A disaster or calamity has a significant impact on food grain production and cultivation. Food grain production falls, resulting in a shortage and, eventually, higher prices. If the tragedy continues for an extended period of time, the afflicted region may become food insecure.

7. Differentiate between seasonal hunger and chronic hunger?

Answer:

Hunger is one of the most crucial indicators of food security. Hunger causes poverty and has two dimensions: seasonal hunger and chronic hunger.

Seasonal hunger refers to the form of hunger that occurs when a person is unable to find job throughout the year. Seasonal hunger is linked to cycles of food production and harvesting. This is common in rural areas due to the seasonal nature of agricultural activity, and in cities due to casual labourers.

Chronic hunger is caused by diets that are consistently inadequate in terms of quantity and/or quality. Poor people suffer from chronic hunger due of their extremely low income and, as a result, inability to afford food even for survival..

8. What has our government done to provide food security to the poor? Discuss any two schemes launched by the government?

Answer:

The government has initiated several programs to enhance the well-being of the population and ensure food security for those in need. Two notable initiatives in this regard are the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and the Annapurna Scheme (APS).

Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY): Commencing in the year 2000, this program identified one crore of the most impoverished families falling below the poverty line and covered under the targeted public distribution system. Eligible families were provided with 25 kg of food grains at a highly subsidized rate, amounting to Rs. 2 per kg for wheat and Rs. 3 per kg for rice. The scheme witnessed an expansion in 2003, benefiting close to 50 lakh families below the poverty line.

Annapurna Scheme (APS): Also initiated in the year 2000, this scheme is designed to furnish food to senior citizens who were previously not covered by the National Old Age Pension Scheme. To qualify, applicants must be 65 years of age or older.

9. Why buffer stock is created by the government?

Answer:

The government creates a buffer stock of food grains to be distributed in food-deficit areas and among the lowest strata of society at a significantly lower price than the market price. A buffer stock also aids in the prevention of food shortages during inclement weather, disasters, or calamities. Thus, the government takes steps to assure food security by preserving buffer stocks.

10. Explain the following terms :

(a) Minimum Support Price – The Food Corporation of India acquires wheat and rice from farmers in states with surplus production, providing them with a predetermined price for their crops known as the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Announced by the government before each sowing season, the MSP is established, and the procured food grains are stored in granaries.

(b) Buffer Stock – The government accumulates a reserve of food grains, primarily wheat and rice, through the Food Corporation of India, known as the Buffer Stock. This reserve is utilized by the government in the event of calamities, disasters, or for the welfare of the economically disadvantaged sections of society.

(c) Issue Price – To ensure the equitable distribution of food grains in deficit areas and among economically disadvantaged groups, the government maintains a stock of food in the form of buffer stock. This stock is made available at a price lower than the market rate, termed as the Issue Price.

(d) Fair Price Shops – Also known as Fair Price Shops, ration shops stock food grains, sugar, and cooking kerosene, which are sold to the public at prices lower than the market rates. Families holding a ration card can purchase a specified quantity of these items each month from the nearby ration shop.

11. What are the problems of the functioning of ration shops?

Answer:

Ration shops, also referred to as Fair Price Shops, maintain a supply of food grains, sugar, and kerosene for cooking, all of which are sold to individuals at prices below the market rate. Nonetheless, operational issues persist in ration shops:

1)    The quality of food provided to economically disadvantaged individuals often falls below the expected standard for food grains.

2)    Malpractices by ration shop dealers result in the withholding of the full quantity deserved by poor individuals.

3)    Some ration shops irregularly open, causing inconvenience for the economically deprived.

4)    Ration shopkeepers may inaccurately update entries under the names of deserving individuals.

12. Write a note on the role of cooperatives in providing food and related items.

Answer:

In conjunction with the government, cooperatives play a vital role in ensuring food security in India, particularly in the southern and western regions. Cooperative societies establish shops to offer affordably priced goods to the economically disadvantaged. In Tamil Nadu, approximately 94 percent of all fair-price shops are operated by cooperatives. Mother Dairy, located in Delhi, participates in supplying milk and vegetables at government-regulated rates. Amul, credited with the White Revolution in India, is a cooperative engaged in providing milk and dairy products.

The Academy of Development Science (ADS) in Maharashtra actively contributes to the establishment of Grain Banks in diverse regions. It conducts training programs and capacity-building initiatives on food security for NGOs. Furthermore, the ADS directs its efforts toward influencing government policies on food security. These instances underscore the active role played by cooperatives in the distribution of food and related items.