NCERT Solutions Class 9 Social Science Chapter 4 Food Security in India

Question1. How is food security ensured in India?

Answer: To ensure  food  security in any country its three dimensions i.e. availability, accessibility and affordability needs  to be ensured.

In India, these three dimensions are ensured due to following reasons.

(i)        With the advent of Green Revolution India has become  self-sufficient in food  grains. Now the variety of crops is grown across the country.

(ii)       Food Corporation of India (FCI) maintains buffer stock. It procures wheat and rice from farmers in states where there is surplus production at minimum support price.

(iii)     Government distributes the grains procured by FCI through government regulated ration shops (also called  fair price shop). The process of distribution of essential items like  food  grains, sugar, etc. is known public  distribution system.

•           Integrated child  development programme

•           Food for work programme

•           Poverty alleviation programmes

•           Mid day meal

•           Employment generation programmes

These programmes contribute in ensuring food  security in India.

Question2. Which are the people more prone to food insecurity?

Answer: The following people  are more prone to food insecurity:

•    In rural areas landless people, petty self-employed workers, destitute (beggars) suffer from food insecurity.

•    In urban  areas, casual  labourers, workers employed in seasonal  activities and ill-paid occupations are badly  affected from food  insecurity.

•   People affected by natural disasters, compelled to migrate to other cities are also amongst the most food  insecure people.

•   A large portion of women (especially nursing and pregnant women) and children under the age of 5 years are amongst the food  insecure people.

•   The SCs, STs, and OBC who  have  small  holdings of land  or low productivity are prone to food  insecure people.

Question3. Which are the states more food insecure in India?

Answer: The following states are more food  insecure in India:

•    Uttar Pradesh (eastern and south-eastern parts)

•   Bihar

•   Jharkhand

•   Orissa

•   West Bengal

•   Chattisgarh

•   Parts of Madhya  Pradesh and

•   Maharasthra

Question4. Do  you believe that green revolution has made India self-reliant in food grains? How?

Answer: Yes, we believe that green revolution has made India self-reliant in food  grains. Since independence India was striving hard to attain self sufficiency in food  grains production. In 1969, India adopted a new strategy in agriculture which  resulted in the Green revolution (especially in wheat and rice production). In this strategy farmers were encouraged to adopt HYV seeds, new methods of production, irrigation methods, insecticides and pesticides, etc. Owing  to this reason India has become self sufficient in food  grains during the last thirty years. Now the varieties of crops are grown across the country. But this growth was disproportionate. The growth rate of food  grain production increased in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab immediately after green revolution but  the growth rate did not change  in other states. The growth rate of foodgrains is increasing in other states now.

Question5. A section of people in India are still without food. Explain.

Answer: Due to adoption of Green Revolution, India has achieved self-sufficiency in food  grains production in last thirty years. But still a section of people  in India are without food. It is because:

•   Landless  labour, casual  labour, ill-paid workers, etc. earn meager or less income which  is not sufficient to get two squares of meal  a day.

•   SCs, STs and OBCs (lower caste amongst them) who have  low land-base or low productivity are food insecure.

•   The people  affected by natural disasters are forced to migrate in other states, left without food.

•    Corruption in PDS distribution is one of the main reasons why  people  are left without food. PDS shop owners divert grains in local  market or sell grains at higher prices.

Question6. What happens to the supply of food when there is a disaster or a calamity?

Answer: At the time of natural disaster or natural calamity, the supply of food  gets affected in following ways:

•   The production of food  grains declines  which  results in the shortage of supply of food  in the affected areas. This in turn causes food  prices to rise and people  are not able to buy  food  because  of high prices. If the calamity continues for a longer period it can lead to massive starvation which  can take the form of famine.

•    There is disruption of communication and transportation due to natural calamity. It hinders transportation of food  even  if the adequate food  is available in the country. Due to communication and transportation gap food  does not reach to needy.

