Solutions to NCERT Class 9 Economics 2024-2025 Chapter 4: Food Security in India

Hello students and welcome to the interesting chapter which discusses food security and the measures taken by the Government to ensure food security for all. We have conveniently included the solutions to all the in-text questions, exercises, and activities in one place, which will be of huge benefit to you. The solutions are designed to stimulate your interest in the subject and we are sure you will enjoy them.

Find Solutions for NCERT Class 9 Economics Chapter 4: Food Security in India, here.

Exercises

1. How food security is ensured in India?
Answer:

Food security in India is ensured by distributing food grains through the Public Distribution System (PDS). The FCI maintains a buffer stock of food grains by purchasing wheat and rice from the farmers in states where there is surplus production and the farmers are paid a pre- announced price (Minimum Support Price or MSP) for their crops.The Government of India distributes food grains through a vast network of ration shops. Ration shops are now present in most localities, villages, towns and cities. There are about 5.5 lakh ration shops spread across the country.
Ration shops, also known as fair price shops, keep stock of foodgrains, sugar and kerosene for cooking. These items are sold to people at less than the market price. Any family with a ration card can buy a stipulated amount of these items every month. Apart from PDS, two other hunger alleviation programmes were introduced by the Government of India – the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) introduced in 1975, and Food for Work (FFW) in 1977-78. The mid-day meals programme is also a scheme to ensure food security.

2. Which are the people more prone to food insecurity
Answer:

A large section of people suffers from food and nutritional insecurity in India. The worst affected groups are landless people, traditional artisans, petty self-employed workers and destitutes. In urban areas the vulnerable sections are ill paid casual workers engaged in seasonal activities. They are paid such low wages that they can barely survive.

3. Which states are more food insecure in India?
Answer:

The economically backward states with a high prevalence of poverty and backward classes are more food insecure. The states of Uttar Pradesh(eastern and South Eastern parts, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odissa, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra are more vulnerable to food insecurity.

4. Do you believe that green revolution has made India self-sufficient in food grains? How?
Answer:

Since the days of Green Revolution in the early 1970s India has avoided chronic food shortage even during adverse weather conditions. Not only that India has become self- sufficient in foodgrains during the last 30 years because a variety of crops are grown all over the country. There is also sufficient buffer stock to fall back on during times of emergency. A carefully designed food security system has ensured food for all.

5. A section of people in India are still without food-explain
Answer:

A section of the people in remote tribal regions of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh which are prone to natural disasters like drought or floods still suffer from food insecurity. Chronic hunger is prevalent in these areas where lack of employment leads to intense poverty. Somehow the benefits of Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) or Annapurna Scheme (APS) have not reached these people.

Question 6.
What happens to the food supply when there is a disaster or a calamity?
Answer:

During a natural calamity say drought, total production of foodgrains decreases. It creates a shortage of food in the affected areas and the prices go up. As a consequence, some people cannot afford to buy food.
This crisis is tackled by creating a buffer stock of foodgrains. The buffer stock is created through procurement of foodgrains like rice and wheat through Food Corporation of India (FCI). The FCI purchases wheat and rice from the farmers in states where there is surplus production. The farmers are paid a pre-announced price called the Minimum Support Price (MSP). This buffer stock is created to distribute foodgrains in the disaster-affected areas to help the poorer section of the society.

7. Differentiate between seasonal hunger and chronic hunger
Answer:

Seasonal hunger is something that that happens in a particular season. We know that most of our people are engaged in agriculture. But agriculture being a seasonal activity employs people only during times of sowing, transplanting and harvesting. For rest of the time people remain unemployed unless the they find some casual work. During the lean season they are trapped in hunger and malnourishment.
Chronic hunger is associated with activities that are so unremunerative that people do not have the capacity to buy two square meals a day for the family. This chronic financial stress stays throughout the year at the same scale.  These people are dependent on PDS card for people below poverty line to eke out a living.

