SHORT QUESTIONS AND ANSWER
Question 1: How is food security ensured in India?
Answer: Food security in India is ensured through two components: Buffer Stock (stock of food grains like wheat and rice procured by the government through the Food Corporation of India) and the Public Distribution System (PDS), which distributes food grains to the poorer sections of society through government-regulated ration shops called Fair Price Shops (FPS).
Question 2: Which groups of people are more prone to food insecurity?
Answer: The worst affected groups in terms of food insecurity are landless or land-poor households in rural areas and people employed in ill-paid occupations and casual laborers engaged in seasonal activities in urban areas.
Question 3: Which states in India are more food insecure?
Answer: Economically backward states with high poverty incidence, such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, parts of Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, have the largest number of food-insecure people.
Question 4: Has the Green Revolution made India self-sufficient in food grains?
Answer: The Green Revolution, especially in wheat and rice production, contributed to self-sufficiency in food grains. However, the increase was disproportionate, with the highest growth rates observed in Punjab and Haryana.
Question 5: Why are some people still without food in India?
Answer: Despite achieving self-sufficiency due to the Green Revolution, a section of people in India remains without food due to poverty. Landless laborers, casual urban workers, Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Scheduled Tribes (STs) below the poverty line struggle to get two square meals a day.
Question 6: What role does the Public Distribution System (PDS) play in ensuring food security?
Answer: The PDS distributes food grains procured by the Food Corporation of India through government-regulated ration shops (Fair Price Shops) to the poorer sections of society.
Question 7: How does the Buffer Stock contribute to food security?
Answer: The Buffer Stock consists of food grains like wheat and rice procured by the government. It helps stabilize prices, ensures availability during emergencies, and supports food security.
Question 8: What are the components of food security?
Answer: Food security has two main components: availability (ensuring sufficient food supply) and accessibility (ensuring that people can afford and access food).
Question 9: What is the role of poverty in food insecurity?
Answer: Poverty is a significant factor leading to food insecurity. People living below the poverty line often struggle to meet their basic food needs.
Question 10: How did the Green Revolution impact food production?
Answer: The Green Revolution, especially in wheat and rice, significantly increased food grain production in states like Punjab and Haryana.
LONG QUESTIONS AND ANSWER
Question 1: Define food security. Explain its importance in the context of India.
Answer:
- Food security refers to the condition in which all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
- In India, food security is of paramount importance due to its large population and diverse socio-economic conditions. It ensures that every individual in the country has access to an adequate quantity of food of the right quality at affordable prices, thereby contributing to the overall well-being, health, and productivity of the population.
Question 2: Discuss the factors contributing to food insecurity in India.
Answer:
Several factors contribute to food insecurity in India. These include:
- Poverty and income inequality leading to lack of purchasing power among certain sections of society.
- Inadequate agricultural infrastructure, including irrigation facilities, storage, and transportation.
- Climate change and its impact on agricultural productivity.
- Poor distribution systems resulting in food wastage.
- Insufficient nutritional awareness and improper dietary practices.
- Socio-political factors such as conflict and displacement, which disrupt food supply chains.
Question 3: Explain the role of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in ensuring food security in India.
Answer:
- The Public Distribution System (PDS) plays a crucial role in ensuring food security in India by providing essential food items at subsidized rates to the economically weaker sections of society. It aims to distribute food grains, such as rice, wheat, and sugar, through a network of Fair Price Shops (FPS) across the country.
- The government procures food grains from farmers at Minimum Support Prices (MSP) and distributes them through the PDS to targeted beneficiaries, including below-poverty-line (BPL) families and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, at affordable prices.
Question 4: Analyze the significance of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) in the context of food security.
Answer:
- The Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a price set by the government to ensure remunerative prices to farmers for their produce. It acts as a safety net for farmers by guaranteeing them a minimum income for their crops, thereby encouraging agricultural production and ensuring food security.
