<–2/”>a >WHO Defines Food Security to exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
Food security has three interlinked contents such as :-
- Availability of food,
- Access to food and
- absorption of food.
Food security is a multidimensional concept covering even the micro level household food security,energy intakes and indicators of Malnutrition.
Major components of food security are:-
- Production and Procurement
- Storage
- Distribution
Indian agriculture is rightly called as a gamble with Monsoon, variability in food production and rising Population creates food insecurity in the nation and worst effected are the downtrodden section of the Society.
While India has seen impressive economic Growth in recent years, the country still struggles with widespread POVERTY and hunger. India’s poor population amounts to more than 300 million people, with almost 30 percent of India’s rural population living in poverty. The good news is, poverty has been on the decline in recent years. According to official government of India estimates, poverty declined from 37.2% in 2004-05 to 29.8% in 2009-10.
Need for Self-Sufficiency:
India suffered two very severe droughts in 1965 and 1966. Food Aid to India was restricted to a monthly basis by USA under the P.L. 480 programme. The Green Revolution made a significant change in the scene. India achieved self-sufficiency in food grains by the year 1976 through the implementation of the seed- water-fertilizer policy adopted by the Government of India.
Food grain production increased four-fold during 1950-51 and 2001-2002 from 51 million tons to 212 million tones. The country is no longer exposed to real famines. But the regional variation in the success of Green Revolution which was chiefly limited to northern- Western states has lead to the divide in the nation. Evergreen revoloution and Bringing green revolution to eastern India is the need of the hour.
Green revolution was focused on wheat and rice and thus the production of pulses was stagnant.
National Food Security Mission comprising rice, wheat and pulses to increase the production of rice by 10 million tons, wheat by 8 million tons and pulses by 2 million tons by the end of the Eleventh Plan (2011-12). The Mission is being continued during 12th Five Year Plan with new targets of additional production of food grains of 25 million tons of food grains comprising of 10 million tons rice, 8 million tons of wheat, 4 million tons of pulses and 3 million tons of coarse Cereals by the end of 12th Five Year Plan.
The National Food Security Mission (NFSM) during the 12th Five Year Plan will have five components
(i) NFSM- Rice;
(ii) NFSM-Wheat;
(iii) NFSM-Pulses,
(iv) NFSM-Coarse cereals and
(v) NFSM-Commercial Crops.
Government through Public Distribution System has tried to counter the problem of food insecurity by providing the food grains through fair price shops.
The central Government through Food Corporation of India has assumed the responsibilities of procurement,storage,transfer and bulk allocation of food grains to state governments.
The public distribution system (PDS) has played an important role in attaining higher levels of the household food security and completely eliminating the threats of famines from the face of the country, it will be in the fitness of things that its evolution, working and efficacy are examined in some details.
PDS was initiated as a deliberate social policy of the government with the objectives of:
- i) Providing foodgrains and other essential items to vulnerable sections of the society at resonable (subsidised) prices;
- ii) to have a moderating influence on the open market prices of cereals, the distribution of which constitutes a fairly big share of the total marketable surplus; and
iii) to attempt socialisation in the matter of distribution of essential commodities.
The focus of the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) is on “poor in all areas” and TPDS involves issue of 35 Kg of food grains per family per month for the population Below Poverty Line (BPL) at specially subsidized prices. The TPDS requires the states to Formulate and implement :-
- foolproof arrangements for identification of poor,
- Effective delivery of food grains to Fair Price Shops (FPSs)
- Its distribution in a transparent and accountable manner at the FPS level.
Problems and issues of storage
The food Corporation of India (FCI) is the nodal agency for food storage in India. It has insufficient number of grain silos (modern storage facilities), and covered godowns with adequate storage capacities. Hence grains are stored in outdoors under CAP storage (Cover and Plinth) across the country. This makes grains prone to rodents, moisture, birds and pests. Unexpected rainstorms and weather makes matters worse.Every year tonnes of food grains go waste because of inadequate storage and Infrastructure-2/”>INFRASTRUCTURE facilities. The wastage of fruits and vegetables is even higher than grains. Therefore, food logistic chain in India needs huge Investment in providing proper storage facilities.Storage infrastructure is necessary for carrying over the agriculturalproduce from production periods to the rest of the year and toprevent distress sales. The Warehousing capacity available in India, in public, cooperative and private sector is about 94.526 million MTs and as per Government’s estimates, additional 35 million MTs warehousing capacity is required during the 12th Five Year Plan period for the storage of all major crops.
