Food Security
Food Security
Food Security
ECONOMICS
Chapter -4
Food Security in India
12. ___________is the stock of food grains namely wheat and rice procured by the government through Food
Corporation of India.
Ans: Buffer Stock
13. Food security means availability, accessibility and affordability of food to all people at all. (True/False)
Ans. True
14. The SCs, STs and some sections of OBC's are more prone to food security. (True/False)
times.
Ans. True
15. The stock of food grains like wheat and rice procured by the government through Food Corporation of Indian
(FCI) is known as "buffer stock". (True/False)
Ans. True
16. The total food grain production in Indian in 2015-16 was 300 million tones. (True/False)
Ans. False
17. BPL cards are for the poorest of the poor. (True/False)
Ans. False
18. What do you mean by food security?
Ans: Food security means availability, accessibility and affordability of food to all people at all times.
19. Why is food security needed?
Ans. Food security is needed to meet emergencies, shortage of food grains, prevent starvation
and famines.
20. Which was most devastating famine that occurred in India during the 20th century?
Ans. Famine of Bengal in 1943
21. Who were the most affected by the famine of Bengal?
Ans. The agricultural labourers, fishermen, transport workers and other casual labourers were most affected by the
dramatic increase in the price of rice.
22. Which are the food insecure families in the urban area?
Ans. The food insecure families in the urban areas are those whose working are generally employed in ill-paid
occupations and casual labour market.
23. State the full form of NHFS.
Ans. NHFS stands for National Health and Family Survey.
24. What do you mean by hunger?
Ans. It is another aspect of indicating food. security. It is not just an expression of poverty, it brings poverty.
25. State the dimensions of hunger.
Ans. Chronic hunger and seasonal hunger are the two of hunger.
26. What do you mean by chronic hunger?
Ans. Chronic hunger is a consequence of diet persistently inadequate in terms of quantity or quality.
27. What do you mean by seasonal hunger?
Ans. Seasonal hunger is related to cycles of food growing and harvesting. It is prevalent more in rural areas.
28. Name the new strategy adopted in agriculture in India after independence to achieve self- sufficiency in food
grains.
Ans. Green Revolution
29. Define Green Revolution.
Ans. Green Revolution implies large increase in agricultural production due to use of high yielding varieties of seeds
and other inputs such as manure and fertilisers.
30. Which states achieved the highest rate of growth in food grains production in 2015-16?
Ans. Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
31. What was the total foodgrain production India in 2016-17?
Ans. 275.68 million tonnes.
32. State the two components of food security system.
Ans. Buffer Stock and Public Distribution System.
33. What do you mean by Buffer Stock? Or Define Buffer Stock.
Ans. Buffer Stock is the stock of food grains, particularly wheat and rice, procured by the government through the
Food Corporation of India (FCI).
Ans. Food Corporation of India is a government agency which purchases food grains from the farmers wherever they
are in surplus.
35. What do you mean by minimum support price?
Ans. Minimum support price is the minimum. price of food grains which is declared by the government every year
before the sowing. season, to provide incentives to the farmers for raising the production of crops.
36. Define issue price.
Ans. Issue price is the price at which the government provides food grains to the poorer strata of the society through
Public Distribution System.
37. What do you mean by Public Distribution System?
Ans. The food procured by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is distributed through government regulated ration
shops among the poorer sections of the society. This system is known as Public Distribution System.
38.What are Fair Price Shops?
Ans. Fair Price Shops are the ration shops which have been opened by the government to provide food grains to the
poorer strata of the society.
39. Which items are commonly sold at Fair Price Shops?
Ans. Items such as food grains, sugar and kerosene oil for cooking are commonly sold at Fair Price Shops.
40. Which kind of ration cards are for the poorest of the poor?
Ans. Antyodaya Cards
41. Name the ration card used for the people. living below the poverty line and for all others.
Ans. BPL cards are used for people living below the poverty line and APL cards are used for all others.
42. When was rationing system introduced in India?
Ans. The rationing system was introduced in India in 1940s after the disastrous 'Famine of Bengal'.
43. Which important food intervention programmes were introduced by the Indian government after NSSO report?
Ans. The programmes which were introduced are:
(a) Public Distribution System
(b) Integrated Child Development Services
(c) Food For Work Programme
44. Mention any two programmes initiated by the government having food component in them.
Ans. Mid-day Meal and Integrated Child Development Services
45. What is the National Food Security Act 2013?
Ans. This Act provides for food and nutritional security life at affordable prices and enables people to live a life with
dignity.