- MSP helps in stabilizing agricultural incomes, promoting crop diversification, and reducing price fluctuations in the market. Additionally, MSP supports the government’s procurement efforts for maintaining buffer stocks under the PDS, ensuring availability of food grains to vulnerable sections of society during times of scarcity or emergencies.
Question 5: Discuss the concept of buffer stock and its role in food security management.
Answer:
- Buffer stock refers to the stock of food grains, such as rice and wheat, procured and maintained by the government to stabilize prices and ensure food security. The government purchases food grains from farmers at Minimum Support Prices (MSP) during bumper harvests and stores them in warehouses.
- During periods of shortage or fluctuating prices, the government releases these stocks into the market to meet the demand and control inflation. Buffer stocks act as a strategic reserve, providing a cushion against supply shocks, natural disasters, or disruptions in food production and distribution systems, thereby safeguarding food security.
Question 6: Evaluate the effectiveness of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in addressing food insecurity in India.
Answer:
- The National Food Security Act (NFSA) aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two-thirds of the population, including priority households and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries. It guarantees a legal right to food and aims to improve food access, availability, and affordability for vulnerable sections of society.
- However, the effectiveness of NFSA in addressing food insecurity depends on various factors, including implementation mechanisms, coverage, leakage control, and targeted delivery systems. While NFSA represents a significant step towards enhancing food security in India, its successful implementation requires concerted efforts to overcome challenges such as identification of beneficiaries, leakages, and ensuring quality and nutritional adequacy of food supplies.
Question 7: Discuss the role of women in ensuring food security at the household level.
Answer:
- Women play a pivotal role in ensuring food security at the household level as primary caregivers and managers of household resources. They are often responsible for food procurement, preparation, and distribution within the family.
- Additionally, women are actively involved in agricultural activities, including farming, livestock rearing, and food processing, contributing significantly to food production and household income.
- Empowering women through access to education, resources, and decision-making opportunities can enhance their capacity to ensure food security, improve nutritional outcomes, and promote sustainable agricultural practices at the grassroots level.
Question 8: Explain the concept of food security in the context of sustainable development.
Answer:
- Food security is intricately linked with sustainable development, which seeks to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable food security entails ensuring access to nutritious food while simultaneously preserving environmental resources, promoting social equity, and fostering economic development.
- It involves adopting holistic approaches to food production, distribution, and consumption that are environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive, and economically viable. Sustainable agriculture practices, conservation of biodiversity, promotion of food sovereignty, and equitable food distribution systems are essential components of achieving food security within the framework of sustainable development goals.
Question 9: Discuss the challenges and opportunities in achieving food security in India amidst globalization and economic reforms.
Answer:
- Globalization and economic reforms have presented both challenges and opportunities in achieving food security in India. While increased trade and market integration offer opportunities for accessing diverse food sources and technologies, they also pose challenges such as price volatility, market distortions, and unequal distribution of benefits.
- Additionally, globalization can lead to changes in dietary patterns, nutritional transitions, and risks of dependence on imported food supplies. Addressing these challenges requires policy interventions that promote sustainable agricultural practices, enhance market efficiency, strengthen social safety nets, and ensure equitable access to food resources.
- Furthermore, harnessing the potential of technological innovations, empowering smallholder farmers, and promoting inclusive growth can contribute to building a resilient and sustainable food security system in India.
Question 10: Examine the role of international cooperation and partnerships in addressing food security challenges globally.
Answer:
- International cooperation and partnerships are crucial in addressing food security challenges globally due to the interconnected nature of food systems and transboundary impacts of factors such as climate change, trade policies, and resource constraints.
- Collaborative efforts among governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector are essential for promoting sustainable agriculture, facilitating technology transfer, and enhancing resilience to food crises.
- Initiatives such as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the World Food Programme (WFP), and bilateral/multilateral agreements promote knowledge exchange, resource mobilization, and collective action to tackle food insecurity, hunger, and malnutrition worldwide.
- By fostering cooperation and solidarity, the international community can work towards building a more food-secure and sustainable future for all.
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