8. What has our government done to provide food security to the poor? Discuss any two schemes launched by the government.
Answer:

Apart from the Public Distribution System (PDS) which was the most important step taken by the Government of India towards ensuring food security for the needy, there are several other schemes aimed at the same purpose. Among them two important projects are:

(i) The Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)
Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) launched in 2002 aims to support the poorest of the poor. Eligible families under AAY receive 35kg of foodgrains and 1 kg. of sugar per month at subsidised rates ( Rice at Rs 3 per kg, Wheat at Rs2 per kg and sugar at Rs18.50 per kg). The beneficiaries are marginal farmers, landless agriculture workers, rural artisans or craftsmen like weavers, blacksmiths, potters, carpenters, slum dwellers, tanners, and daily wage workers in the informal sector like rag pickers, cobblers, porters, coolies, hand cart pullers, rickshaw pullers, fruit, and flower vendors.
AAY is intended to help households headed by widows, disabled people, or people 60 years of age or older who lack a reliable source of support from society. Families with annual incomes of less than Rs.15,000.

(ii) The Annapurna scheme (APS)
The Annapurna scheme beneficiaries receive 10 kg. of foodgrains per month  free of cost and it is aimed to provide food security to senior citizens above 65 years of age and who are not beneficiaries of any pension scheme.

9. Why buffer stock is created by the government?
Answer

Buffer stockis the stock of foodgrains that always remain in hand to meet exigencies arising out of drought, flood etc. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) purchases surplus foodgrains from farmers at the time of bumper production, stores them and arranges to distribute them through Public Distribution System when there is a crop failure. This helps resolve the problem of shortage of food in crisis and calamity.

10. Write notes on:
(a) Minimum support price
(b) Buffer stock
(c) Issue price
(d) Fair price shops

Answer:

(a) Minimum Support Price:
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) purchases wheat and rice from farmers of states which have a surplus production. They are paid a pre-announced price, called Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops. The minimum support price is declared by the government every year and is variable. The Minimum Support Price is based on the cost of production of the crops. The MSP is declared every year by the government before the sowing season to incentivise farmers to increase the production of these crops.

(b) Buffer Stock:
Buffer Stock is the stock of foodgrains like wheat and rice procured by the government from farmers at stipulated Minimum Support Price. The purchased foodgrains are stored in granaries of the Food Corporation of India to be distributed by the Public Distribution System in the deficit areas and among the poorer sections of society at lower rates than the market price. The Buffer stock is also distributed during adverse weather conditions or natural calamities.

(c) Issue Price: The stock of grains created by the government is meant to be distributed among the poorer section of the society at a price lower than the market price known as the Issue Price. This price is charged in the ration shops under the public distribution system.

(d) Fair Price Shops:
Fair Price Shops are Ration shops which sell rice, wheat, sugar and kerosene at a price lower than the market price called issue price under the public distribution system. There are about 5.5 lakh ration shops all over the country.

Question 10
What are the problems of ration shops?
Answer:

The rationing system is the backbone of food security measures introduced by the government. The ration shops cater to millions of people who have ration cards and ration shops/dealers have played a key role to ensure distribution of foodgrains. They get a fixed average amount of Rs.5000 every month.

PDS dealers or ration shop owners are sometimes found resorting to malpractices. They divert the grain to the open market to get a higher margin, sell poor quality grains at ration shops and are not regular in opening the shops.

But the dealers have their problems as well. Often, they have huge quantities of unsold stock of poor-quality grain left which is a serious problem. Another factor which has contributed to the woes of ration shops is that under the Targeted Public Distribution system (TPD)S there are three different types of cards. The quantity allotted and prices also differ.

Earlier every family – rich or poor- had the same kind of ration card with a fixed quota of items such as rice, wheat, sugar etc. These were sold at the same price to every family including families whose incomes were marginally higher than the below poverty line families.

Now, with TPDS of three different prices, families above the poverty line gets very little discount at the ration shop. The price for APL family is almost equal to open market price, so there is little incentive for them to buy these items from the ration shop. As a result, the clientele of ration shops is gradually declining.

