CBSE Class 9 Answered
Meaning
Food security is when people are able to afford and secure sufficient and nutritious food for their family.
Food security is ensured through
- Public distribution system especially food grains available at affordable and uniform prices at the door steps of the consumers.
- Revamped public distribution system (RPDS) was introduced in 1992 in 1700 blocks in the country. The scheme aimed at the provision of food grains in the remote and backward areas of the country.
- Targeted public distribution system (TPDS) was launched in 1997 which targeted the policy of providing food grains to all poor sections of people in different areas.
- Antyodaya anna yojana (AAY) was introduced in the year 2000. About ten million of the poorest people were identified and highly subsidised food grains were provided to them at highly subsidised prices.
- Annapurna scheme (APS) was introduced in the year 2000 for the poorest of poor and destitute senior citizens. Through this scheme, it was decided to provide 10 kg of food grains to poor families per month free of cost.
Positive Aspects
Food security in India is essential for the poor people. It is because more than one-fourth of population is living below the poverty line. Further, agriculture in India hugely depends on rainfall. In cases of failure of rainfall, many areas suffer from famines which results in the untimely deaths of many people due to starvation and epidemic diseases. Kalahandi and Kashipur in Odisha are places which have been suffering from famines since many years. Therefore, food security is required in the country.
Negative Aspects
Limited benefit to the poor, regional disparities in PDS benefits, burden of food subsidy, urban bias, high operational cost, inefficient government machinery, regional disparities in PDS benefits, increase in prices, problem of larger buffer stocks are the drawbacks of food security system in India.