1. How is food security ensured in India?
Ans - Food security is ensured in India by:

Creation of buffer stock.

Introduction of the Public Distribution System(PDS).

Running other programs like mid-day mill program, integrated child development services, etc.

2. Which are the people more prone to food insecurity?
Ans - (i) The SCs and the STs, who have either poor land base or very low land productivity are prone to food insecurity.
(ii) The people affected by natural disasters, who have to migrate to other areas in search of work, are also among the most food insecure people.
(iii) Pregnant and nursing mothers and children below the age of 5 years constitute an important segment of the food insecure population.

3. Which states are more food insecure in India?
Ans - The economically backward states with high rate of poverty are more food insecure in India.

The states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra account for the largest number of food insecure in India.

4. Do you believe that green revolution has made India self-sufficient in food

grains? How?
Ans- Yes, the green revolution has made India self-sufficient in food grains. India has adopted a new strategy in the field of agriculture. In this, insecticides and pesticides were used which resulted in great production of wheat and rice. Due to green revolution, the highest rate of growth was achieved in Punjab and Haryana in 1964-65.

5. A section of people in India are still without food. Explain?
Ans - Despite large increase in the food grain production we find people without food in India. Poor people suffer from chronic hunger. Chronic hunger is a persistent inadequacy in diet in terms of quality and/or quantity. Poor people suffer from chronic hunger because of their very low income and in turn inability to buy food even for survival. Over one-fifth of the country's population still suffer from chronic hunger.

6. What happens to the supply of food when there is a disaster or a calamity?
Ans - When there is a disaster or a calamity, the production of food grains decreases in the affected area. This in turn creates a shortage of food in the area. Due to the food shortage, the prices go up. The raised prices of food materials affect the capacity of many people to buy the same. When the calamity occurs in a very wide spread area or is stretched over a long period of time, it may cause a situation of starvation.

7. Differentiate between seasonal hunger and chronic hunger?
Ans –       Seasonal Hunger :  Seasonal hunger occurs when a person cannot find employment for the entire year or a whole season.

Seasonal hunger is generally related to cycles of growing food and harvesting.
Seasonal hunger is a problem in urban and rural areas due to seasonality in agriculture and casual employment.

Seasonal hunger is prevalent in rural areas due to the seasonal nature of agricultural activities and in urban areas due to casual laborers.
       Chronic Hunger : Chronic hunger is characterized by persistent hunger. More food is consumed than the body can absorb.

Chronic hunger is primarily associated with malnutrition, which is brought on by a lack of adequate energy intake.

This is primarily observed in rural areas where people’s low incomes prevent them from affording healthy food.

This occurs due to an inadequate diet in terms of quantity and quality.

8. What has our government done to provide food security to the poor? Discuss

any two schemes launched by the government?

Ans -  Our government has undertaken a number of measures to provide food security to the poor. A brief account of these measures is given below :

- Maintenance of Buffer Stock : Our government maintains buffer stock of food grains through Food Corporation of India.

- Public Distribution System : The food procured by the FCI is distributed among the poor through ration shops. Presently, there are 4.6 lakh ration shops int the country.

- Nutritional Programmes : In order to provide national security, our government has launched various schemes.

9. Why is a buffer stock created by the government?
Ans - The government creates buffer stock of food grains to protect the interest of both farmers as well as consumers. Farmers interest is protected when they are assured to get a certain minimum price for their crops. This price is called 'Minimum Support Price'. The interest of the consumers are protected when the procured food is made available to the consumers at the subsidized rates.

A buffer stock help resolve the problem of shortage of food during the adverse weather conditions or during calamities.

10. Write notes on:

(a) Minimum support price - The government creates buffer stock of food grains to protect the interest of both farmers as well as consumers. Farmers interest is protected when they are assured to get a certain minimum price for their crops. This price is called 'Minimum Support Price'.

(b) Buffer stock - The stock of foodgrains, namely rice and wheat, procured by the Government through the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is known as the Buffer Stock. The purchased food grains are stored in granaries.

(c) Issue price- the government provides them food grains from the buffer stock at a price much lower than the market price. This subsidized price is known as the Issue Price.

(d) Fair price shops - The foodgrains procured by the government through FCI is distributed to the poor section of the society through ration shops. The Ration Shops are called Fair Price Shops because food grains are supplied to the poor through these shops at much reasonable and a fair price than the market price which is often high.

11. What are the problems of the functioning of ration shops?
Ans - There are various problems with the functioning of ration shops such as;

Ration cards are issued only to those people who have their proper residential addresses. Hence a large number of homeless poor fail to get ration from these shops.

The owners of these shops sell ration in the open market at higher prices.

Sometimes shopkeepers make bogus entries in the ration cards.

12. Write a note on the role of cooperatives in providing food and related items.
Ans- The cooperatives are playing an important role in food security in India, especially in the southern and western parts of the country. The cooperative societies set up shops to sell goods to the poor people at lower prices. For example, out of all fair price shops operating in Tamil Nadu, nearly 94 percent are being run by the cooperatives.

Challenging

13. Critically examine the challenges and problems faced in the functioning of ration shops in India, considering both systemic and operational issues.
Ans – 1.  Dealers open the ration shops at irregular times.

2. Poor quality grains are sold at ration shops by the dealers.

3. Initially, all the non-poor and poor families had ration cards, which provided a fixed quota of items such as sugar, wheat, rice, etc.

4. Every family received them at the same low price.

5. Any family above the poverty line hardly gets any discount at ration shops.

14. Explain the necessity of creating a buffer stock by the government and discuss its role in mitigating food security challenges.
Ans - Buffer stock is created by the government to distribute these food grains in the deficit areas and among the poorer strata of society at a price lower than the market price.

 Buffer stock also helps resolve the problem of shortage of food during adverse weather conditions.