NCERT Solutions Class 9 Social Science (Economics)
The NCERT Solutions in English Language for Class 9 Social Science (Economics) Chapter – 4 (Food Security in India) has been provided here to help the students in solving the questions from this exercise.
Chapter – 4 (Food Security in India)
Exercises
1. How is food security ensured in India?
Answer – Food security is ensured in a country when the three dimensions of food security are taken care of. The three dimensions are:
- Availability of food – Presence of enough food for all the persons
- Accessibility of food – Absence of barrier on access to food
- Affordability of food – Capability of all persons to buy food of acceptable quality
2. Which are the people more prone to food insecurity?
Answer – People who are prone to food security :
- Landless people with small piece of land or no land at all.
- Traditional artisans.
- Self-employed workers.
- Impoverished people including beggars.
- Other than the economic division, the women and elders are more prone to food insecurity.
3. Which states are more food insecure in India?
Answer – Eastern and south-eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, parts of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are the largest food-insecure states in India.
4. Do you believe that green revolution has made India self-sufficient in food grains? How?
Answer – Yes, I believe that Green Revolution has played a crucial role in making India self-sufficient in food grains by raising the production of wheat and rice.
- India has hardly faced famine like situation and has largely become self-sufficient in food grains since the advent of the Green Revolution.
- The import bills for the food grains have greatly went down and that money is used in other economic activities.
- Less dependence on food grain import has helped us attain some diplomatic independence as well.
- Increase in the production of food grains has also helped in increasing the export earnings over the years.
5. A section of people in India are still without food. Explain?
Answer – Despite large increase in foodgrain production we find people without food in India. Poor people suffer from chronic hunger. They find themselves unable to buy food. Over one-fifth of the country’s population still suffers from chronic hunger.
6. What happens to the supply of food when there is a disaster or calamity?
Answer – When there is a disaster or a calamity like earthquake, flood, drought, tsunami, wide-spread failure of crops that causes famine, then:
- Food supply declines because of the less availability of grain.
- Food requirement increases because many people are ailing or hurt owing to the calamities.
- To supply the food grains buffer stocks are used.
- The victims have to rely on government support and relief programs to make the ends meet.
7. Differentiate between seasonal hunger and chronic hunger?
Answer – Hunger is an unpleasant or painful physical experience brought on by insufficient dietary energy intake. Let’s try to understand the difference between Seasonal Hunger and Chronic Hunger in detail.
| Seasonal Hunger | Chronic Hunger |
| Seasonal hunger occurs when a person cannot find employment for the entire year or a whole season. |
Chronic hunger is characterized by persistent hunger. More food is consumed than the body can absorb. |
| Seasonal hunger is generally related to cycles of growing food and harvesting. | Chronic hunger is primarily associated with malnutrition, which is brought on by a lack of adequate energy intake. |
| Seasonal hunger is prevalent in rural areas due to the seasonal nature of agricultural activities and in urban areas due to casual laborers. | This occurs due to an inadequate diet in terms of quantity and quality. |
| Seasonal hunger is a problem in urban and rural areas due to seasonality in agriculture and casual employment. | This is primarily observed in rural areas where people’s low incomes prevent them from affording healthy food. |
8. What has our government done to provide food security to the poor? Discuss any two schemes launched by the government?
Answer – Two programmes were started in 2000 with the goal of assisting the underprivileged and ensuring their access to food security. They were the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and the Annapurna Scheme (APS),
Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) – In India, the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) public distribution system was introduced in 2000. The system’s primary goal is to eliminate hunger in India and ensure food security for the populace. Each qualified family received 25 kg of food grains under this Yojana at a heavily discounted rate of Rs. 2 per kg of wheat and Rs. 3 per kg of rice.
Annapurna Scheme (APS) – Annapurna Scheme was introduced on April 1st, 2000. It aims to provide food security to satisfy the needs of elderly people who are qualified but have not received benefits from the National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS).
9. Why buffer stock is created by the government?
Answer – Buffer stock is the stock of grains that is stored by the government in the granaries of Food Corporation of India. This stocking is done by buying grains directly from the farmers and even from the market in case of any emergencies. The stock is used for distribution of grains to the poor at subsidized rates through the public distribution system. This grain is also used in case of any calamities like flood, drought, war etc.
10. Write notes on:
(a) Minimum support price
(b) Buffer stock
(c) Issue price
(d) Fair price shops
Answer –
(a) Minimum support price – It refers to the price at which the government secures food grains (wheat and rice) through FCI from the farmers in states where there is surplus in production. The farmers are paid a pre-announced price for their crops. The minimum support price is declared by the government every year before the sowing season. The purchased grain forms the part of the buffer stock and is stored in FCI granaries.
(b) Buffer stock – Buffer stock is the stock of food grains, mainly wheat and rice, procured by the Government through the Food Corporation of India. This buffer stock is used by the government in case of any calamity or disaster or for the poorer section of society.
(c) Issue price – Food is kept in stocks in the form of buffer stock to distribute food grains in the deficit areas and among the poorer strata of the society at a price lower than the market. This price is also known as the Issue Price.
(d) Fair price shops – Ration shops, also known as Fair Price Shops, keep stock of food grains, sugar, and kerosene for cooking. These items are sold to people at a price lower than the market price. Any family with a ration card can buy a stipulated amount of these items every month from the nearby ration shop.
11. What are the problems of the functioning of ration shops?
Answer – Problems of the functioning of ration shops:
- The PDS dealers are sometimes found resorting to malpractices like diverting the grains to open market for more profit.
- Dealers sell poor quality grains at ration shops.
- Ration shops are opened at irregular time creating problems for the people.
- It is common to find that ration shops regularly have unsold stocks of poor quality grains.
12. Write a note on the role of cooperatives in providing food and related items.
Answer – The cooperatives play a vital role in providing food and other related items, and have proved to be effective especially in the southern and western parts of India.
- It has been found that around 94% of the ration shops are run by the cooperatives in Tamilnadu.
- The mother dairy is supplying milk and other milky products like butter, ghee, curd etc. to the people at much subsidized rates in Delhi.
- Amul is doing the same job of supplying milk and milk products to people at much cheaper rates in Gujarat. In a way these dairies have brought White Revolution in country.
- The academy of development science (ADS) has facilitated many NGOs to set their own grain banks in various parts of the state, which have proved a great asset in providing food security to people, especially the poor section in Maharashtra.
