Food Security in India

**1. Explain the components  of food security? (Food Security in India)
Ans:

  • Availability of food
  • Accessibility of food
  • Affordability of food
**2. What is famine? What are its features?
Ans: A famine is situation of shortage of food leading to massive starvation deaths. Its features are:
  • Wide spread deaths due to starvation
  • Epidemics caused by forced use of contaminated water.
  • Loss of body resistance.
**3. State three types of ration card in our country.
Ans: 
  • Antyodaya cards for the poorest of the poor.
  • BPL cards for those below the poverty line.
  • APL cards for all others.
***4.Why is buffer stock created by the government?
Ans: Buffer stock is the stock of food grains procured by the government through FCI. This stock is created by the government to meet out the deficit areas among the poor sections of the society. The objective is to maintain the price stability of the food grains.
***5.What are the problems of functioning of the ration shops ?mention any four points.
Ans.
  • Insufficient amount fixed for rationed items.
  • Malpractices of PDS dealers.
  • Piling of massive stock of food grains.
  • Increasing minimum support price.
***6. Why do we need food security?
Ans:
  • (i) The poorest section of the society might be food insecure most of the times.
  • (ii)  People above the poverty line might also be food insecure when the country faces a national disaster.
  • (iii) There can also be a widespread failure of crops causing famines etc.
**7. Why is the Public Distribution System criticized?
Ans:
  • (i) Instances of hunger are prevalent despite overflowing granaries .
  • (ii) The FCI go downs are overflowing with grains where some are rotting away and some are eaten by rats.
  • (iii) Shopkeepers of Fair Price Shops always do black marketing.
***8. How is food security ensured in a country?
Ans:
  • (i) Enough food is available for all the persons.
  • (ii) All Persons have the capacity to buy food of acceptable quality.
  • (iii) There is no barrier on the access of food.
***9. What are some of the important features of PDS? (Food Security in India)
Ans:
  • (i) It is the most effective government policy in establishing prices.
  • (ii) It helps in averting widespread hunger and famine.
  • (iii) The price has been under revision in favour of the poor.
  • (iv) Minimum Support Price announcement has increased the food production.
  • (v) It helps the surplus food for the regions of the country to the deficit areas.
***10. Mention the activities of Food Corporation of India.
Ans:
  • (i) The FCI purchases wheat and rice from the farmers in states where there is surplus production.
  • (ii) The farmers are paid a pre announced price for their crops. This price is MSP (Minimum Support Price).
  • (iii) The MSP is declared by the government every year before the sowing the crops.
  • (iv) The purchased food grains stores in granaries by the government.
  • (v) This also helps to resolve the problem of shortage of food during adverse weather condition or during the period of calamity.