Question7. Differentiate between seasonal hunger and chronic hunger?

Answer: 

Question8. What has our government done to provide food security to the poor? Discuss schemes launched by the government?

1. Food Security Act, 2013: This Act aims  to provide food and nutritional security to life  at affordable prices and enable  people  to live  a life  with dignity. It provides a legal  entitlement to subsidised food-grains to 75 % of the country's rural population and 50 % of urban  India.

2. Antyodaya Anna Yojana: This scheme  was introduced in December 2000. It was meant for the poorest among the BPL families. Under this scheme  the poor are given 35 kg of food  grains every month at a highly subsidised rate of Rs 3 per kg for rice and Rs 2 per kg for wheat.

Question9. Why buffer stock is created by government?

Answer: Buffer stock can be defined as the stock of food grains procured by the government through Food Corporation of India with the aim  to meet any shortage of demand in future. Buffer stock (mainly of wheat and rice) is created by the government for following purposes:

1. For distributing grains to the deficit areas

2. For distributing grains amongst poor people  at lower prices

3. To meet the problem of food  insecurity at the time of natural calamities

Question10. Write notes on: 

a)         Minimum support price

b)             Buffer stock

c)         Issue price

d)         Fair price shops

Answer:

a) Minimum support price, MSP is the pre announced price at which  Food Corporation of India procures crops from farmers. This price is declared by the government every year before sowing  season  to provide incentives to farmers for raising crops. Also, government gives  assurance to farmers that it will purchase food  grains at MSP in case of fall  in market price. Government uses this tool to intervene in the market.

b)The buffer stock is created by the government to ensure  food  security in the country. At the minimum support price government purchases food  grains from the market and the purchased food  grains are stored in granaries.

c) The price at which  government distributes foodgrains in the deficit areas and amongst the poorer strata of society is known as Issue price. This price is generally lower than the market price.

d)The food  procured by Food Corporation of India is distributed at lower prices amongst poorer strata of the society through government regulated shops. These shops are also known as fair price shop. Apart from food  grains, these shops also distribute other essential items like  sugar.

Question11. What are the problems of the functioning of ration shops?

Answer: Some  of the problems relating to the functioning of ration shops are as follows: 

•   Ration shop dealers are found  resorting to malpractices like, diverting food  grains to open markets to get better profit margin, selling poor quality of food  grains, irregular opening of shops  etc.

•  It has been observed that rations shops regularly have  unsold  stocks of poor quality grains. Over time this is becoming the grave problem because  ration shops are unable  to sell and huge  stocks of food grains are piling up with FCI.

•   Sometimes the price charged by ration shop owners is much  higher than the government prescribed prices.

•   A large number of families are unable  to buy foodgrains from the ration shops due to fixation of quota. These include low income families whose incomes are marginally higher than the below poverty line.

•    Under TPDS, three different prices are charged. The price for APL (above poverty line) is almost same  as in the open  market. Hence, they have  little or no incentive to purchase foodgrains from ration shops.

Question12. Write a note on the role of cooperatives in providing food and related item.

Answer: In India the role played  by cooperatives in providing food  and related items is important. These cooperatives are playing imperative role in southern and northern parts of India in providing food. The cooperative societies set up shops  to sell low priced goods  to poor people. For example, in Tamil  Nadu,  94 percent of fair price shops are being  run by cooperatives.

Another example of cooperatives is the Mother Dairy, in Delhi, which  provides milk  and vegetables to consumers at controlled rates decided  by the Government of Delhi. Amul, a cooperative of milk  and milk  products from Gujarat has brought white revolution in the country. In Maharashtra, the Academy of Development Science (ADS) has created a network of organisation for setting up grain banks  in different regions. It also organises training and capacity building programmes on food security. Due to ADS efforts grains banks  are setting up in different parts of Maharashtra and now  it becomes inspiration for other NGOs to work on same  footing and to influence the government policy.