Important Questions for Chapter 4 Food Security in India Class 9 Economics
Important Questions1
What does food security mean?
Answer
Food security means availability, accessibility and affordability of food to all at all the times.
VSAQ
2
Name the devastating famine that occurred in India.
Answer
The Famine of Bengal in 1943 is the devastating famine that occurred in India.
VSAQ
3
Name the group in India who is not the sufferer of food insecurity.
Answer
Landlords or big farmers are not the sufferers of food insecurity in India.
VSAQ
4
What is issue price?
Answer
The price at which the government offers to sell food grains lower than the market price is known as issue price.
VSAQ
5
In which areas do you find seasonal hunger?
Answer
Seasonal hunger is commonly found in rural areas.
VSAQ
6
To what is national hunger related?
Answer
National hunger is related to the cycles of food growing and harvesting.
VSAQ
7
Who released a special stamp entitled ‘Wheat Revolution’ in July, 1968?
Answer
Mrs. Indira Gandhi released a special stamp entitled ‘Wheat Revolution’ in July, 1968.
VSAQ
8
Which organization maintains buffer stock in India?
Answer
Food Corporation of India (FCI) maintains buffer stock in India.
VSAQ
9
Name the pre-announced price paid by FCI to the farmers.
Answer
The pre- announced price is called to Minimum Support Price (MSP).
VSAQ
10
Who suffers from chronic hunger?
Answer
Poor people.
VSAQ
11
Give the full form of FCI.
Answer
Food Corporation of India.
VSAQ
12
Name the state where Mother Dairy is an important cooperative.
Answer
Mother Dairy is an important cooperative at Delhi.
VSAQ
13
Why is Mother Dairy popular?
Answer
Mother Dairy is making strides in the provision of milk and vegetables to the consumers at a controlled rate which is decided by the Government of Delhi.
VSAQ
14
In which state of India the famous cooperative Amul is situated?
Answer
Gujarat.
VSAQ
15
Which product is related with White revolution?
Answer
Milk.
VSAQ
16
In which state 94% ration shops are run by cooperatives.
Answer
Tamil Nadu.
VSAQ
17
When Seasonal hunger occurs in Urban Areas?
Answer
Seasonal hunger occurs in Urban Areas when the daily wage labours are not able to get work. For example, workers working at construction site do not get work during rainy season.
VSAQ
1
Explain the different dimensions of food security?
Answer
• Availability of food means food production within the country, food imports and the previous year stock stored in government granaries.
• Accessibility means food is within reach of every person.
• Afford ability implies that an individual has enough money to buy sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet one‘s dietary needs.
SAQ
2
How can food security be ensured in a country?
Answer
The food security is ensured in a country only if:
• Enough food is available for all the people, i.e., no person should die because of hunger. Everyone should get enough food for their livelihood.
• Everyone has the capacity to buy food. Food should be available to all, i.e., it should not be so expensive that it becomes difficult for a person to buy it.
• Food should be accessible to all ignoring all the barriers of rich and poor classes, etc.
SAQ
3
What are famines? Who were the most affected group of the devastating famine of Bengal.
Answer
Meaning of famine: Famine can be defined as widespread deaths due to starvation and epidemics caused by the forced use of contaminated water or decayed food and loss of resistance due to weakening from starvation.
The most affected groups were: Agricultural labours, fishermen, transport workers and casual labours.
SAQ
4
What is meant by buffer stock? Why the Government creates buffer stock?
Answer
Buffer stock is the stock of food grains such as wheat and rice procured by the government through FCI.
• A buffer stock of food grains is created by the government, so that it can be distributed in food deficit areas and among the poorer strata of society at a price much lower than the market price.
• A buffer stock also helps to resolve the problem1’ of food shortage during adverse weather conditions, a disaster or a calamity.
• Maintaining buffer stock is a step taken by the government in order to ensure food security.
SAQ
5
Who are said to be unsecured people in rural and urban areas of India? Name the two states where the largest number of food unsecured people are found.
Answer
• In the rural areas, food unsecured people comprise of landless people, traditional artisans, self-employed workers and beggars.