12. Write a short note on the role of cooperatives in providing food and related items
Answer:

General features:
The cooperative movement is a very important component in the framework of food security system in India. Cooperative movements are set up by certain group of people coming together to achieve the common goal of economic and social benefits. Cooperative societies set up shops to sell low or reasonably priced goods to needy people.
For example, in Delhi Mother Dairy has made rapid strides in making milk products and vegetables available to common people at reasonable rates. Amul is another success story from Gujarat bringing about a white revolution (milk) in India. Cooperative societies running in different parts of the country have played their role in holding the price line.
Grain Banks:
In Maharashtra, the Academy of Development of Science (ADS) has set up Grain Banks with the help of NGOs. The ADS is modelled as a cooperative enterprise and is acknowledged as a successful and innovative food security system. The Government of India makes a one- time contribution of 100 kg of grains per family to the Grain Bank for the benefit poorest of poor families. The aid is routed through the Grain Bank for better and efficient distribution.

Solutions to In-Text Questions for NCERT Class 9 Economics Chapter 4: Food Security in India

Let’s Discuss -Page 43
1. Some people say that the Bengal famine happened because there was a shortage of rice. Study the table and find out whether you agree with the statement

Table 4.1: Production of Rice in the Province of Bengal

Year	Production (Lakh tonnes)	Imports (Lakh tonnes)	Exports (Lakh tonnes)	Total Availability (Lakh tonnes)
1938	85	–	–	85
1939	79	04	–	83
1940	82	03	–	85
1941	68	02	–	70
1942	93	–	01	92
1943	76	03	–	79

Answer.

The total amount of rice available in 1943 was 79 lakh tonne. It was even lower in 1941 at 70 lakh tonnes when there was no famine. So, scarcity of rice was not a valid reason. It is true that there was a crop failure in 1943, but there was sufficient buffer stock as production in the previous years was normal.

2. Which year shows a drastic decline in food availability?
Answer:

The year 1941 showed a drastic shortage in food production.

Suggested Activity (Page 44)

Answer:
I see emaciated starvation victims at a relief centre waiting for food.

(b) Which age group is seen in the picture?
Answer:
Aged people are seen in the picture

(c) Can you say that the family seen in the picture 4.2 is a poor family? Why?

Answer:
Yes, they are a poor family. The hungry look, scanty clothes and very few personal belongings make them look like a poor hapless family.

(d) Can you imagine the source of livelihood of the people before the occurrence of the famine?
Answer:
These people must have been landless or marginal farmers. They could be small traders as well who lost everything during the famine.

(e) Find out the type of help given to victims of a natural calamity at a relief camp.
Answer:
Victims of natural calamities at relief camps are given food, drinking water, clothing and medicines to fight diseases.

(f) Have you helped such victims (in the form of money, food, clothes, medicines etc.?
Answer:
Yes, during the natural disaster of Amphan in West Bengal, we teamed up to reach rice, pulse, clothing and medicines to remote areas of Sunderbans. We also provided money to buy kerosene.

PROJECT WORK: Gather more information about famines in India.
Answer:
Enjoy doing it yourself after discussing with your teacher

Let’s Discuss (Page 45)

Why agriculture is a seasonal activity?
Answer:
About 4 months are needed for plant consolidation from sowing, transplanting to harvesting. In India there are two main agricultural seasons divided into four months each– one is Rabi and the other is Kharif. So, agriculture is a seasonal activity. Rabi crops are sown in winter and harvested in summer while Kharif is sown in monsoon and harvested in autumn. For the rest of the time farm labourers, especially the landless remain unemployed.

Why is Ramu unemployed for about four months a year?
Answer:

Ramu is a landless casual labourer engaged in agriculture. He gets work only for sowing, transplantation and harvesting during two farming seasons, i.e., Rabi and Kharif. During the period of plant consolidation and maturing he remains unemployed for about four months.

