FOOD SECURITY IN INDIA

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Apprehend the critical role of food security for its masses.
Justify the rationale for the system of food security in India
Appraise the contributory role of Public Distribution system to address FSI
Substantiate the role of green revolution in strengthening the PDS.
PRE-TEST
1. What is a primary cause of food insecurity in India?
A) Lack of arable land
B) Inefficient food distribution
C) Excessive food imports
D) Limited agricultural technology
2. Which region of India is most affected by food shortages and malnutrition?
A) Northern India
B) Coastal regions
C) Northeast India
D) Western Ghats region
3. What percentage of the Indian population is estimated to be
undernourished?
A) 5%
B) 15%
C) 25%
D) 35%
4. Which factor contributes significantly to food wastage in India?
A) Insufficient food production
B) Lack of storage facilities
C) High food prices
D) Consumer behavior
 5. What is a potential solution to address food problems in India?
A) Reducing agricultural subsidies
B) Promoting food exports
C) Improving irrigation systems
D) Increasing food prices
What is Food Security?
Food security means availability, accessibility and affordability of food to all
people at all times. The poor people are more vulnerable to food insecurity.
Food security depends on the Public Distribution System (PDS) and government
vigilance and action at times, when this security is threatened.
Dimensions of Food Security
 Availability of food: It means food production within the country, food
imports and the previous year’s stock stored in government granaries.
 Accessibility: It means food is within the accessible to all.
 Affordability: It means Food is affordable to all & an individual can buy
enough food to fulfill his dietary needs.
How food security is ensured in a country?
Food security can be ensured a country by:
 Enough availability of food for all.
 Food should be of acceptable quality and all persons should have the capacity
to buy it.
 No barrier should be there on the accessibility of food.
Why is food security important?
Food security is Important as many section of the society are vulnerable to the
food insecurity and do not get the proper amount of food. As during any natural
calamity the production of food grains decreases cause shortage of food and
the prices goes high. In this situation many people cannot afford to buy food
which may cause a situation of ‘Starvation’.
A massive starvation may lead to Famine. For this reason food security is
important.
 What is a Famine?
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including
war, inflation, crop failure, population imbalance, or government policies. This
phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition,
starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality.
FAMINE of 1943 in Bengal was the most devastating famine of India.
No. of Deaths: 30 Lakhs in Bengal Province
There are also places where famine like situation occurred. (Kalahandi and
Kashipur in Orissa also in various parts of Rajasthan and Bihar)
Who are 'food-insecure'?
 A large number of people suffer from food insecurity in India, the worst affected
groups are landless people with little or no land to depend upon, traditional
artisans, providers of traditional services, petty self-employed workers and
beggars.
 In Urban areas affected workers are those who are employed in ill- paid jobs.
 The social composition along with the inability to buy food also plays a role in
food insecurity.
 The SCs, STs and some sections of the OBCs (lower castes among them) who
have either poor land-base or very low land productivity are prone to food
insecurity.
A high incidence of malnutrition prevails among women. This is a
matter of serious concern as it puts even the unborn baby at the risk of
malnutrition.
According to the National Health and Family Survey (NHFS) 1998–99, the
number of such women and children is approximately 11 crore.
Hunger
Hunger is not just an expression of poverty, it brings about poverty. The
attainment of food security therefore involves eliminating current hunger and
reducing the risks of future hunger.
 It has Chronic and seasonal dimensions
Chronic Hunger
It is a consequence of diets persistently inadequate in terms of quantity and/or
quality. Poor people suffer from chronic hunger because of their very low
income and in turn inability to buy food even for survival.
Seasonal Hunger
It is related to cycles of food growing and harvesting. This is prevalent in rural
areas because of the seasonal nature of agricultural activities and in urban
areas because of casual labourers.
India is aiming at Self-sufficiency in Food grains since Independence.
India also adopted a new strategy ‘Green Revolution’.
After realising the impressive growth of green revolution, prime minister Indira
Gandhi released special stamps entitles ‘Wheat Revolution’ in July 1968.
The highest rate of growth was achieved in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh,
which was 44.01 and 30.21 million tonnes in 2015–16. Total Food grain
Production: 252.22 million tonnes (2015-16).
West Bengal and UP, on the other hand, recorded significant production of rice
15.75 and 12.51 Million tonnes.
 Food Security in India
 After the Green Revolution the country has avoided famine even during adverse
weather conditions.
 India has become self-sufficient in food grains during the last 30 years because
of a variety of crops grown all over the country.
 Availability of food grain in the averse weather condition has also been ensured
with a proper food security system.
What is Buffer Stock?
 It is a stock of food grains procured by the government through the Food
Corporation of India (FCI).
 FCI purchases wheat and rice from the farmers where surplus production is
there and they pay a pre announced price.
 This pre announced price is known as Minimum Support Price.
 MSP is declared every year before the sowing season to provide incentives to
farmers for raising the production of these crops.
 This is done to distribute food-grains in the deficit areas and among the poorer
strata of the society at a price lower than the market price also known as Issue
Price.
What is the Public Distribution System?
The food procured by the FCI is distributed through government regulated
ration shops among the poorer section of the society. This is called the Public
Distribution System (PDS).
The Ration shops are now present in most localities, villages, towns and cities.
These shops are also, known as Fair Price Shops. Food grains, Sugar, Oil for
cooking are sold at these shops at the cheaper rates than the market. Any
family with ration card can buy these essentials.
 Types of Ration Card
There are three kinds of ration cards:
1. Antyodaya cards for the poorest of the poor
2. BPL cards for those below poverty line
3. APL cards for all others.
Introduction of Rationing in India
 Introduction Rationing in India dates back to the 1940s against the backdrop of
the Bengal famine.
 The rationing system was revived in the wake of an acute food shortage during
the 1960s, prior to the Green Revolution.
Three important food intervention programmes were introduced by NSSO:
 Public Distribution System (PDS) for food grains.
 Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in 1975.
 Food-for-Work in 1977-78
There are several Poverty Alleviation Programmes (PAPs), mostly in rural areas,
which have an explicit food component also. Some of the programmes such as
PDS, mid-day meals etc. are exclusively food security programmes, most of the
PAPs also enhance food security.
 Employment programmes greatly contribute to food security by increasing the
income of the poor.
The National Food Security Act, 2013
This Act provides for food and nutritional security life at affordable prices and
enables people to live a life with dignity.
Under this, 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population have
been categorised as eligible households for food security.

