JAC Board Class 9th Social Science Notes Economics Chapter 4 Food Security in India
→ Meaning of Food Security
- Food is as essential for living as air is for breathing.
- Food security means availability, accessibility and affordability of food to all people at all times.
- Food security depends on the Public Distribution System and government vigilance ana action at times when this security is threatened.
- Food security is ensured in a country only if: (i) enough food is available for all the persons (ii) All persons have the capacity to buy food of acceptable quality and (iii) These is no barrier on access to food.
→ Why Food security
- The poorest section of the society might be food insecure most of the times while persons above the poverty line might also be food insecure when the country faces a national disaster.
- The most devastating famine that occurred in Independent India was the ’Famine of Bengal’ in 1943.
- Nothing like the Bengal Famine has happened in India again but there are places like Ralahandi and Kashipur in Odisha where famine-like conditions have been eyisting for many years.
→ Who are Food Insecure
- The worst-affected groups suffering from food and nutrition insecurity in Inuia are landless people, traditional artisans, providers of traditional servicer, petty self -employed workers and beggars.
- 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.
- The food-insecure people are disproportionately large in the states of Uttar Pradesh (eastern mid southeastern parts), Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Chattisgarh, parts of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
- The attainment of food security involves eliminating current hunger and reducing the risks of future hunger.
- There are two aspects of hunger: (i) Chronic, hunger, (ii) Seasoned hunger.
- After independence Indian policy makers adopted all measures to achieve self-sufficiency in food grains
- India adopted a new strategy in agriclture which resulted in the Green Revolstion
→ Feed Security in India
- The Government has designed a food- security system. This system has two components: (a) Buffer Stock, (b) Public Distribution System.
- The Food Corporation of India purchaser wheat and rice from the farmers in stetaf where there is surplus production, and stores it in warehouses. It is known as Buffer Stock.
- The food procured by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is distributed through government regulated ration shops among the poorer sections of the society. This is called the Public Distribution System.
- The introduction of Rationing in India dates back to the 1940s against the backdrop of the Bengal Famine.
- In the wake of the high incidence of poverty levels, three important food intervention programmes were introduced: (i) Public Distribution System, (ii) Integrated Child Development Services, (iii) Food for Work Programme.
→ Current Status of Public Distribution System
- In the beginning, the coverage of PDS was universal with no discrimination between the poor and non-poor.
- Over the years, the policy related to PDS has been revised to make it more efficient and targetted.
- In 1992, a Revamped Public Distribution System (RPDS) was started in 1700 blocks of the country to provide the benefits of PDS in remote and backward areas.
- In 1997, a Targetted Public Distribution System (TPDS) was introduced to target the poor in all areas’, with a lower issue price for foodgrains for them compared to the price paid by non-poor people.
- Further in year 2000, two special Schemes—Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Annapurna Scheme (APS) were launched.
- In 2014, the stock of wheat and rice with FCI was 65.3 million tonnes which was much more than the minimum buffer aorms.
- The rising minimum support prices have raised the cost of procuring food grains by the government.
- PDS dealers are sometimes found resorting to malpractices like diverting the grains to open market to get better margin, selling poor quality grains at ration shops, irregular opening of the shops, etc.
→ Role of Cooperatives in food security
- The role played by cooperatives in food security of India is important especially in the southern and western parts of the country.
- The cooperative societies set up shops to sell low—priced goods to poor people.
- In Delhi, Mother Dairy is making good progress in providing milk and vegetables to the consumers at controlled rates 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.
→ Food Security: Food security means availability, accessibility and affordability of food to all people at all times.
→ Availability of Food: It means food production within the country, food in ports and the previous years’ stock stored in government granaries.
→ Accessibility of food: It means food is within reach of every person
→ Availability of Food: It means food production within the country, food in ports and the previous years’ stock stored in government granaries.
→ Accessibility of food: It means food is within reach of every person
→ Calamity: An event causing great and often sudden damage or distress, e.g. flood, drought, famine, etc.
→ Drought A prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water.
→ Famine: It is a situation in which large number of people have little or no food and many of them die.
→ Malnutrition is a condition that results from eating a diet in which certain nutrients are lacking or in wrong proportions.
→ Buffer stock: It is the stock of food grains (wheat and rice) procured by government (through FCI) from surplus producing states for distribution (through PDS) to deficit states and the poorest section of society.
→ Food Corporation of India (FCI) lt is an organization created and run by the Government of India. Its function is to maintain sufficient buffer stock in the country and affect price stabilisation.
→ Minimum Support Price (MSP): Tt is declared by the government every year before the sowing season to provide incentives to the farmers for raising the production of these crops.
→ Public Distribution System (PDS) The system of distribution of food procured by the FCI among the poorer section of society is called the public distribution system (PDS).
→ Ration Shops: Ration shops keep stock of food grains, sugar and kerosene oil to be sold to people at a price lower than the market price.
→ Subsidy: Subsidy is a payment that a government makes to a producer to supplement the market price of commodity.