What does Ramu do when he is unemployed
Answer:

Ramu remains unemployed for about four months in a year when he has to look for work in other activities. Sometimes he finds work in brick laying or in construction sites to maintain his family.

Who are supplementing income in Ramu’s family?
Answer:

Ramu’s wife Sunhari works part-time as house cleaner for the livestock, removing and managing the cow dung. She gets ½ litre of milk and some cooked food along with vegetables for her daily work. Besides, she also works with her husband in the field during busy season to supplement his income. His eldest son, Somu, who is barely 10 years of age works as a ‘pali’ to look after the cattle of the village sarpanch. Somu is employed for the whole year and earns Rs.1000 a year to supplement the family’s income.

Why does Ramu face difficulty when he is unable to find work?
Answer:

In spite of his hard work, Ramu is unable to buy two square meals for his family throughout the year.
The family remains food-insecure when Ramu does not find work. Even when he is working his income, either in cash or kind are not enough to buy essentials. His wages are too low to give him a comfortable life.
 
When is Ramu food-insecure?
Answer:

Ramu is basically an agricultural worker who does not have work throughout the year. Ramu is food insecure during 4 months when he remains unemployed because of the seasonal character of farming.

Let’s Discuss (Page 45)

Does Ahmad have a regular income from rickshaw pulling?
Answer:

Ahmad is a rickshaw puller and does not have a secure employment. His earnings, though regular, fluctuate every day.  For some days he has enough earning to save some amount. On other days, his earnings are too low to buy daily necessities. He has regular income but still he is food-insecure.

How does the yellow card help Ahmad?
Answer:

Ahmad has a yellow card which is a PDS card for people below poverty line. With this card, Ahmad
gets sufficient quantity of rice, wheat, sugar and kerosene oil for his daily use. He gets these goods at half the market price which is a big help for him. The yellow card helps Ahmad, the only earning member, to manage the basic needs of his family.

Suggested Activity (Page 46)

Visit some farms in a nearby village and collect the details of food crops cultivated by the farmers.
Answer:

Do it yourself with the help of your parents.

Let’s Discuss – Page 47

Study Graph 4.1 and answer the following Questions.

This is Graph 4.1 which shows production of foodgrains in India in million tonnes:

In which year did our country cross the 200 million tonne per year mark in foodgrain production?
Answer:

During the year 2010-11 our country crossed the 200 million tonne per year mark of foodgrain production with a total output of 245 million tonne.

In which decade did India experience the highest decadal increase in foodgrain production?
Answer:

The decade from 2001-02 to 2010-11 registered the highest decadal increase in foodgrain production with a total increase of 49 million tonne.

Suggested Activity (Page 48)

Visit your area’s ration shop and get the following details:

1. When does the ration shop open?
Answer:

The ration shop opens at 8 am.

2. What are the items sold in the ration shop?
Answer:

The items usually sold in the ration shop are food grains like wheat, rice, sugar and kerosene.

3. Compare the prices of rice and sugar from the ration shop with the prices at any other grocery shop.  (for families below poverty line)
The price of rice and sugar for AAY card holders (below poverty Line) is as follows:
Answer:

Price for AAY Card Holders (below poverty line)	Price at Grocery shop
Rice – Rs 2 per kg	Rice – Rs 20 per kg
Sugar – Rs 18.50 per kg	Sugar- Rs 46 per kg

4. Do you have a ration card? What has your family recently bought from the ration shop?
Answer:

Yes, I have a ration card. My family has recently bought rice, sugar and kerosene from the ration shop.

