Class 9 Social Science Economics Chapter 4 Food Security in India explains the importance of ensuring that all people have access to enough food for a healthy life. The chapter covers the meaning of food security, its main components, and why it is important in a country like India. It also highlights the role of the Public Distribution System (PDS), government schemes, and measures taken to avoid food shortages and hunger.
These NCERT Solutions are prepared from the official NCERT textbook and help students clearly understand the topic in simple words. They provide information on how food security is linked to poverty, natural disasters, and agricultural production. The solutions also make it easier to prepare for exams by explaining concepts in a way that strengthens the understanding of India’s food security system.
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This chapter discusses the concept of food security, its necessity in India, and the measures taken to ensure that every citizen has access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.
Learn More: Food Security in India
1. When is food security ensured?
Ans. Food security is ensured under the following conditions:
(a) When food is available in adequate quantity as well as quality to meet nutritional requirements.
(b) When food is within the reach of every person.
(c) When an individual has enough money to buy sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet one's dietary needs.
2. Which are the people more prone to food insecurity?
Ans. People more prone to food insecurity are:
(i) Landless and small farmers
(ii) Traditional artisans
(iii)Providers of traditional service
(iv) Petty self-employed persons and
(v) Beggars
3. Which states are more food insecure in India?
Ans. More food insecure states of India : The states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, parts of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are more food insecure in India.
4. Do you believe that Green Revolution has made India self-sufficient in food grains? How?
Ans. Yes, Green Revolution has made India self-sufficient in food grains. Crops are now grown throughout the year which allows India to have buffer stocks. There has been no incidence of famine in India even during bad seasons.
5. A section of people in India are still without food. Explain.
Ans. 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 a calamity?
Ans. The supply of food is adversely affected during a natural calamity or disaster. Due to a natural calamity, say drought, the production of food grains is less and hence supply decreases.
7. Differentiate between seasonal hunger and chronic hunger.
Ans. Hunger has seasonal and chronic dimensions. Seasonal hunger is a consequence of seasonal nature of work. For example, agriculture in India is seasonal occupation. Farm labourers remain out of work during some months of the year. Hence, during off-season poor people are not able to buy food. On the other hand, chronic hunger exists among people who are not able to buy food because of their very low income. For example, land less labourers earn very less to earn enough for food.
8. What has our government done to provide food security for the poor? Discuss any two schemes launched by the government.
Ans. Our government has undertaken a number of measures to provide food security for the poor. A brief account of these measures is given below :
9. Why is buffer stock created by the government?
Ans. The government creates buffer stock of foodgrains to protect the interest of both farmers as well as consumers. Farmer's interests are protected when they are assured to get a certain minimum price for their crops. This price is called 'minimum support price'. The interests of the consumers are protected when the procured food is made available to the consumers at subsidised rates. This task is done through fair price shops.
10. Write notes on : (a) Minimum support price (b) Issue Price (c) Fair price shops
Ans.
(a) Minimum support price : With a view to provide incentives to the farmers for raising the production of their crops, the government announces price of some crops before the sowing season. The government remains ready to purchase their crops at these preannounced prices. This price is called minimum support price (MSP).
(b) Issue price: The purchased foodgrains are stored in granaries. This is done to distribute foodgrains among the poorer section of the society. The government makes foodgrains available to the poor at a price much lower than the market price. This is known as issue price.
(c) Fair price shops: The food procured by the government is distributed among the poor. This task is done through government regulated shops which are known as fair price shops.
11. What are the problems of the functioning of ration shops?
Ans. There is various problem of the functioning of ration shops such as :
(1) Ration cards are issued only to those people who have their proper residential addresses. Hence a large number of homeless poor fail to get ration from these shops.
(2) The owners of these shops sell ration in the open market at higher prices.
(3) Sometimes shopkeepers make bogus entries in the ration cards.
12. Write a note on the role of cooperatives in providing food and related items.
Ans. Role of cooperatives in providing food and related items is an follows: The cooperatives are playing an important role in food security in India, especially in the southern and western parts of the country. The cooperative societies set up shops to sell goods to the poor people at lower prices. For example, out of all fair price shops operating in Tamil Nadu, nearly 94 percent are being run by the cooperatives. In Delhi, Mother Dairy is providing milk and vegetables to the consumers at controlled prices which are decided by the Delhi Government. Amul is another example in this regard. It has brought about the white revolution in the country. There are many more cooperatives and NGOs also working intensively towards this direction.
(Session 2025 - 26)