HOMEWORK AND CLASSWORK QUESTION FOR ECONOMICS

4. FOOD SECURITY
CLASSWORK QUESTION

1. Differentiate between seasonal hunger and chronic hunger.

Ans –

S.NO SEASONAL HUNGER CHRONIC HUNGER

1 Seasonal hunger arises due to the It persists for an extended period, usually over
seasonal nature of activities like months or even years, resulting in long-term
farming or casual work. nutritional deficiencies.

2 Seasonal hunger is related to cycles of It significantly impacts education,

food growing and harvesting. productivity, and economic stability in
affected communities, perpetuating cycles of
poverty.
3 This is prevalent in rural areas because Poor people suffer from chronic hunger
of the seasonal nature of agricultural because of their very low income and, in turn,
activities and in urban areas because of inability to buy food even for survival.
casual labourers.

2. List any three characteristics of the Public Distribution System.

Ans –

Major features of PDS:

The Public Distribution System (PDS) is a government-led initiative that aims to provide essential
food items at subsidized rates to the economically weaker sections of society. The major features
of PDS are:

1. Targeted beneficiaries: The PDS system targets the poor and vulnerable sections of society,
including the rural and urban poor, Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, and Antyodaya Anna
Yojana (AAY) families.

2. Essential food items: The PDS system provides essential food items like wheat, rice, sugar,
and kerosene oil at subsidized rates to the targeted beneficiaries.

3. Fair price shops: The food items are distributed through a network of fair price shops (FPS)
across the country. These shops are run by the state government or private entities.

4. Digitization of PDS: The PDS system has been digitized to ensure transparency, reduce
corruption, and improve efficiency in the distribution process. This has been done through the
implementation of e-PoS (electronic Point of Sale) machines, Aadhaar-based biometric
authentication, and GPS tracking of the FPS.

3. Do you believe that the green revolution has made India self-sufficient in food grains? How?
Answer:

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  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.

4. Which are the people more prone to food insecurity?

Answer:
A large section of people suffer from food and nutrition insecurity in India. However, the worst
affected groups are as follows:
(i) Landless and land-poor households, traditional artisans, providers of traditional services,
petty self-employed workers and destitute including beggars (in the rural areas)
(ii) People employed in ill-paid occupations and casual labourers engaged in seasonal
activities (in the urban areas)
(iii) People belonging to the backward sections of society, namely SCs, STs and OBCs
(iv) People belonging to economically backwards states with high incidences of poverty, tribal
and remote areas and regions more prone to natural disasters.
(v) People affected by natural disasters have to migrate to other areas in search of work.
(vi) A large proportion of pregnant and nursing mothers, and children under the age of 5 years

5. What has our government done to provide food security to the poor? Discuss any one
scheme launched by the government.
Answer: The government has ensured the availability of food grains with the help of a carefully
designed food- security system. This system involves the maintenance of a buffer stock of food
grains, and the distribution of this food among the poorer sections of society with the help of a
public distribution system. The government has also come up with several poverty alleviation and
food intervention programmes that enhance food security: for example, the Antyodaya Anna
Yojana and the National Food for Work Programme.

Antyodaya Anna Yojana

(i) Launched in December 2000, it caters to the families below poverty level.
(ii) Under this scheme, one crore of the poorest among the BPL families covered under the
targeted public distribution system was identified.
(iii) Twenty-five kilograms of food grains were made available to each eligible family at a
highly subsidised rate (Rs 2 per kg for wheat and Rs 3 per kg for rice)
(iv) The quantity of food grains was enhanced from 25 to 35 kgs with effect from April 2002.
(v) The scheme was expanded twice to include a greater number of BPL families. By August
2004, 2 crore families were covered under this scheme.

HOMEWORK QUESTION
6. Write notes on:
(a) Minimum support price
(b) Buffer stock
(c) Issue price
(d) Fair-price shops

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 (a) Minimum support price - It is the pre-announced price at which the government purchases
food grains from the farmers to create a buffer stock. The minimum support price is declared
by the government every year before the growing season. This provides incentives to the
farmers for raising the production of the crops. The rising minimum support prices of rice and
wheat have induced farmers to divert land from the production of coarse grains—the staple
food of the poor—to the production of these crops. The rising minimum support prices have
raised the maintenance cost of procuring food grains.

(b) Buffer stock - It is the stock of food grains (usually wheat and rice) procured by the
government through the Food Corporation of India. The purchased food grains are stored in
granaries. A buffer stock of food grains is created by the government to distribute the procured
food grains in the food-deficit areas and among the poorer strata of society at a price lower
than the market price. A buffer stock helps resolve the problem of shortage of food during
adverse weather conditions or periods of calamity.

(c) Issue Price - The food grains procured and stored by the government are distributed in food-
deficit areas and among the poorer strata of society at a price lower than the market price. This
price is known as the issue price.

(d) Fair-price shops - The food procured by the Food Corporation of India is distributed through
government-regulated ration shops. The prices at which food materials are sold at these ration
shops are lower than the market prices. The low pricing is to benefit the poorer strata of
society. This is why these shops are called fair-price shops. Fair-price shops keep stock of
food grains, sugar and kerosene oil. Any family with a ration card can buy a stipulated amount
of these items every month from the nearby ration shop.