• In urban areas, they include people employed in ill- paid occupations and casual labour, and workers engaged in seasonal activities.
The largest number of food unsecured people are found in the state of UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, parts of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
SAQ
6
Describe any three categories of people who are prone to food insecurity.
Answer
Categories of people who are prone to food insecurity are:
• Landless people with little or no land to depend upon.
• Traditional artisans and providers of traditional services.
• Self-employed workers and destitute including beggars.
In urban areas:
• Working members employed in ill-paid occupations.
• Casual labour in the market.
SAQ
7
Explain the different dimensions of food security.
Answer
• Availability of food: This means food production within the country, food imports and the previous year’s stock stored in government granaries.
• Accessibility of Food: This means that food is within the reach of every person.
• Afford ability of Food: This implies that a person has enough money to buy sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet one’s dietary needs.
SAQ
8
How does social composition play an important role in food security of the country?
Answer
• The SCs, STs and sub sections of the OBCs (lower caste among them) who have either poor land base or very low land productivity are prone to food Insecurity.
• The people affected by natural disasters, who have to migrate to other areas in search of work, are also among the most food insecure people.
• High incidence of malnutrition prevails among women.
SAQ
9
What were the main features of National food for work Programme.
Answer
National Food for Work Programme was launched in 2004 in 150 most backward district of the country.
The main features of the programme are:
• The objective of the programme is to intensify the generation of supplementary wage employment,
• This programme is open to all rural poor who are in need of wage employment and are desired to do manual unskilled work.
• It is 100% centrally sponsored scheme.
• The food grains are provided to state free of cost.
SAQ
10
What is the Public Distribution System? Mention two objectives of PDS.
Answer
Public Distribution System
The Food Corporation of India procures food at pre-announced prices. The state governments distribute foodgrains to poor through ration shops at subsidised prices fixed by the government. This is called the Public Distribution System. There are about 4.6 lakh ration shops all over the country. Ration shops are also known as fair price shops.
Two Objectives of PDS.
• To provide essential goods at subsidised prices to the consumers.
• To control prices of essential commodities.
SAQ
11
What steps have been taken by the Government of India to provide food security to the poor?
Answer
To provide food security to the poor following steps have been taken by the Government of India
• PDS: Public Distribution System (PDS) was established for the distribution of food grains among poors.
• ICDS: Integrated Child Development Services were launched in 1975 to ensure nutrition among children of backward area.
• FFW: ‘Food for work’ was introduced in 1977-78 to provide employment opportunities for poors to ensure food security for them.
SAQ
12
How cooperatives are helpful in food security?
Answer
Role of cooperatives in providing food security : In many parts of India, the cooperative societies set up their own cooperatives to supply different items at cheaper rates. Following are the examples :
• In Tamil Nadu 94% of ration shops are run by cooperatives.
• In Delhi, the Mother Dairy is supplying milk and milk products like butter, ghee etc. to the people at much subsidised rates.
• In Gujarat, Amul is doing the same job of supplying milk and milk products to people at much cheaper rates. It is being run by cooperatives. It has brought 'White Revolution' in India.
SAQ
1
Explain buffer stock and activities related to creation for buffer stock.
Answer
Buffer stock is the stock of food grains, namely wheat and rice procured by the government through Food Corporation of India (FCI). This is done to distribute food grains to the society at a price lower than the market price.
• Buffer stock helps to resolve the problem of shortage of food during adverse weather conditions or during the periods of calamity. Activities related to the creation of buffer stock:
• The FCI purchases wheat and rice from the farmers in states where there is surplus production.
• The farmers are paid a pre-announced price for their crops known as Minimum Support Price (MSP).
• The MSP is declared by the government every year before the sowing season to provide incentives to the farmers for raising the production of these crops.
• The purchased food grains are stored in granaries.
• This helps to resolve the problem of shortage of food during adverse weather conditions or during the periods of calamity.
LAQ
2
What is FCI? Write any four functions of FCI.
Answer
Buffer stock is the stock of food grains, namely wheat and rice procured by the government through Food Corporation of India (FCI).
Functions of FCI
• Purchase of cereals.