Traditional Indoor storage involves grain containment in structures like Kanaja, Kothi, Sanduka and earthern pots. Kanaja is a grain storage container made out of bamboo. The base is usually round and has a wide opening at the top. The height varies. The Kanaja is plastered with mud and cow dung mixture to prevent spillage and pilferage of grains. The top is also plastered with mud and cow dung mixture or covered with paddy straw or gunny bags. Wooden boxes, also called as Sanduka, are used for storing pulses, seeds and smaller quantities of grains. These boxes have a storage capacity of 3-12 quintals. In some cases, partition is also made inside the box to store two to three types of grains. A big lid on the top with a small opening enables taking out the grains. To protect the grains from moisture, the box is kept 12 inches above the ground level with the help of stands/legs. The box has to be regularly polished for its maintenance. Kothi is used to store paddy and jowar.
Need of the hour is to strengthen traditional means of storage with modern inputs and to provide cheaper storage to farmers so as prevent enormous storage losses.
ICDS
The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme is one of the flagship programmes of the Government of India and represents one of the world’s largest and unique programmes for early childhood care and development. It is the foremost symbol of country’s commitment to its children and nursing mothers, as a response to the challenge of providing pre-school non-formal Education on one hand and breaking the vicious cycle of malnutrition, morbidity, reduced Learning capacity and mortality on the other. The beneficiaries under the Scheme are children in the age group of 0-6 years, pregnant Women and lactating mothers. Objectives of the Scheme are:
to improve the nutritional and Health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years;
to lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child;
to reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout;
to achieve effective co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development; and
to enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child through proper Nutrition and health education.
Mid-day Meal
The objectives of the mid day meal scheme are:
- Improving the nutritional status of children in classes I-V in Government, Local Body and Government aided schools, and EGS and AIE centres.
- Encouraging poor children, belonging to disadvantaged sections, to attend school more regularly and help them concentrate on classroom activities.
- Providing nutritional support to children of primary stage in drought affected areas during summer vacation.
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The Indian government has implemented a number of policies, schemes, and programs to ensure the food security of its citizens. These include the Public Distribution System (PDS), the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme.
The PDS is a food subsidy program that provides subsidized foodgrains to ration card holders. The ICDS is a program that provides nutrition and early childhood care to children under six years of age and pregnant and lactating women. The Mid-Day Meal Scheme is a program that provides free cooked meals to children in government and government-aided schools.
These programs have been successful in reducing hunger and malnutrition in India. However, they face a number of challenges, including storage problems, procurement problems, distribution problems, and import and export problems.
Storage problems are caused by a lack of adequate storage facilities. This leads to foodgrains being damaged or spoiled. Procurement problems are caused by a lack of adequate procurement infrastructure. This leads to farmers not getting a fair price for their produce. Distribution problems are caused by a lack of adequate distribution infrastructure. This leads to foodgrains not reaching the intended beneficiaries. Import and export problems are caused by a lack of adequate import and export infrastructure. This leads to India not being able to take advantage of global food markets.
The government is taking steps to address these challenges. It is building new storage facilities and improving the procurement infrastructure. It is also improving the distribution infrastructure and making it easier for farmers to export their produce.
The government is also working to improve the efficiency of the PDS. It is digitizing the ration card system and making it easier for people to access ration shops. It is also working to improve the quality of the foodgrains that are provided under the PDS.
The government’s efforts are making a difference. However, there is still a long way to go. India needs to invest more in storage, procurement, distribution, import, and export infrastructure. It also needs to improve the efficiency of the PDS and make it more accessible to all.
The government’s efforts are essential to ensuring the food security of India’s citizens. However, they are not enough. The private sector also has a role to play. Private companies can invest in storage, procurement, distribution, import, and export infrastructure. They can also develop innovative technologies to improve the efficiency of these processes.
The government and the private sector need to work together to ensure the food security of India’s citizens. This is a complex and challenging task, but it is essential to the future of India.
Here are some frequently asked questions and short answers about the problems and issues of storage, procurement, distribution, import and export, government policies, schemes and programmes such as PDS, ICDS and Mid-day Meal:
- What are the problems and issues of storage?
The main problems and issues of storage are:
- Lack of adequate storage facilities: There is a lack of adequate storage facilities in India, which leads to food wastage.
- Poor infrastructure: The infrastructure for storage is poor in India, which leads to food wastage.
Inefficient management: The management of storage facilities is inefficient in India, which leads to food wastage.
What are the problems and issues of procurement?
The main problems and issues of procurement are:
- Low procurement prices: The procurement prices offered by the government are often low, which discourages farmers from selling their produce to the government.
- Delays in payments: The government often delays payments to farmers, which makes it difficult for them to meet their expenses.
Corruption: There is a lot of corruption in the procurement process, which leads to farmers not getting a fair price for their produce.
What are the problems and issues of distribution?
