Question 1.
Explain the major dimensions of food security.
Answer:
Food security has the following dimensions:

• Availability of food: It means food production within the country, food imports and the previous years stock stored in government granaries.
• Accessibility: It means food is within reach of every person.
• Affordability: It implies that an individual has enough money to buy sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet one’s dietary needs.

Question 2.
Mention the major features of Public Distribution system of India.
Answer:

• 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.
• It has been instrumental in averting widespread hunger and famine by supplying food from surplus regions of the country to the deficit ones.
• The system, including the minimum support price and procurement has contributed to an increase in foodgrain production and provided income security to farmers in certain regions.
• It has minimized hoarding and black marketing.

Question 3.
What are the limitations of the public distribution system?  [CBSE 2015]
Answer:

• Failed to remove hunger: The PDS has been working for many years but still hunger is prevailing in the Indian society.
• Overflowing godowns: The FCI godowns are overflowing with foodgrains. In 2012 the stock of wheat and rice was 82.3 million tonnes which was much more than the minimum stock. There is a general consensus that high level of buffer stock of foodgrains is very undesirable and can be wasteful.
• Poor foodgrain quality: As most of godowns have more stock than their capacity, this leads to deterioration in grain quality.
• Adverse impact on the environment: Due to incentive by the government most of the states are producing only rice and wheat. The intensive utilization of water in the cultivation of rice has led to environmental degradation and fall in the water level, threatening the sustain- ability of the agricultural development in many states.

Question 4.
How is food security ensured in India?
Answer:
Food security in India has two components:
(a) Buffer stock
(b) Public distribution system.
(a) Buffer Stock: Buffer Stock is the stock of foodgrains, namely wheat and rice procured by the government through Food Corporation of India (FCI). The FCI purchases wheat and rice from the farmers in states where there is surplus production.

The purchased foodgrains are stored in granaries. This is done to distribute foodgrains in the deficit areas and among the poorer strata of society at a price lower than the market price, also known as Issue Price. This helps in resolving the problem of shortage of food.

(b) Public distribution system: The stored food is distributed to the poor people through ration shops. The items are sold to the poor people at a price lower than the market price.
Other schemes: Over the years, several new programmes have been launched like mid-day meal, Antyodaya Ana Yojana, etc. for food security.

Question 5.
Why is buffer stock created by the Government?
Answer:

• Food security: The main objective of the buffer stock is to distribute the foodgrains in the deficit areas and among the poorer strata of society at a price lower than the market price.
• Disaster or Calamity: The second objective of the buffer stock is to resolve the problem of shortage of food during adverse weather conditions or during the period of calamity.
• To save the farmers from the ups and downs of the market: The third important objective of the buffer stock is to save the farmers from ups and downs of the market. Under this farmers are paid a preannounced price for their crops. This price is declared by the government before the sowing season to provide incentives to the farmers.
• Uninterrupted supply of foodgrains: Buffer stocks are also created by the government to maintain uninterrupted supply of foodgrains throughout India and throughout the year.

Question. 6

• British Rule: Britishers ruled India more than 100 years. Prior to the British rule, traditional industries, for instance, textiles, flourished in India. During the British rule, the government adopted policies to discourage such industries. This left millions of weavers poor. Even after fifty years of independent India, we can find a major section of the people engaged handicraft industries as downtrodden.
• Lack of industrialisation: India is very backward from the industrial point of view. Hardly 3 per cent of the total working population is engaged in the large- scale industry.
• Over dependence on agriculture: Even after more than 60 years of independence more than 60 per cent of our total population still depends on agriculture for its livelihood. Due to shortage of inputs, our agriculture is backward.
• Inflationary pressure: Upward trend in prices adversely affects the poor sections of the society.
• Unemployment: Due to lack of job opportunities, more than 90 lakhs of our total working force is unemployed.

Question 7
Explain the major limitations of Public Distribution System.
Answer:

• Stock higher than buffer norms: The actual stock has always remained higher than the buffer. There is a general consensus that high level of buffer stocks of food- grains is very undesirable and can be wasteful. The storage of massive food stocks has been responsible for high carrying costs, in addition to wastage and deterioration in grain quality.
• High burden on the economy: The Minimum Support Price for food grains has risen very sharply in the recent years leading to a very high burden on state exchequer.
• Threat to sustainability of agriculture: The intensive utilisation of water in the cultivation of rice has also led to environmental degrada-tion and fall in the water level, threatening the sustainability of the agricultural development in many states.
• Marked ineffectiveness: Another major area of concern is the marked ineffectiveness of PDS, which is apparent from the fact that the average consumption of PDS grain at the all-India level is only 1 kg per person per month. The average consumption figure is as low as less than 300 gm per person per month in the states of Bihar, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.
• Corrupt dealers: 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. It is common to find that ration shops regularly have unsold stocks of poor quality grains left.

Question 8.
Distinguish between chronic and seasonal hunger.
Answer:

Question 9.
Study the graph and answer the following questions:

(i) In which recent year foodgrain stock with the government was maximum?
(ii) What was the minimum buffer stock norm in 2012?
(iii) Why were the FCI granaries overflowing with foodgrains?
(iv) What is buffer stock?
(v) Why is there general consensus that high level of buffer stock of foodgrains is very undesirable?
Answer:

• July, 2012.
• 33 million tonnes.
• The PDS or the Public Distribution System has failed to distribute foodgrains through the fair price shops.
• A stock of foodgrains procured by the government to distribute in deficit areas and among the poor strata of society.
• The higher level of buffer stock can be wasteful. The storage of massive food stock has been responsible for high carrying costs in adition to wastage and deterioration in grain quality.

Question 10

• Stock higher than buffer norms: The actual stock has always remained higher than the buffer. There is a general consensus that high level of buffer stocks of food- grains is very undesirable and can be wasteful. The storage of massive food stocks has been responsible for high carrying costs, in addition to wastage and deterioration in grain quality.
• High burden on the economy: The Minimum Support Price for food grains has risen very sharply in the recent years leading to a very high burden on state exchequer.
• Threat to sustainability of agriculture: The intensive utilisation of water in the cultivation of rice has also led to environmental degrada-tion and fall in the water level, threatening the sustainability of the agricultural development in many states.
• Marked ineffectiveness: Another major area of concern is the marked ineffectiveness of PDS, which is apparent from the fact that the average consumption of PDS grain at the all-India level is only 1 kg per person per month. The average consumption figure is as low as less than 300 gm per person per month in the states of Bihar, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.
• Corrupt dealers: 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. It is common to find that ration shops regularly have unsold stocks of poor quality grains left.

Important Link

Quick Revision Notes : Food Security in India

NCERT Solution : Food Security in India

MCQs: Food Security in India

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