Food security

Question 1

What is Food Security?

Answer 1

Food security is the availability, accessibility and affordability of food to all people at all times.

Question 2

Dimensions of food security?

Answer 2

Availability: Means food production within the country.
Affordability: Implies that every person is able to afford safe and nutritious food.
Accessibility: Means that food is within the reach of every person.

Question 3

How is food security affected during a calamity?

Answer 3

Due to natural calamities, total production of food grain decreases, increasing food grain price in market.

Question 4

Famine?

Answer 4

Famine is characterized by widespread deaths due to starvation and epidemics caused by contaminated water or decaying food and loss of body resistance due to weakening from starvation.

Question 5

Most devastating famine in India?

Answer 5

Famine of Bengal in 1943, which killed over 30 lakh people.

Question 6

Who are food insecure?

Answer 6

landless people, traditional artisans, petty self-employed workers and destitutes including beggars.

Question 7

Who are food Insecure in urban areas?

Answer 7

In urban areas, food insecure are those who are employed in ill-paid occupations and causal labor market.

Question 8

Food insecure states?

Answer 8

Orissa, U.P, West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh.

Question 9

Hunger types?

Answer 9

Chronic Hunger
Seasonal Hunger

Question 10

Chronic Hunger?

Answer 10

Is a consequence of diets persistently inadequate in terms of quantity or quality.

Question 11

Seasonal Hunger?

Answer 11

Exists when a person is unable to get work for the entire year.

Question 12

Highest wheat and rice production?

Answer 12

Wheat: U.P and M.P
Rice: West Bengal and U.P

Question 13

Buffer stock?

Answer 13

Stock of food grains procured by the government, through food cooperation of India.

Question 14

Minimum support price?

Answer 14

Is the pre-announced price for crops paid to farmers.

Question 15

Why is buffer stock created by the government?

Answer 15

This is to distribute food grains among the poorer strata of society, at a price lower than the market price (ISSUE PRICE)

Question 16

Public distribution system?

Answer 16

The food procured by FCI is distributed through government-regulated ration shops, among the poorer section of society. This is PDS. These ration shops are also called ‘fair price shops.’
Any family with a ration card can buy from these shops.

Question 17

Facts on rationing

Answer 17

Introduction of rationing dates back to the 1940s against the backdrop of the Bengal famine.

Question 18

3 important food intervention programs?

Answer 18

Public distribution system
Integrated child development services (1975)
Food for work (1977)

Question 19

Revamped public distribution system (RPDS)?

Answer 19

This was introduced in 1992. The target was to provide the benefits of PDS to remote and backward classes.

Question 20

Targeted public distribution system (TPDS)?

Answer 20

This was introduced in 1997 to adopt the principle of targeting the ‘poor in all areas.’

Question 21

2 special schemes launched in 2000?

Answer 21

Antyodaya anna yojana (AAY)
Annapurna scheme (APS)
These had special target groups of ‘the poorest of the poor’ and ‘indigent senior citizens.’

Question 22

Facts

Answer 22

• Per capita consumption of PDS has doubled since 2004-05 in both rural and urban areas.
• In Maharashtra, Academy of development of science (ADS) has facilitated a network of NGO’S for setting up grain banks in different regions.
• ADS organizes training and capacity building of programs on food security for NGO’S