The main problems and issues of distribution are:
- Lack of adequate infrastructure: There is a lack of adequate infrastructure for distribution in India, which leads to food wastage.
- Inefficient management: The management of distribution is inefficient in India, which leads to food wastage.
Corruption: There is a lot of corruption in the distribution process, which leads to food not reaching the intended beneficiaries.
What are the problems and issues of import and export?
The main problems and issues of import and export are:
- High import tariffs: The import tariffs on food items are high in India, which makes it expensive to import food.
- Low export prices: The export prices of food items are often low, which discourages farmers from exporting their produce.
Non-tariff barriers: There are a number of non-tariff barriers to trade in food items, which make it difficult to import and export food.
What are the government policies, schemes and programmes such as PDS, ICDS and Mid-day Meal?
The government has a number of policies, schemes and programmes to address the problems of food security in India. These include:
- The Public Distribution System (PDS): The PDS is a system of food distribution to the poor in India. It provides subsidized food grains to ration card holders.
- The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS): The ICDS is a programme for the development of children under six years of age. It provides nutrition, health care and education services to children.
- The Mid-day Meal Scheme: The Mid-day Meal Scheme is a programme that provides free cooked meals to children in government and government-aided schools.
These policies, schemes and programmes have helped to improve food security in India. However, there are still a number of challenges that need to be addressed. These include:
- The high level of Poverty in India: A large number of people in India live below the poverty line, which makes them vulnerable to food insecurity.
- The low level of agricultural productivity: The agricultural productivity in India is low, which makes it difficult to produce enough food to meet the needs of the population.
- The high level of food wastage: A large amount of food is wasted in India, which could be used to feed the hungry.
The government needs to address these challenges in order to improve food security in India.
Question 1
Which of the following is not a government policy, scheme or programme related to food security?
(A) Public Distribution System (PDS)
(B) Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
(C) Mid-day Meal Scheme
(D) Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)
Answer
(D) Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is a Financial Inclusion scheme, not a Food Security Scheme.
Question 2
The Public Distribution System (PDS) is a government-run food distribution system in India. It was started in 1952 to ensure that all Indians have access to basic food items at affordable prices.
Which of the following is not a food item that is distributed through the PDS?
(A) Rice
(B) Wheat
(C) Sugar
(D) Petrol
Answer
(D) Petrol is not a food item.
Question 3
The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is a government-run program that provides early childhood care and education, nutrition, and health services to children under the age of six and their mothers.
Which of the following is not a service provided by the ICDS?
(A) Preschool education
(B) Nutrition supplements
(C) Health check-ups
(D) Free gas cylinders
Answer
(D) Free gas cylinders are not a service provided by the ICDS.
Question 4
The Mid-day Meal Scheme is a government-run program that provides free cooked meals to children in government and government-aided schools.
Which of the following is not a goal of the Mid-day Meal Scheme?
(A) To improve school attendance
(B) To improve nutrition
(C) To reduce poverty
(D) To promote Equality/”>Gender Equality
Answer
(C) To reduce poverty is not a goal of the Mid-day Meal Scheme. The Mid-day Meal Scheme is a food security program, not an anti-poverty program.
Question 5
Which of the following is not a problem with the PDS?
(A) Corruption
(B) Leakages
(C) Low quality food
(D) High prices
Answer
(D) High prices are not a problem with the PDS. The PDS provides food items at subsidized prices.
Question 6
Which of the following is not a problem with the ICDS?
(A) Lack of trained staff
(B) Inadequate infrastructure
(C) Low coverage
(D) High costs
Answer
(D) High costs are not a problem with the ICDS. The ICDS is a centrally-funded program, so the costs are borne by the central government.
Question 7
Which of the following is not a problem with the Mid-day Meal Scheme?
(A) Lack of hygiene
(B) Poor quality food
(C) Uneven distribution
(D) High costs
Answer
(D) High costs are not a problem with the Mid-day Meal Scheme. The Mid-day Meal Scheme is a centrally-funded program, so the costs are borne by the central government.
Question 8
What is the main goal of the National Food Security Act (NFSA)?
(A) To provide food security to all Indians
(B) To reduce poverty
(C) To improve nutrition
(D) To promote gender equality
Answer
(A) The main goal of the NFSA is to provide food security to all Indians.
Question 9
What are the two types of food grains that are provided under the NFSA?
(A) Rice and wheat
(B) Rice and sugar
(C) Wheat and sugar
(D) Rice, wheat, and sugar
Answer
(D) Rice, wheat, and sugar are the three types of food grains that are provided under the NFSA.
Question 10
Who are the beneficiaries of the NFSA?
(A) All Indians
(B) All poor Indians
(C) All rural Indians
(D) All urban Indians
Answer
(B) All poor Indians are the beneficiaries of the NFSA.