ECONOMICS

CHAPTER-FOOD SECURITY
NCERT SOLUTIONS

1. How is food security ensured in India?

Answer:
Food security is ensured in India on the basis of the two components, i.e., Buffer Stock and Public
Distribution System (PDS).
1. Buffer Stock. It is the stock of food grains like wheat and rice procured by the
government through Food Corporation of India (FCI).
2. Public Distribution System. The food procured by the FCI is distributed through
government regulated ration shops called Fair Price Shops (FPS) among the poorer
sections of the society.
2. Which are the people more prone to food insecurity?
 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
destitutes including beggars.
 In the urban areas, the food insecure families are those whose working members are
generally employed in ill-paid occupations and the casual labour market. These workers are
largely engaged in seasonal activities and are paid very low wages that just ensure bare
survival.
 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.
 The people affected by natural disasters, who have to migrate to other areas in search of
work, are also among the most food insecure people.
 A high incidence of malnutrition prevails among women. A large proportion of pregnant and
nursing mothers and children under the age of 5 years constitute an important segment of
the food insecure population.
3. Which states are more food insecure in India?
 The food insecure people are disproportionately large in some regions of the country, such
as economically backward states with high incidence of poverty, tribal and remote areas,
regions more prone to natural disasters etc.
 In fact, the states of Uttar Pradesh (eastern and south-eastern parts), Bihar, Jharkhand,
Orissa, West Bengal, Chattisgarh, parts of Madhya Pradesh and Maharasthra account for
largest number of food insecure people in the country.

4. Do you believe that green revolution has made India self-sufficient in food grains? How?
  India has become self-sufficient in food grains during the last 30 years because of a variety of
crops grown all over the country. The availability of food grains (even in adverse weather
conditions or otherwise) at the country
 To achieve self-sufficiency in food grains, policymakers from India adopted different
measures.
 In the field of agriculture, a new strategy was adopted which resulted in the ‘Green
Revolution' which resulted in a massive increase in the production of rice and wheat.
 In July 1968, a special stamp was released by the former Prime Minister of India, Indira
Gandhi to record the massive progress made through the Green Revolution. It was
entitled, ‘Wheat Revolution.’ Later on, the success was replicated in rice.
 Now India not only has an adequate quantity of foodgrains but is also able to distribute it
to many poor sections of the society through a meticulously designed food security system
that involves buffer stock and public distribution systems (PDS).

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

(i) Despite achieving self sufficiency in foodgrains as a result of the Green Revolution, a section of
people in India are still without food because of poverty. Thus, landless labourers, casual urban
workers, SCs and STs who are below the poverty line find it impossible to get two square meals a
day.
(ii) The PDS is not functioning properly because the ration shop owners are diverting the grains to
the open market.
(iii) Low quality grains are available at ration shops which often remain unsold.
(iv) Corruption in the PDS and extreme poverty are the two basic reasons that even today some
people are still without food in India.

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

Due to a natural calamity, say drought, total production of foodgrains decreases. It creates a
shortage of food in the affected areas. Due to shortage of food, the prices goes up. At the high
prices, some people cannot afford to buy food. If such calamity happens in a very wide spread area
or is stretched over a longer time period, it may cause a situation of starvation. A massive starvation
might take a turn of famine.
7. Differentiate between seasonal hunger and chronic hunger?

Seasonal hunger 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 the casual labour (e.g., there is less work for casual construction labour
during the rainy season). This type of hunger exists when a person is unable to get work
for the entire year.
Chronic hunger 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.
8. What has our government done to provide food security to the poor? Discuss any two schemes
launched by the government?
The government has launched several schemes in order to provide food security to the poor. Two of
these schemes are mentioned below:
(i) 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 act, 75% of the rural
population and 50% of the urban population have been categorised as eligible households for food
security.
(ii) Antyodaya Anna Yozana (AAY): This scheme was launched in December 2000. Under the scheme
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 Linc (BPL) survey. Twenty five kilograms of foodgrains were
made available to each eligible family at a highly subsidised + rate oft 2 per kg for wheat and Rs. 3
per kg for rice. This quantity has been enhanced from 25 to 35 kgs with effect from April 2002. The
scheme has been further expanded twice by additional 50 lakh BPL families in June 2003 and in
August 2004. With this increase, 2 crore families have been covered under the AAY.
(iii) Annapurna Scheme (APS) Launched in 2000 Focusing on Indigent senior citizens providing them
free food grains .

9. Why is buffer stock created by the government?

Buffer stock created by the government 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.
This also helps resolve the problem of shortage of food during adverse weather conditions or during
the periods of calamity.

10. Write notes on: (a) Minimum support price (b) Buffer stock (c) Issue price (d) Fair price shops
(a) Minimum support price − It is the pre-announced price at which the government purchases food
grains from the farmers in order to create a buffer stock. The minimum support price is declared by
the government every year before the growing season. This provides incentives to the farmers for
raising the production of the crops.
The rising minimum support prices of rice and wheat have induced farmers to divert land from the
production of coarse grains—the staple food of the poor—to the production of these crops. The
rising minimum support prices have raised the maintenance cost of procuring food grains.
(b) Buffer stock − It is the stock of food grains (usually wheat and rice) procured by the government
through the Food Corporation of India. The purchased food grains are stored in granaries.
A buffer stock of food grains is created by the government so as to distribute the procured food
grains in the food-deficit areas and among the poorer strata of society at a price lower than the
market price. A buffer stock helps resolve the problem of shortage of food during adverse weather
conditions or during periods of calamity.
(c) Issue Price − The food grains procured and stored by the government are distributed in food-
deficit areas and among the poorer strata of society at a price lower than the market price. This price
is known as issue price.
(d) Fair-price shops − The food procured by the Food Corporation of India is distributed through
government-regulated ration shops. The prices at which food materials are sold at these ration
shops are lower than the market prices. The low pricing is to benefit the poorer strata of society.
This is why these shops are called fair-price shops.
Fair-price shops keep stock of food grains, sugar and kerosene oil. Any family with a ration card can
buy a stipulated amount of these items every month from the nearby ration shop.
11. What are the problems of the functioning of ration shops?

 There have been many instances where dealers in the Public Distribution System (PDS) have
been indulging in malpractices.
 To get higher margins, these dealers have been found to be diverting the grains to the open
market.
 Dealers open the ration shops at irregular times.
 Poor quality grains are sold at ration shops by the dealers.
 It is commonly found that ration shops have stocks of poor-quality grains which are unsold.
 This has proven to be a major problem with ration shops.
 At Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns, large stocks of foodgrains pile up when ration
shops are not able to sell the foodgrains.
 Another factor has led to the deterioration of the Public Distribution System (PDS), in the
recent past.

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

 Especially in Western parts of India and in Southern India, cooperatives are playing a very
vital role in ensuring food security in India.
 Cooperatives run approximately 94 percent of the fair price shops in Tamil Nadu.
 Poor people receive goods at very low prices in the shops set up by cooperative societies.
 Vegetables and milk is provided to the consumers at controlled prices by Mother Dairy in
Delhi. The rates are decided by the Delhi Government.
 When it comes to milk products and milk, Amul is a great example of a successful
cooperative society.
 White revolution was possible in India due to the efforts of Amul.
 To ensure food security to different segments of the society, there are good examples of
many other cooperatives in different parts of India.

Compiled by : Ms Harpreet kaur

Uploaded by : Ms Harpreet kaur