46. Which is the most important step taken by the government of India to ensure food security?
Ans. Public Distribution System (PDS)
47. Define subsidy.
Ans. Subsidy is a payment that a government makes to a producer to supplement the market price of a commodity.
48. What is the status of per capita consumption of PDS rice and wheat in rural and urban India since 2004-05?
Ans. Per capita consumption of PDS rice has doubled in rural India and increased by 66% in urban India since 2004-05.
The per capita consumption of PDS wheat has doubled since 2004-05 in both rural and urban India.
49. What are cooperative societies?
Ans. The cooperative societies are the societies which are run by local people. They provide public with the basic
necessities of such as foodgrains, milk and vegetables at reasonable rates.
50. Name the revolution brought about by Amul.
Ans: White Revolution
51. Where is the Academy of Development Science located?
Ans. Maharashtra
52. Which programme is acknowledged successful and innovative food as the security intervention?
Ans. The Academy of Development Science's 'Grain Bank Programme' is the successful and innovative food security
intervention programme.
Short Answer Type Questions [3 Marks]
(b) They maintain a stock register of the items which they receive and distribute. (c) They keep a check on the quality
of the items to be distributed to the cardholders.
63. Explain the role of co-operatives in providing food and related items in different parts of the country.
Ans. The cooperative societies set up shops to sell low priced goods to poor people, such as Mother Dairy in Delhi is
rapidly growing in providing milk and vegetables to the consumers at controlled prices, announced by the
government of Delhi.
Another success story of cooperatives lies in Amul, a cooperative, dealing with milk and milk products from Gujarat. It
has brought about 'White Revolution' in the country. These cooperatives are functioning in various parts of the
country to ensure food security to various sections of the society.
(any three)
67. What has our government done to food security to the poor? Discuss two schemes launched by
the government.
Ans. The government has designed the food security system carefully to ensure availability of food to all sections of
the society. The system is composed of two components, i.e.,
(a) Buffer Stock
(b) Public Distribution System (PDS) In addition to the above, the government has launched several Poverty
Alleviation Programmes (PAPs) that comprise a component of food security. Some of these programmes are Mid-day
Meals, Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Food For Work (FFW).
The two schemes launched by the government in this direction are:
(a) Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY): This scheme was launched in December 2000. Under this scheme, one crore of
the poorer among the BPL families, to be covered by the Public Distribution System, were identified. Twenty-five
kilograms of food grains were made available to each of the eligible family at a highly subsidised rate of 2 per
kg for wheat and 3 per kg for rice. After about two years, the quantity was enhanced from twenty-five kg to thirty-
five kg with effect from april 2002. In June 2003 and August 2004, an additional fifty lakh BPL families were added to
this scheme twice. In this way, about two crore families have been brought under the AAY.
(b) Annapurna Scheme (APS): It was launched in 2,000 with special target group of 'indigent senior citizens'. The
functioning of scheme was linked with existing network of the PDS. Under this scheme, 10 kg of food grains were
made available to them free of cost.
68. Why is the buffer stock created by the government?
Ans. Buffer stock is created by the government to e availability of food to all the sections ensure of the society. It
helps to resolve the problem of shortage of food during adverse weather conditions or during the periods of calamity.
69. Explain Buffer Stock and activities related to the creation of Buffer Stock.
Ans. Buffer Stock is the stock of foodgrains like wheat and rice that is procured by the government through Food
Corporation of India to resolve the problem of shortage of food grains because of adverse weather conditions or
periods of calamity.
The activities related to the creation of buffer stocks are:
(a) The government procures food grains through the Food Corporation of India from the farmers producing surplus.
(b) Pre-announced price called the Minimum Support Price is paid to the farmers.
(c) The purchased food grains are stored in the granaries maintained by the Food Corporation of India.
70. What is the rationing system?
Ans. The rationing system is a system of distribution of scarce resources in a controlled way. This system began in
India in 1940s against the backdrop of Bengal famine. In India, certain food grains, sugar, kerosene and cereals are
distributed through a network of fair price shops to those living under or above the poverty line at subsidised rates to
ensure food security. Any family with a ration card can buy a stipulated amount of these items every month at a price
lower than the market price. The main objective of the rationing system is the eradication of poverty and making
availability of desired quantity of food to every household, who cannot afford it.