• Fixes the minimum support price.
• Creates buffer stock.
• Looks after P.D.S.
LAQ
3
Describe the role of co-operatives in providing food and related items.
Answer
The co-operatives are playing an important role in food security in India especially in the southern and western parts of the country.
• The co-operative societies set up shops to sell lowpriced goods to poor people.
• Out of all fair price shops running in Tamil Nadu, around 94 percent are being run by the cooperatives.
• In Delhi, Mother Dairy is making strides in the provision of milk and vegetables.
• In Gujarat, Amul is the success story of co-operatives in milk and milk products. It has resulted in White Revolution in the country.
• In Maharashtra, Academy of Development Science (ADS) has facilitated a network of NGOs for setting up grain banks in different regions.
LAQ
4
Mention the major defects of India’s food security system.
Answer
Defects of India’s Food Security System : The major flaws/drawbacks of food security system in India are as follows:
• Limited Benefit to the Poor: The poor has not benefited much from the PDS. They have depended to a great extent on the open market for most of the commodities. Ration cards are issued only to those households who have proper residential addresses. Hence, a large number of homeless poor could not be covered under the PDS.
• Leakages from PDS: Another defect of PDS relates to the problem of leakages of goods from PDS to open market. The shopkeepers who are running ration shops sell ration in the open market at higher prices instead of selling to ration card- holders at subsidised prices.
• Increase in Prices: The PDS has also failed to protect the poor against price rise. There have been frequent increases in procurement and issue prices. Moreover, excessive buffer stocks of foodgrains has reduced its quantity available in the open market. This has also put an upward pressure on the market prices of food grains.
• Rising Burden of Food Subsidy: PDS is highly subsidised in India. This has put a huge fiscal burden on the government. For example, food subsidy burden has risen from Rs 602 crore in 1980-81 to Rs 25,800 crore in 2003-04.
LAQ
5
What are the problems of the functioning of the ration shops? Describe any four of them.
Answer
The problems of the functioning of the ration shops are:
• Irregular opening of ration shops and selling poor quality grains at ration shops.
• Massive unsold food grains that piles up at ration shops become a big problem for FCI.
• A family even slightly above poverty line gets very little discounts at ration shop. The prices are almost as high as open market price.
• The category of ration cards and range of prices do not exist now.
LAQ
6
Describe four main advantages of the Public Distribution System.
Answer
The main advantages of Public Distribution System are:
• It is the most effective instrument of government policy over the years in stabilising prices and making food available to consumers at affordable prices.
• It averts widespread hunger and famine by supplying food from surplus regions of the country to the deficit ones.
• It revises the prices of food grains in favour of poor household.
• The declaration of minimum support price and procurement has contributed to an increase in food grains production and provided income security to farmers in certain regions.
LAQ
1
How is food security affected by a calamity?
Answer
• Total production of food grains decreases.
• It creates a shortage of food in the affected areas.
• Due to shortage of food, the price goes up.
• At the high prices, some people cannot afford to buy food.
HOTS
2
‘Hunger is an important aspect indicating food insecurity’. Give argument in favour of statement along with its dimensions.
Answer
• Hunger is not just an expression of poverty, it brings about poverty. The attainment of food security therefore involves eliminating current hunger and reducing the risk of future hunger.
• Hunger has chronic and seasonal dimensions.
• Chronic hunger is a consequence of diets persistently inadequate in terms of quantity or quality due to low income. Seasonal hunger is related to cycles of food growing and harvesting.
HOTS
3
Give three differences between chronic hunger and seasonal hunger.
Answer
Chronic Hunger
• Occurs when people lack the opportunity to earn enough money.
• The food security persist throughout year.
• The farm labours who got job during farming season face seasonal hunger in rural areas. In urban areas daily wage workers face seasonal hunger when they lose job in seasons when construction stop, for example rainy season.
Seasonal Hunger
• Occurs when people lack job during particular season.
• For a particular period of time, food insecurity persist.
• In rural areas farmers with low productivity suffer chronic hunger. In urban areas rickshaw puller, cobbler etc. suffer chronic hunger.
HOTS