Food Security in India
India has experienced remarkable economic growth in recent years and remains one of the fastest growing economies in the world. However, despite many advancements, poverty and food insecurity are still concerns in India. Food is considered a basic necessity for the sustenance, development and growth of an individual.Ivibet India As such, India is ranked 101st out of 116 countries in the Global Hunger Index, 2021. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, the food price index has increased by 30% in the year 2021-22.
Although the Government of India has been actively addressing food security in households for a long time through the Public Distribution System and the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013, there are still food security-related concerns in India that need to be addressed amid growing population, climate change and global supply chain disruptions (Russia-Ukraine war).
What is Food Security?
The concept of food security is multifaceted. Food is as essential to life as air is to breathing. But food security is not just about getting two meals a day. In that sense Ivibet आईवीबेट इंडिया has the following dimensions:
Availability: It means food production within the country, food imports and stocks in government granaries.
Accessibility: It means food within the reach of every individual without any discrimination.
Affordability: It means having enough money to buy sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet one’s dietary needs.
Thus, food security in a country is ensured only when there is sufficient food available for everyone, everyone has the means to buy food of acceptable quality, and there are no barriers to access.
What is the current framework of food security in India?
Constitutional Provisions: Although there is no explicit provision in the Indian Constitution regarding the right to food, the fundamental right to life contained in Article 21 of the Constitution can be interpreted as including the right to live with human dignity, which may include the right to food and other basic necessities.
Buffer Stock: Food Corporation of India (FCI) is primarily responsible for procuring food grains at Minimum Support Price (MSP) and storing the same in its warehouses located at various places and from there supplying the same to the State Governments as per their requirements.
Public Distribution System: Over the years, the Public Distribution System has become an important part of the Government policy for managing the food economy in the country. The Public Distribution System (PDS) is supplementary in nature and is not intended to provide the entire requirement of any commodity.
Under the Public Distribution System (PDS), commodities such as wheat, rice, sugar and kerosene are currently being allocated to the States/Union Territories for distribution.
Some States/UTs also distribute additional items of mass consumption such as pulses, edible oils, iodised salt, spices, etc. through Public Distribution System (PDS) shops.
What are the challenges related to food security in India?
Deteriorating soil health: A key element of food production is healthy soil as about 95% of global food production depends on soil.
Soil degradation due to excessive or improper use of agrochemicals, deforestation and natural disasters is a serious challenge to sustainable food production. About one-third of the earth’s soil is already degraded.
Invasive weed threats: In the last 15 years, Ivibet आईवीबेट इंडिया has faced attacks from more than 10 major invasive pests and weeds.
Fall armyworm destroyed almost the entire maize crop in the country in 2018. The damage caused by this pest in 2018 forced India to import maize in 2019.
In 2020, locust attacks were reported in districts of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Lack of efficient management framework: India lacks a robust management framework for food security. The public distribution system faces challenges such as leakage and diversion of food grains, inclusion/exclusion errors, fake and bogus ration cards, and weak grievance redressal and social audit mechanisms.
