Food Security

Soon after independence, especially in post-Green Revolution era, India strived for ‘Food for AII’ by developing technological interventions, supporting policies and strategies and a vast network of public distribution system. These initiatives enabled the country to increase the production of food grains by 5-fold, horticultural crops by 6-fold, fish by 12-fold, milk by 8-fold, and eggs by 27-fold since 1950-51.

Recent Developments

Food Security: FAO Report 2018

According to FAO estimates in ‘The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, 2018’ report, 195.9 million people are undernourished in India.

Key Highlights:

  • On the basis of above statement, around 14.8% of the population is undernourished in India.
  • Also, 51.4% of women in reproductive age between 15 to 49 years are anaemic.
  • Further according to the report 38.4% of the children aged under five in India are stunted (too short for their age), while 21% suffer from wasting, meaning their weight is too low for their height.
  • Also, the malnourished children have a higher risk of death from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria.
  • The Global Hunger Index 2018 ranks India at 103 out of 119 countries on the basis of three leading indicators: prevalence of wasting and stunting in children under-5 years, under 5 child mortality rate, and the proportion of undernourished in the population.

Food Security: Government’s Interventions

Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS), 1975

  • Includes a package of integrated services consisting of supplementary nutrition, immunization, health check-up, referral and education services.
  • Provided to children up 6 years of age and expectant/nursing mother, through a common focal point called Anganwadi in each village/ urban slums.

Antyodaya Anna Yojana, 2000

  • Under the scheme the poorest among the BPL families were identified for the targeted public distribution system
  • 25 Kg (revised to 35 kg in 2002) of food grains were made available to each eligible family at a highly subsidised rate of Rs. 2/ kg for wheat and Rs. 3/ kg for rice.

Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG) - Sabla 2010-11

  • Aims at empowering Adolescent Girls (11-18 years) through nutrition, health care and life skills education.

Midday Meal Scheme (1995)

  • Aims at enhancing enrolment, retention, and attendance and simultaneous improvement in nutrition levels among children
  • It covers all school children studying in Ito VIII classes in Government and Government aided schools, Special Training Centres (STC) and Madrasas and Maqtabs supported under SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan).

National Nutrition Mission, (POSHAN Abhiyan), 2018

  • NNM aims to achieve improvement in nutritional status of Children from 0-6 years, Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers in a time bound manner from 2017-18
  • Through different targets aims to reduce the level of stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth weight babies.

Zero Hunger Programme, 2017

  • Its objective is to make India free from malnutrition by 2022 and attaining ‘Zero Hunger’ (SDG-2)
  • This programme consists of:
    1. Organise farming systems for nutrition.
    2. Set up genetic gardens for bio-fortified plants/crops.
    3. Initiate Zero Hunger training

End-to-End Computerization of TPDS Operations

  • To modernize and to bring about transparency in the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), the Department is implementing scheme on End-to-end Computerization of TPDS Operations at a total cost of 884 Crore on cost-sharing basis with the States/UTs. The Scheme provides for digitization of ration cards and beneficiary records, computerization of supply chain management, setting up of transparency portals and grievance redressal mechanisms.

National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013

To provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices. Some of the basic features are

  • Provides statutory backing for food as a right (Right to food)
  • Up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population will be covered under TPDS (Targeted Public Distribution System), with uniform entitlement of 5 kg per person per month. Entitlement of existing AAY households protected at 35 kg per household per month.
  • Food grains under TPDS made available at subsidised prices of Rs. 3/2/1 per kg for rice, wheat and coarse grains for a period of three years from the date of commencement of the Act. Thereafter prices to be linked to Minimum Support Price (MSP).
  • Pregnant women and lactating mothers are entitled to a nutritious “take home ration” of 600 Calories and a maternity benefit of at least Rs 6,000 for six months.
  • Children 6 to 14 years of age are to receive free hot meals or “take home rations”.
  • In case of non-supply of entitled food grains or meals, the beneficiaries will receive food security allowance.
  • Appoints district grievance redressal officers; establishes State Food Commissions; and vigilance committees at state, district, block and ration shop levels

Launch of Hybrid Model of DBT

  • A pilot scheme on DBT (In-cash & In-kind) on the pattern of “PAHAL” has been launched in Nagri Block of Ranchi District, Jharkhand w.e.f. October 2017.
  • Under this scheme, the subsidy amount (economic cost, less the Central issue price) is directly transferred into the bank account of the eligible NFSA beneficiaries in advance in the beginning of the month.
  • The beneficiary then can purchase the foodgrains as per entitlement from the Fair Price Shop at economic cost of the foodgrains after authentication on Point of Sale (PoS) device.

Intra-State Portability of Ration Cards

  • Facility enabling PDS beneficiaries to lift their entitled foodgrains from any fair price shop in the State where ePoS device has been installed has been started in states of Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh (750 FPSs), and Telangana (2273 FPSs).

Integrated Management of PDS (IM-PDS)

  • A new Central Sector Scheme has been approved to be implemented during FY 2018-19 and FY 2019-20 for establishing Public Distribution System Network (PDSN) to implement national level portability, central data repository and central monitoring system of PDS operations.

Launch of ePoSm Transactions Portal

  • Annavitran Portal (www.annavitran.nic.in) has been implemented to display electronic transactions made through ePoS devices for distribution of subsidized food grains to beneficiaries. This portal also shows all India picture of Aadhaar authentication of beneficiaries besides allocated and distributed quantity of food grains up to district level.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana

  • On 23rd August 2017 was Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana was launched. The SAMPADA Scheme aims at creating infrastructure and increasing capacities of processing and preservation in entire supply chain of food processing sector right from farm gate to retail outlets.
  • PMKSY is an umbrella scheme incorporating ongoing schemes of the Ministry like Mega Food Parks, Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure, Food Safety and Quality Assurance Infrastructure, etc. and also new schemes like Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters, Creation of Backward and Forward Linkages, Creation / Expansion of Food Processing & Preservation Capacities.

State Initiatives

  • Government of Tamil Nadu has launched ‘Amma Unavagam’ (Mother’s canteen), or more commonly known as Amma canteen.
  • The State of Uttar Pradesh in 2013 passed a food bill. Food that is going to be wasted from parties will be preserved and distributed to poor and needy people.
  • The Chhattisgarh Food Security Act, 2012 law was enacted by the Chhattisgarh government. It was passed on 21 December 2012, by the State Assembly unopposed to ensure “access to adequate quantity of food and other requirements of good nutrition to the people of the State, at affordable prices, at all times to live a life of dignity.’’

National/International Year of Millets

India (Union Ministry of Agriculture) has written to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of United Nations (UN) proposing declaration of year 2019 as “International Year of Millets” but the FAO has declared 2023 as ‘International Year of Millets’. India celebrated 2018 as National Year of Millets. It is promoting cultivation of millets as part of this celebration by amending cropping pattern of areas which are especially susceptible to climate change.

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