Indraprastha INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Sector 10, Dwarka, New Delhi – 110075

SESSION: 2024-25
MODEL ANSWERS
SOCIAL SCIENCE
MA/S.Sc/IX/Nov/2024/15
Topic: Economics: Chapter 4 Food Security in India
I. Objective Based Questions (1 Mark)
1. Observe the picture given below and choose from the following options, the Sustainable
Development Goal it symbolises.

Options:
a. No Poverty b. Gender Equality
c. Zero Hunger d. Good Health and Well- Being
2. ____________ added a new dimension to food security and emphasised the “access” to
food through what he called ‘entitlements.’
a. Aryabhatta b. Chanakya
c. Amartya Sen d. Manmohan Singh
3. What does FCI stands for?
a. Food Company of India.
b. Fighters Competition of India
c. Food Corporation of India
d. Family Challenges in India

4. In the 1970s food security was understood as the ______________ at all times of adequate
supply of basic food stuff.
a. availability b. accessibility c. affordability d. lack
5. The yellow card (for ration) is issued to which group of people in India?
a. Rural people b. Unemployed people
c. People below poverty line d. People above poverty line

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6. Hariya works as a casual labourer in the farms owned by the village sarpanch. He is
employed from July to September in sarpanch’s rice fields and from October to January in
cattle farms.
When can Hariya be food insecure?
a. July to January
b. September and October
c. June to February
d. February to June
7. Subsidy is a payment that a government makes to a producer to supplement the market
price of a commodity.
8. Correct the following statement and rewrite it in the space provided.
The most devastating famine that occurred in India was the Famine of Tamil Nadu in the
year 1943.
The most devastating famine that occurred in India was the Famine of West Bengal in the
year 1943.
9. In the questions given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and
Reason (R). Read the statement and choose the correct option.
Assertion (A): India is aiming at self-sufficiency in foodgrains since independence.
Reason (R): India adopted a new strategy in agriculture, which resulted in ‘Blue
Revolution.’
Options:
a. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
b. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
c. A is true, but R is false.
d. A is false, but R is true.
10. Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct about the FCI?
i. The Buffer Stock is procured by the government through the Fake Corporation of India.
ii. The food procured by the FCI is distributed through government regulated ration shops
among the poorer section of the society.
iii. When ration shops are unable to sell, a massive stock of food grains piles up with the
FCI.
iv. The FCI purchases wheat and rice from the farmers in states where there is surplus
production.
Options:
a. i only b. i and iii c. ii, iii and iv d. i, ii and iii
11. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme was introduced in the
year______.
a. 2003 b. 1993 c. 1975 d. 1947
12. Match Column A with Column B and select the correct answer using the codes given
below in the options.
Column A Column B
1. RPDS (Revamped Public Distribution System) A. 2000
2. TDPS (Targeted Public Distribution System) B. 1992
3. AAY (Antyodaya Anna Yojana) C. 1997
4. NFSA (National Food Security Act) D. 2013
Options:
1 2 3 4
a. B C A D
b. B A D C
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 c. C A D B
d. D A B C
II. Very Short Answer Type Questions (2 Marks)
1. Define the term ‘Food security.’ Which section of society is food insecure most of the
times?
Ans. 1. Food security means availability, accessibility and affordability of food to all people at
all times.
2. The poor households are more vulnerable to food insecurity whenever there is a
problem of production or distribution of food crops.
2. ‘India has become self-sufficient in terms of the foodgrains during the last thirty years.’
Mention the two reasons.
Ans. India has become self-sufficient in food grains over the last 30 years for two main reasons:
1.The Green Revolution-This agricultural strategy increased the production of rice and
wheat through the use of pesticides and insecticides. The Green Revolution also helped
India avoid famine during destructive weather conditions.
2. A food security system-The government has designed a food security system to ensure
food grains are available even during adverse weather conditions. The system has two
components: buffer stocks and a public distribution system.
3. Write a short note on ‘The National Food Security Act, 2013.’
Ans. 1. The National Food Security Act, 2013 provides food and nutritional security life at
affordable prices and enables people to live a life with dignity.
2. Under this act, 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population have been
categorised as eligible households for food security.
4. ‘The food insecure people are disproportionately large in some regions of the country.’
Enumerate those regions.
Ans. 1. The states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, parts
of Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra have the largest number of food insecure people in
India.
2.This is due to regional variations in the standard of living and economic development.
5. What do you mean by the term ‘Buffer stock?’ Give a reason for its creation by the
government in India.
Ans.
1. A buffer stock is a reserve of food grains, like wheat and rice, that the government of
India creates to help with food shortages and to meet the needs of the poor.
2. The government creates buffer stocks for a number of reasons. Food shortages is one of
them. Buffer stocks help to resolve food shortages that can occur during natural disasters
like droughts, floods, and earthquakes.
III. Short Answer Type Questions (3 Marks)
1. ‘Food security has three dimensions.’ Elaborate.
Ans. Food security is a situation where everyone has access to enough, safe, and nutritious food
to meet their dietary needs. The three dimensions of food security are:

