Chapter 4: Food Security in India
Overview: What is Food Security?
Food Security means everyone has access to enough safe and nutritious food at all times.
Key Aspects of Food Security:
Availability: Sufficient food is produced and stored.
Accessibility: Food is within reach of all individuals.
Affordability: People can afford to buy nutritious food for their needs.
Why is Food Security Important?
Vulnerability to Food Insecurity: Poor households and those affected by natural disasters (droughts, floods) are more vulnerable to food insecurity.
Impact of Calamities: Natural disasters can reduce food production, increase prices, and lead to famine in extreme cases.
Who is Food-Insecure?
Rural Areas: Landless workers, traditional artisans, and daily wage laborers.
Urban Areas: Casual laborers and low-paid workers.
Vulnerable Groups: Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and certain Other Backward Classes (OBCs) are often more affected.
Special Cases: Women, children, and particularly pregnant and nursing mothers are at higher risk of malnutrition.
Hunger and Its Types
Chronic Hunger: Long-term undernutrition due to low income and insufficient food access.
Seasonal Hunger: Temporary, often occurring in rural areas between planting and harvest seasons or in urban areas with less employment during certain months.
Food Security Measures in India
Self-Sufficiency in Food Grains: Since independence, India has increased food production, especially through the Green Revolution for crops like wheat and rice.
Government’s Food Security System:
Buffer Stock: The Food Corporation of India (FCI) stores large quantities of wheat and rice to prevent shortages.
Public Distribution System (PDS): Government-regulated ration shops sell essential items (rice, wheat, kerosene) at lower prices to vulnerable groups.
Role of the Public Distribution System (PDS)
Function: PDS provides food at subsidized prices, stabilizing prices and preventing hunger.
Challenges: Some issues include poor-quality grains, irregular opening times of ration shops, and grain diversion to open markets.
Other Government Programs for Food Security
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS): Provides food, education, and healthcare to children under six and their mothers.
Mid-Day Meal Scheme: Offers free meals to schoolchildren, improving attendance and nutrition.
Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY): Provides heavily subsidized food to the poorest families.
National Food Security Act (2013): Ensures affordable food grains to 75% of rural and 50% of urban populations.
Role of Cooperatives
Contribution: Cooperatives, like Amul (dairy) and Mother Dairy, supply essential items at affordable prices.
Grain Banks: Some NGOs and cooperatives have set up grain banks to provide food during crises, ensuring food security in remote areas.
Conclusion
Food security is essential for a healthy, productive society. India’s food security system, though challenged by inefficiencies, plays a vital role in providing access to affordable food for all.
