Food security means something more than getting two square meals a day. Food security means the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food to all people at all times. A person is considered food secure when they have access to enough food of the right quality at an affordable price, throughout the year, and without any fear of shortage. Food security is essential for the well-being of the people and the development of the country.
In India, food security has been a major concern since independence, and the government has taken many measures to ensure that no one goes hungry. The Public Distribution System (PDS), the buffer stock, and the government's food programmes like the Antyodaya Anna Yojana and the Mid-day Meal Scheme are the main instruments of food security in India. This chapter explains the concept of food security, how it is ensured, and the challenges faced in providing food to all.
Food security has the following dimensions:
A person is food secure when all these conditions are met. Food insecurity exists when a person cannot get enough food, when food is not accessible, or when food is not affordable.
Food security is important because food is a basic necessity of life. Without adequate food, people cannot work, children cannot study, and the country cannot develop. Food insecurity can lead to malnutrition, disease, and even starvation. The government of India considers food security so important that the right to food has been recognised as an important right of the people.
The buffer stock is the stock of food grains, such as wheat and rice, that is procured by the government through the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The FCI purchases wheat and rice from the farmers at a Minimum Support Price (MSP). This stock is used to provide food to the poor at subsidised prices through the Public Distribution System, and it also helps to meet emergencies like droughts, floods, and earthquakes.
The Public Distribution System is the most important instrument of the government to ensure food security. Under the PDS, food grains and other essential commodities are distributed to the poor at subsidised prices through a network of ration shops (fair price shops). The government provides wheat, rice, sugar, and kerosene to the poor through these shops. The PDS has been reformed under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), which provides food at different prices for the poor and the non-poor.
The government has launched many food programmes to ensure food security. The Antyodaya Anna Yojana (2000) provides food grains at subsidised rates to the poorest of the poor. The Mid-day Meal Scheme provides free cooked meals to school children, which improves nutrition and encourages school attendance. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) provides food and nutrition to children and mothers, and the National Food Security Act (2013) provides for the right to food.
Food security is needed in India because a large part of the population is poor, and many people cannot afford to buy adequate food. The majority of the poor live in the rural areas, and they depend on agriculture. During droughts, floods, and other natural calamities, food production falls, and food prices rise, making it difficult for the poor to get food.
India has faced many natural calamities in its history, such as the famines of the colonial period and the drought of the mid-1960s. The Bengal famine of 1943 was one of the worst famines in history, in which millions of people died. The government's buffer stock and the PDS have helped to prevent such famines in independent India, but food insecurity still exists in many parts of the country.
The people who are most food insecure in India include the landless labourers, the small farmers, the casual workers, and the people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. The women and children in poor families are the most affected by food insecurity, and the states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal have the highest levels of food insecurity.
The ration shops, also called fair price shops, are the shops through which the government distributes food grains and other commodities at subsidised prices. There are about 5.5 lakh ration shops in India, and they are the largest network of shops in the world. The ration shop owners are licensed by the government, and the commodities are given to the cardholders.
The people who buy food from the ration shops have ration cards, which are of three types: the Antyodaya cards (for the poorest of the poor), the BPL cards (for families below the poverty line), and the APL cards (for families above the poverty line). The Antyodaya and the BPL families get food at much lower prices than the APL families.
The PDS has helped to provide food to the poor, and it has prevented famines in independent India. The introduction of the National Food Security Act (2013) has made the right to food a legal right, and it covers about two-thirds of the population. The PDS has also helped in the distribution of essential commodities and in maintaining price stability.
The PDS faces many problems. The ration shops often do not have enough food, and the quality of the food is sometimes poor. Some ration shop owners divert the food grains and sell them in the open market at higher prices, which is called leakage or diversion of food grains. The poor also face problems like the delay in the supply of food and the refusal of the shopkeepers to give the full quantity.
The PDS involves a huge cost to the government. The government has to purchase the food grains at the MSP, store them in the godowns, and distribute them at subsidised prices. The storage of food grains in the open godowns leads to the wastage of food, and the cost of the subsidy is high.
To improve food security in India, the PDS needs to be reformed. The computerisation of the PDS, the use of technology to track the movement of food grains, and the improvement in the quality of food are some of the steps that can be taken. The expansion of the coverage of the food programmes and the improvement in the delivery system are also important for ensuring food security for all.
| Dimension | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Availability | Food production, imports, and previous stock |
| Accessibility | Food within the reach of every person |
| Affordability | Every person has money to buy food of the right quality |
| Instrument | Function |
|---|---|
| Buffer stock | Food grains stored by FCI; meets emergencies |
| Minimum Support Price | Price at which the government buys food grains |
| Public Distribution System | Distribution of food at subsidised prices |
| Ration shops | Fair price shops; about 5.5 lakh in India |
| National Food Security Act (2013) | Right to food for about two-thirds of the population |
| Card | For Whom |
|---|---|
| Antyodaya card | The poorest of the poor |
| BPL card | Families below the poverty line |
| APL card | Families above the poverty line |
Food security is the foundation of a healthy and productive society, and in India it means the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food for all people at all times. The government of India has built a strong system of food security based on the buffer stock, the Public Distribution System, and various food programmes like the Antyodaya Anna Yojana, the Mid-day Meal Scheme, and the National Food Security Act. This system has prevented famines in independent India and has provided subsidised food to the poor. However, the PDS still faces challenges like the leakage and diversion of food grains, poor quality, and the high cost of subsidies. Reforming the PDS through computerisation, better delivery, and the expansion of coverage is essential to ensure that every Indian has access to food. Achieving food security for all is not just an economic goal; it is a matter of justice, dignity, and the fundamental right of every citizen to live a life free from hunger.