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 1. Availability: There is enough food for everyone in a country. This includes food
production within the country, food imports, and previous year stock of food in
government granaries.
2. Accessibility: Food is within the reach of every person.
3. Affordability: People have the capacity to buy food of acceptable quality. This means
whether the individual has enough money to buy sufficient and nutritious food.
Food security also includes meeting food preferences and active and healthy life.
2. How is food security affected during a calamity?
Ans. Food security is affected during a calamity in many ways, including:
1. Decreased food production: Natural disasters like droughts, floods, earthquakes, and
tsunamis can destroy crops and food storage, leading to a decrease in food production.
2. Food shortages: The decrease in food production leads to food shortages in the affected
areas. The food shortages lead to higher prices.
3. Starvation: If the calamity occurs in a widespread area or is stretched over a long period
of time, it may cause a situation of starvation.
3. ‘The social composition along with the inability to buy food also plays a role in food
insecurity.’ Justify.
Ans. Yes, social composition and the inability to buy food are both factors that contribute to
food insecurity:
1. Social composition- People from lower castes, such as the Scheduled Castes (SCs),
Scheduled Tribes (STs), and some sections of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), are
more likely to be food insecure. This is because they often have poor land or low land
productivity.
2. Inability to buy food- Food insecurity can occur when people don't have the resources to
buy food.
3. Natural disasters- People who migrate to other areas after natural disasters, such as
floods, earthquakes, or famine, are also more likely to be food insecure. This is because
natural disasters can reduce crop production and increase food prices.
Food security is made up of three components: availability, accessibility, and affordability.
4. Compare the seasonal hunger with the chronic hunger.
Ans. Seasonal hunger Chronic hunger
1. It occurs when food availability is It results from diets that are consistently
limited, such as during lean agricultural inadequate in quality and/or quantity.
seasons.
2. It can be caused by seasonal It can be caused by low income, inability
employment patterns, fluctuations in to buy food, or systemic issues like
food production, or natural factors like poverty, unequal distribution of
droughts. resources, and limited access to
education and employment opportunities.
3. Seasonal hunger can be addressed Chronic hunger requires long-term
with short-term measures like food aid. strategies to address the root causes.
5. ‘In the wake of high incidence of poverty levels, during mid-1970s, three important food
intervention programmes were introduced.’ Examine their effectiveness.
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Ans. In the 1970s, India introduced three food intervention programs to address the shortage of
food and high poverty levels:
1.Public Distribution System (PDS)- It provides subsidized food grains to the poor through
government-regulated ration shops.
2. Child Development Services (ICDS)- It provides basic necessities to children,
including proper nutrition.
3.Food For Work (FFW)-It provides food to poor workers in exchange for work, and also
provides employment
IV. Long Answer Type Questions (5 Marks)
1. Mention the important features of the Public Distribution System in India.
Ans. Here are some important features of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in India:
1. Food security: PDS helps ensure that food is available to the poor at affordable prices,
and maintains a buffer stock of food grains during lean seasons.
2. Poverty alleviation: PDS is a key tool for poverty alleviation and ensuring social
welfare.
3. Price stabilization: PDS helps stabilize prices of essential commodities in the market.
4. Farmer income: PDS provides farmers with a stable market and income by purchasing
at MSP.
5. Foodgrain production: PDS has contributed to an increase in foodgrain production. PDS
is operated through ration shops, also known as Fair Price Shops (FPSs).
2. Analyse the role of the co-operatives in assuring the food security in India.
Cooperatives play a vital role in ensuring food security in India, especially in the southern
Ans.
and western regions of the country:
1.Low-cost goods- Cooperatives set up shops to sell low-priced goods to the poor. For
example, in Tamil Nadu, cooperatives run around 94% of the fair price shops.
2. Milk and vegetables- Cooperatives like Mother Dairy in Delhi provide milk and
vegetables to consumers at controlled prices.
3.Milk products- Amul is a successful cooperative society in Gujarat that provides milk
and milk products.
4. Grain banks-The Academy of Development Science (ADS) in Maharashtra has set up
grain banks in different regions. ADS also organizes training and capacity building
programs on food security for NGOs.
Government support
Cooperatives ensure that both farmers and consumers can rely on government support for
reasonable prices on farm produce.
Cooperatives are member-owned, member-controlled, and member-run businesses. Profits
are either re-invested in the company or returned to the shareholders.
3. Highlight the journey of the rationing system in India.
Ans. 1. The introduction of Rationing in India dates back to the 1940s against the backdrop of
the Bengal famine. The rationing system was revived in the wake of an acute food
shortage during the1960s, prior to the Green Revolution.
2. In the wake of the high incidence of poverty levels, as reported by the NSSO in the
mid-1970s, three important food intervention programmes were introduced: Public
Distribution System (PDS) for food grains (in existence earlier but strengthened
thereafter); Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) (introduced in 1975 on an
experimental basis) and Food-for -Work** (FFW) (introduced in 1977–78).
3. Over the years, several new programmes have been launched and some have been
restructured with the growing experience of administering the programmes.
4. At present, there are several Poverty Alleviation Programmes (PAPs), mostly in rural
areas, which have an explicit food component also. While some of the programmes such
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 as PDS, mid-day meals etc. are exclusively food security programmes, most of the PAPs
also enhance food security.
5. Employment programmes greatly contribute to food security by increasing the income
of the poor.
4. Examine the challenges faced by the Public Distribution System, focusing on the MSP.
Ans. The Public Distribution System (PDS) in India faces many challenges, including:
1. Leakage and diversion: Food grains are diverted to the open market by dealers and
corrupt officials.
2. Targeting errors: There are errors in identifying beneficiaries, including both including
non-poor and excluding genuinely poor beneficiaries.
3. Quality issues: Poor storage can lead to substandard grains reaching beneficiaries.
4. Corruption: There are widespread reports of corruption in the PDS.
5. Rising subsidy and financial burden: The cost of obtaining and shipping food grains is
almost six times their retail price.
6.Focus on rice and wheat: The PDS focuses on rice and wheat, neglecting the broader
issue of nutritional security.
7. Unsustainability of statutory MSP: Legalizing MSP could deter private traders from
participating when there is excess production and a decline in market prices.
The Minimum Support Price (MSP) is the minimum rate at which farmers sell their crops to
the government. It prevents farmers from market fluctuation and offers stability and income
security.

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