Current Status of Public the Distribution System

 Public Distribution System (PDS) is the most important step taken by the
Government of India towards ensuring food security.
 The coverage of PDS was universal with no discrimination between the poor
and the non-poor in the beginning.
 The policy of PDS has been revised to make it more efficient and targeted
Revamped Public Distribution System was introduced in 1992.
 RPDS was introduced in 1700 blocks in the country its target was to provide the
benefits of PDS to remote and backward areas.
 Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) was introduced to adopt the
principle of targeting the ‘poor in all areas’.
 Two Special schemes were also launched in 2000, Antyodaya Anna Yojana
(AAY) and Annapurna Scheme (APS) with special target groups of ‘poorest
of the poor’ and ‘indigent senior citizens’
The PDS has proved to be the most effective instrument of government policy
over the years in stabilising prices and making food available to consumers at
affordable prices. The minimum support price and procurement has contributed
to an increase in foodgrain production and provided income security to farmers.
Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)
AAY was launched in December 2000. One crore of the poorest among the BPL
families covered under the targeted public distribution system were identified.
Poor families were identified by the respective state rural development
departments through a Below Poverty Line (BPL) survey.
Twenty-five kilograms of food grains were made available to each eligible
family at a highly subsidised rate of Rs 2 per kg for wheat and Rs 3 per kg for
rice, with 35 kg qty. The scheme has been further expanded twice by additional
50 lakh BPL families in June 2003 and in August 2004.
What is Subsidy?
Subsidy is a payment that a government makes to a producer to supplement
the market price of a commodity. Subsidies can keep consumer prices low while
maintaining a higher income for domestic producers.
FCI Godowns were over Flooded
 The stock of wheat and rice with FCI was 65.3 million tonnes which was more
than minimum buffer norms.
 High carrying cost, deterioration of food grains was happening.
 The situation improved with the distribution of food-grains under different
schemes launched by the government.
 The increased food grains procurement at enhanced MSP is the result of the
pressure exerted by leading food-grain producing states, such as Punjab,
Haryana and Andhra Pradesh.
 The rising Minimum Support Prices (MSP) have raised the maintenance
cost of procuring food-grains by the government. Rising transportation
and storage costs of the FCI are other contributing factors in this
increase.
Role of Cooperatives in the Food Security
The cooperative societies set up shops to sell low priced goods to poor people.
 In Tamil Nadu, around 94 per cent of fair price shops are being run by the
cooperatives.
 In Delhi, Mother Dairy is making strides in provision of milk and vegetables to
the consumers at controlled rate decided by Government of Delhi.
 Amul is another success story of cooperatives in milk and milk products from
Gujarat. It has brought about the White Revolution in the country.
 In Maharashtra, Academy of Development Science (ADS) has facilitated a
network of NGOs for setting up grain banks in different regions.
These are a few examples of many more cooperatives running in different parts
of the country ensuring food security of different sections of society
POST-TEST

1. What is the main objective of India's Public Distribution System (PDS) in

ensuring food security?

A) Maximizing profit for farmers

B) Providing subsidized food grains to the economically weaker sections

C) Promoting export of agricultural products

D) Ensuring luxury food items are available to all

2. Which of the following is NOT a factor contributing to food insecurity in

India?

A) Unequal distribution of food resources

B) Inadequate storage and transportation facilities

C) Overproduction of food grains

D) Poor implementation of government welfare schemes

3. Which government body in India is primarily responsible for formulating and

implementing policies related to food security?

A) Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare

B) Ministry of Food Processing Industries

C) Ministry of Finance

D) Ministry of External Affairs

4. What role do buffer stocks play in India's food security strategy?

A) They are exported to other countries to maintain trade balance.

B) They are distributed free of cost to all citizens.

C) They act as reserves to stabilize prices and ensure availability during

emergencies.

D) They are sold at market rates to generate revenue for the government.

5. Which of the following is a sustainable approach to enhance food security in

India?

A) Increasing imports of food items to meet domestic demand

B) Promoting organic farming practices

C) Reliance solely on traditional agriculture methods

D) Exporting surplus food grains to neighboring countries