7. What are the problems of the functioning of ration shops?

Ans –
(i) There have been many instances where dealers in the Public Distribution System (PDS)
have been indulging in malpractices.
(ii) To get higher margins, these dealers are diverting the grains to the open market.
(iii) Dealers open the ration shops at irregular times.
(iv) Poor-quality grains are sold at ration shops by the dealers.
(v) It is commonly found that ration shops have stocks of poor-quality grains which are
unsold.
(vi) This has proven to be a major problem with ration shops.
(vii) At Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns, large stocks of foodgrains pile up when
ration shops are not able to sell the foodgrains.
(viii) Another factor has led to the deterioration of the Public Distribution System (PDS), in the
recent past.

8. A section of people in India are still without food. Explain?

Ans –
(i) Despite achieving self-sufficiency in food grains as a result of the Green Revolution, a
section of people in India are still without food because of poverty. Thus, landless
labourers, casual urban workers, SCs and STs who are below the poverty line find it
impossible to get two square meals a day.
(ii) The PDS is not functioning properly because the ration shop owners are diverting the
grains to the open market.
(iii) Low-quality grains are available at ration shops which often remain unsold.
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 (iv) Corruption in the PDS and extreme poverty are the two basic reasons that even today
some people are still without food in India.
(v) Lack of proper monitoring of schemes: The lack of proper implementation and proper
targeting of many of the poverty-alleviation programmes have led to their lack of
effectiveness in ensuring food security. Despite good intentions, many of the schemes
of the government have not reached the deserving poor. Hence, a great number of
people are still food insecure.

9. What happens to the supply of food when there is a disaster or a calamity?

Ans –
(i) When there is a disaster or a calamity, the total production of food grains decreases. It
creates a shortage of food in the affected areas.
(ii) Due to a shortage of food, the prices go up. At the high prices, some people cannot
afford to buy food.
(iii) If a disaster or calamity happens in a very widespread area or is stretched over a longer
period, it may cause a situation of starvation.

10. Discuss the Role of cooperatives in food security.

Ans –
Cooperatives put people together on a fair and democratic basis. Cooperatives are democratically
governed by the 'one person, one vote' law, whether the participants are clients, employers, users,
or tenants. Members have similar voting rights regardless of how much money they invest in the
business.
(i) In India, cooperatives play an important role in food security, especially in the country's
southern and western regions.
(ii) Cooperative societies established shops to market low-cost items to the needy. for
example, Co-operatives operate about 94 per cent of all fair price shops in Tamil Nadu.
(iii) In Delhi, Mother Dairy is making significant progress in providing milk and vegetables to
customers at a regulated rate set by the Delhi government.
(iv) Gujarat's Amul cooperative is another success story of milk and milk products. It has
resulted in the country's White Revolution.
(v) Several more cooperatives are operating in various parts of the world, ensuring the food
security of various segments of society.

11. Discuss the role of the Food Corporation of India (FCI). (NOT TO BE DONE IN
NOTEBOOK, ONLY FOR NOTES)
Ans –
FCI (Food Corporation of India)
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is a government-owned corporation responsible for ensuring
food security in India. It was established in 1965 and is one of the largest public sector
undertakings in the country. FCI operates under the administrative control of the Ministry of
Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

Functions of FCI:
(i) Procurement of Food Grains:
One of the primary functions of FCI is the procurement of food grains from farmers. FCI
procures wheat and rice directly from farmers at the Minimum Support Price (MSP)
declared by the government. This ensures that farmers receive a fair price for their
produce and helps in maintaining stability in the agricultural sector.

(ii) Distribution of Food Grains:

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 FCI plays a crucial role in the distribution of food grains across the country. It operates a
vast network of storage facilities and transportation infrastructure to ensure the timely
delivery of food grains to various states and Union Territories. The distribution is done
through the Public Distribution System (PDS), which aims to provide subsidized food
grains to eligible beneficiaries.

(iii) Storage and Maintenance:

FCI is responsible for the storage and maintenance of food grains to prevent spoilage and
wastage. It maintains a network of warehouses and silos equipped with modern storage
facilities. FCI ensures proper handling, preservation, and quality control of food grains to
maintain their nutritional value and prevent post-harvest losses.

(iv)Buffer Stock Management:

FCI maintains a buffer stock of food grains to meet any exigencies like natural disasters,
droughts, or unforeseen circumstances that may affect food availability. It helps in
stabilizing prices and ensuring food security during times of crisis. The buffer stock is also
utilized for the implementation of various welfare schemes by the government, such as the
Mid-Day Meal Scheme and the National Food Security Act.

In conclusion, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) plays a vital role in ensuring food
security in India. Its functions encompass procurement, distribution, storage, and buffer
stock management of food grains. The efficient functioning of FCI contributes to
stabilizing agricultural prices, supporting farmers, and providing subsidized food grains to
the population in need.

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