Activity – page 48

Suggested Activity

Gather detailed information about some of the programmes initiated by the government, which have food component. Hint: Rural wage employment programme, Employment Guarantee Scheme, Sampurna Grameen Rojgar Yojana, Mid-Day Meal, Integrated Child Development Services, etc.
Answer:

The Indian government India has initiated several key government schemes with the aim of improving food security and employment, particularly in rural areas and for people belonging to Backward sections of society like Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and other vulnerable groups.  An overview of the government schemes related to food security and employment in India is presented in a chart form for reference:

Programmes initiated by the Government of India which have food component

Scheme	Beneficiaries	Benefits Provided	Purpose of the Scheme
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Introduced in 2005	Rural households, especially those in underdeveloped areas	100 days of guaranteed employment per year; wages can be used for food. Some areas provide food grains	economic uplift of the Scheduled castes and Scheduled tribes, rural poor, women, low-income families Another aim of MGNREGA is to create durable assets (such as roads, canals, ponds and wells).
National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 (Also known as Right to Food Act)	2/3 of India’s population (AAY and PHH) will be entitled to receive subsidized foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution system.	AAY beneficiaries are given 35 kg of food grain per month at Rs. 3/kg for rice, Rs. 2/kg for wheat. and Rs. 1 per kg for coarse grains. Priority households (PHH) are provided food grains at subsidized rates based on their eligibility. Pregnant women and lactating mothers will also be entitled to receive maternity benefit of not less than Rs. 6,000.	Providing food security to the most vulnerable sections of the population, including children, pregnant women, lactating mothers, elderly, disabled and impoverished families. Low-income households, vulnerable populations (elderly, disabled, women), Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
Sampurna Grameen Rojgar Yojana (SGRY) or Universal Rural Employment Programme	Rural poor, particularly in backward areas. There are special provisions for women, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and parents of children withdrawn from hazardous occupations	Food grains constitute part of wages + cash wages are paid for labour  .	Rural poor, particularly in remote/backward areas. The scheme aims to provide gainful employment and food to people in rural areas who lived below the poverty line. While preference is given to families below the poverty line, people who live above the poverty line too are eligible under this scheme.
Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDM)	School children in government and aided schools (Class I-VIII), schools run by local bodies, primarily in rural and disadvantaged areas. Children from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, particularly those belonging to SC/ST and other vulnerable communities are benefitted	Nutritional meals, designed to meet caloric and protein needs. Free cooked meals (rice, dal, vegetables, occasionally egg/fruit)	The objective of the scheme is to help improve the effectiveness of primary education by improving the nutritional status of primary school children.
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)	Children (0-6 years), pregnant women, lactating mothers, adolescent girls belonging to rural and urban poor households.	Nutritional supplements (milk, pulses, etc.),hot meals. The scheme provides which provides nutritional supplements in the form of Take-Home Rations (THR) or hot meals, preschool education, primary healthcare immunization, health check-up and referral services to children under 6 years of age and their mothers.	The aim is to improve health of expecting and lactating mothers and of infants upto 6 years of age.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)   Prime Minister’s Food Security Scheme for the Poor)	All NFSA beneficiaries (AAY & PHH households)	PMGKAY provides 5 kg of rice or wheat (according to regional dietary preferences) per person and 1 kg of dal to each family holding a ration card	Food security for all low-income families under the NFSA, especially those who lost livelihood opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic or natural disasters.
Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)	The poorest of the poor (destitute, elderly, disabled, etc.) are given a unique “Antodaya Ration Card” This card, also called the PDS(public distribution card) yellow card, acts as a form of identification	35 kg of food grains per month at Rs. 3/kg for rice, Rs. 2/kg for wheat	AAY was launched in 2000 with the aim of providing food security for extremely low-income families, “the poorest of the poor” destitute, elderly, disabled

Let’s Discuss (Page 51)

Study Graph 4.2 and answer the following questions:

In which recent year foodgrain stock with the government was maximum?
Answer:

As per Graph 4.2, the maximum foodgrain stock was in July at 900.45 million tonnes.

What is the minimum buffer stock norm for the FCI?
Answer:

As per Graph no 4.2 the minimum buffer stock is approximately is 214.1 million tonnes.

Why were the FCI granaries overflowing with foodgrains?
Answer:

FCI granaries were overflowing with food grains because the procurement was more than actual requirement of food grains.

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