Chapter 4 Food Security in India

Overview

This chapter defines and discusses food security, which involves the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food for all people at all times. It highlights that poor households are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity, especially during times of production or distribution challenges. The chapter emphasizes the critical role of the Public Distribution System (PDS) and government intervention in maintaining food security, particularly during calamities like droughts and famines. It also details India's journey towards self-sufficiency in foodgrains, the mechanisms of buffer stocks and PDS, and the challenges faced by the system. The role of cooperatives and NGOs in ensuring food security is also discussed.

Why Food Security?

Food security is crucial because, beyond just getting enough to eat, it ensures that individuals have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to lead an active and healthy life. Even people above the poverty line can face food insecurity during national disasters like earthquakes, floods, or crop failures, which lead to food shortages, price hikes, and potentially starvation and famine. Historical events like the Bengal Famine of 1943, which caused widespread deaths due to starvation and rising rice prices, underscore the dire consequences of food insecurity.

Who Are Food-Insecure?

While a large portion of the population suffers from food insecurity, the most affected groups are typically:

• Landless laborers with little or no land.
• Traditional artisans and service providers.
• Petty self-employed workers and destitutes.
• In urban areas, workers in ill-paid occupations and casual labor markets, often engaged in seasonal activities with low wages that barely ensure survival.

Socially disadvantaged groups like Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and certain lower castes are also prone to food insecurity due to poor land resources or low land productivity. People affected by natural disasters and migrating for work are also highly vulnerable. Malnutrition is a significant concern, particularly among women and children under five years old.

Story Of Ramu

Ramu, a casual agricultural laborer, experiences seasonal unemployment for about four months a year. His family, including his son Somu who works as a 'pali' (cattle minder), struggles to get two square meals a day. His wife also works part-time. Despite their combined efforts, they face food insecurity during the months when Ramu is unemployed, with his children sometimes going hungry.

Story Of Ahmad

Ahmad, a rickshaw puller in Bangalore, supports a large family with fluctuating daily earnings. He has a PDS (Public Distribution System) yellow card, which allows him to purchase essentials like wheat, rice, sugar, and kerosene at subsidized prices. This card is crucial for his family's survival, enabling them to manage with his limited and inconsistent income.

India Is Aiming At Self-Sufficiency In Foodgrains Since Independence

Following independence, India adopted strategies to achieve self-sufficiency in foodgrains, notably through the Green Revolution, which significantly boosted wheat and rice production. This has helped India avoid widespread famine, even during adverse weather conditions, by maintaining food availability through a robust food security system.

What is Buffer Stock?

A buffer stock is a reserve of foodgrains (wheat and rice) maintained by the government through the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The FCI purchases surplus foodgrains from farmers at a pre-announced Minimum Support Price (MSP). This buffer stock is crucial for distributing food in deficit areas and to the poor at subsidized prices (issue price), ensuring food availability during adverse weather or calamities.

What Is The Public Distribution System?

The Public Distribution System (PDS) is the government's primary mechanism for ensuring food security. It distributes foodgrains, sugar, and kerosene through a network of ration shops (Fair Price Shops) across the country. These items are sold at prices lower than the market price to families holding ration cards (Antyodaya cards for the poorest, BPL cards for below poverty line, and APL cards for others).

Current Status Of The Public Distribution System

The PDS has evolved over time. Initially universal, it was revamped in 1992 (Revamped PDS) to target backward areas and further refined in 1997 (Targeted PDS - TPDS) to focus on the poor. Schemes like Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Annapurna Scheme (APS) were launched for the poorest and indigent senior citizens, respectively. While PDS has been effective in stabilizing prices and averting hunger, it faces criticisms regarding malpractices by dealers, diversion of grains, sale of poor quality products, and irregular opening of shops. The introduction of differential pricing under TPDS has also reduced incentives for non-poor families to use ration shops.

Role Of Cooperatives In Food Security

Cooperatives play a significant role in food security, particularly in western and southern India. Cooperative societies operate fair price shops, sell milk and vegetables at controlled rates (e.g., Mother Dairy in Delhi, Amul in Gujarat), and facilitate grain banks through NGOs (e.g., Academy of Development Science in Maharashtra). These efforts contribute to making food and other essential goods accessible and affordable to the population.

Exercises

The chapter's exercises cover various aspects of food security, including its estimation, identification of food-insecure populations and regions, the impact of the Green Revolution, causes of hunger, government schemes like MGNREGA and AAY, the importance of buffer stocks and PDS, problems associated with ration shops, and the role of cooperatives. These questions aim to reinforce the understanding of the complexities and solutions related to food security in India.