Chapter 4: Food Security in India

To ensure the availability of food to all sections of society, the Indian government carefully designed a food security system, which is composed of two components: (a) buffer stock and (b) public distribution system. Food security is ensured in India in the following ways:

1. Availability of Food – food produced in the country and the previous years’ stocks saved by the Government
2. Accessibility of Food – food reaches every citizen of the country
3. Affordability of Food – every individual should have the money to afford food which is safe and nutritious

The people living below the poverty line might be food insecure all the time, while better-off people might also turn food insecure due to calamity or disaster. The social composition, along with the inability to buy food, also plays a role in food insecurity. The SCs, STs, and some sections of the OBCs (lower castes among them) who have either poor land-based or very low land productivity are prone to food insecurity. Other than these sections, people hit by a natural disaster are also likely to be food insecure.

Eastern and south-eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, parts of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are the largest food-insecure states in India.

Post-independence, India adopted a new strategy in the agricultural field which led to the Green Revolution, especially for the production of wheat and rice. Ever since, India has avoided famine even in adverse weather conditions, and varieties of crops have been grown all across the country. This availability of food grains, even in adverse conditions at the country level, ensured the Government had a proper food security system. Hence, it can be said that the green revolution has made India self-sufficient in food grains.

A section of people in India is still without food despite a large increase in the food grain production in the country. This is because of the increased price of commodities and people not being able to afford food to feed themselves and their families. Unemployment can also be a cause of this chronic hunger that poor people suffer in rural areas.

When there is a disaster or calamity, the production and cultivation of food grains are highly affected. The production decreases, and this causes a shortage of food grains and, ultimately the hiked prices of food grains. The region affected by calamity might also turn into a food-insecure state if the calamity lasts for a longer period of time.

Hunger is one of the most important aspects indicating food security. Hunger results in poverty, and there are two dimensions of hunger – one is seasonal hunger and the other is chronic hunger.

The type of hunger that exists when a person is unable to get work for the entire year is called seasonal hunger. Seasonal hunger is related to cycles of food growing and harvesting. This is prevalent in rural areas because of the seasonal nature of agricultural activities and in urban areas because of casual labourers.

Chronic hunger is a consequence of diets persistently inadequate in terms of quantity and/or quality. Poor people suffer from chronic hunger because of their very low income and, in turn, inability to buy food even for survival.

The government has launched various schemes for the welfare of the people and to provide food security to the poor. Two such schemes are Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Annapurna Scheme (APS).

Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) – Launched in the year 2000, under this scheme, one crore of the poorest among the below-poverty-line families covered under the targeted public distribution system were identified, and 25 kg of food grains were provided to each eligible family at a highly subsidised rate of Rs. 2 per kg wheat and Rs. 3 per kg of rice. The scheme was further expanded in the year 2003, and close to 50 lakh families below the poverty line were provided with food grains.

Annapurna Scheme (APS) – Launched in the year 2000, the scheme aims to provide food to the senior citizens who have remained uncovered under the National Old Age Pension Scheme. The eligibility for an applicant is that they should be 65 years or above in age.

A buffer stock of food grains is created by the government so that it can be distributed in the food deficit areas and among the poorer strata of society at a price much lower than the market price. A buffer stock also helps to resolve the problem of food shortage during adverse weather conditions, disasters or calamities. Thus, maintaining buffer stock is a step taken by the government in order to ensure food security.

Solution coming soon.