Food Security in India

Question 1

Three dimensions of Food Security

Answer 1

• Availability
• Accessability
• Affordability

Question 2

Entitlements

Answer 2

Entitlements are goods / services that can be exchanged in the market.

Question 3

Bengal Famine - Year

Answer 3

1943

Question 4

Who were most affected by the Bengal Famine? Why?

Answer 4

• Agricultural labourers, fisherman, transport workers and other casual labourers.
• The were affected due to increasing price of rice.

Question 5

Who are Food Insecure?

Answer 5

• Rural Areas - landless agri-labourers, traditional artisians and self employed workers.
• Urban Areas - casual labourers.
• SC’s , ST’s and some sections of OBC’s who have poor land-base or very-low land productivity.
• Migrants who left their hometown in search of employment.
• Pregnant / Nursing Mothers and children under 5y/o.

Question 6

Name the States that are Food Insecure.

Answer 6

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Maharastra and parts of Madhya Pradesh.

Question 7

Name the two dimensions of Hunger.

Answer 7

Chronic Hunger
* Consequence of a diet which is reguarly inadequate in quantity & quality.
* Caused due to lack of income.

Seasonal Hunger
* Related to seasonal cycles of food growing and harvesting. Affects the landless agri-labourers.
* In Urban areas, casual construction workers suffer from seasonal hunger when they don’t get work.

Question 8

Buffer Stock

Answer 8

It is the stock of foodgrains procured by the government through the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

Question 9

FCI

Answer 9

Food Corporation of India

Question 10

Minimum Support Price (MSP)

Answer 10

• The farmers are paid a MSP for their crops.
• MSP is equivalent to the market price of crops.
• It is announced in the beginning of the sowing season.

Question 11

PDS - Public Distribution System

Answer 11

The food procured by the FCI is distributed to the public through the PDS. It operates through rationing.

Question 12

Rationing was introduced during the

Answer 12

Bengal Famine (1940’s)

Question 13

Issue Price

Answer 13

Price at which the foodgrains are distributed to the people. Issue Price is lower than Market Price for the poor people.

Question 14

Name few Poverty Alleviation Programmes (PAP’s).

Answer 14

• PDS
• Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS - 1975)
• Food For Work (FFW - 1977-78)
• Antyodaya Anna Yojna (AAY - 2000)
• Annapurna Scheme (APS - 2000)

Question 15

Give a note on Antyodaya Anna Yojna (AAY).

Answer 15

• December 2000
• One Crore of the poorest among the BPL families covered under TPDs were identifies through a state-wise BPL Survey.
• 25 kg of foodgrains were made available to each eligible family at a rate of ₹2/kg wheat and ₹3/kg rice.
• April 2002 - 25 kg to 35 kg

Question 16

Give a note on Annapurna Scheme (APS).

Answer 16

• Year 2000 for poor senior citizens.
• 10kg foodgrains free of cost per month to senior citizens who dont receive any pension or other source of income or have a family to support them.

Question 17

Problems with PDS.

Answer 17

• Food grains either rot or get eaten by pests.
• Massive storage of grains come with high maintenance cost.
• APL families stoped buying grains through PDS.

Question 18

Malpractices by PDS Dealers.

Answer 18

PDS Dealers
* Divert the grains to open market to get profit.
* Sell poor quality grains to the public.
* Irregularly open the shops.

Question 19

Role of Cooperatives in Food Security

Answer 19

• Tamil Nadu - 94% of all ration shops are run by the cooperatives.
• Delhi - Mother Dairy supplies milk and veggies to the people at low cost through the governement.
• Gujarat - Amul has brought the White Revolution to the Country.
• Maharashtra - Academy of Development Science made NGO’s learn to setup grain banks all over the region.