1. Food Security in IndiaFood Security in IndiaFood Security in IndiaFood Security in India
G.L.T. SARASWATI BAL MANDIR
NAME:- IMRAN ABDULLAH
&
RESABH SAXENA
CLASS:- IX-E
ROLL NUMBER:- 13 AND 31
2. WHAT IS FOOD SECURITY?WHAT IS FOOD SECURITY?
Food security means availability,
accessibility and affordability of food
to all people at all times.
Food security means availability,
accessibility and affordability of food
to all people at all times.
3. The Food Security Scenario in
South Asia
Country
Food
Production
Food Exports Food Imports Food Balance
Bangladesh 26,924 1.6 2,827 -4,601
India 1,74,655 9,490 56 23,826
Nepal 5,839 11 39 57
Pakistan 24,936 2,966 288 3,818
Sri Lanka 1,938 9.8 1,307 252
Source: FAO, 2004. Figures in thousand metric tones for 2002
4.
5. Some Indicators for Child Wellbeing and
malnutrition in South Asia
Bangla-
desh
India Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka
Immunization
(% of children under 3 years who have not
received the stated vaccine)
BCG
DTP3
MCV
Pol3
5
15
23
15
27
36
44
30
15
20
27
20
20
35
33
35
1
3
4
3
Child undernutrition
(% of children with the stated condition)
Underweight
Stunting
Wasting
48
43
13
46
46
16
48
51
10
38
37
13
29
14
14
Infant and child mortality
(per 1,000 live births)
Infant mortality rate
Under-five mortality rate
56
77
62
85
59
76
80
101
12
14
6. India’s Annual Growth Rate
Year GDP Per capita income
1951-79 3.6 1.3
1980-91 5.6 3.5
1992-06 6.5 4.7
7. Population, GDP and Foodgrain Production
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2006
Population
GDP
Foodgrain
Production
9. Worrying issues
• News of starvation deaths & farmers’ suicides from
many states
• Stagnant agricultural production, and falling food
availability
• Unemployment has increased from 4 to 8% in ten
years
• Regional disparities are increasing
• IMR stagnating around 60 per 1000, it is 46 in
Bangladesh
• Immunisation coverage fell from 60 to 40% in 5 yrs
• More than 50% women are anemic
• 46% children are malnourished
• Declining child sex ratio during 1991-2001
• There is no will to improve administration in poor
states
13. number of poor people in millions
247 239 234
201
236
53 65 70
67
78
0
350
1971 1981 1991 2001 2006
Urban
Rural
14. Social groups 1993-94 1999-2000
Percentage Share in Percentage Share in
Total Rural
Population
Below
Poverty
Line
Total Rural
Population
Below
Poverty
Line
Scheduled
tribes
10.8 48.8 10.5 48.0
Scheduled
castes
21.1 45.7 20.4 38.4
Others 68.1 28.3 69.1 23.2
All households 100.0 34.2 100.0 28.9
15. There should be no food
insecurity in India
Both GDP and food grain production have
risen faster than the growth in population over
the last 50 years
And yet chronic hunger and starvation persist in large
sections of the population. There has been a declining calorie
consumption especially in the bottom 30% of the population.
19. India has the largest food schemes
in the World
• Entitlement Feeding Programmes
– ICDS (All Children under six, Pregnant and lactating mother)
– MDMS (All Primary School children)
• Food Subsidy Programmes
– Targeted Public Distribution System (35 kgs/ month of subsidised food
grains
– Annapurna (10 kgs of free food grain for destitute poor)
• Employment Programmes
– National Rural Employment Scheme (100 days of employment at
minimum wages)
• Social Safety Net Programmes
– National Old Age Pension Scheme (Monthly pension to BPL)
– National Family Benefit Scheme (Compensation in case of death of
20. The Right to Food Case
• PUCL petition on hunger in Rajasthan in the Supreme
Court in 2001
• Emergence of the Right to Food Campaign
• Key Issues:
– Making the Right to Food a Fundamental Right
– Converting all existing schemes into entitlements
– Tackling large scale malnutrition and chronic hunger
– Securing employment as a fundamental right linked to the Right
to Food
• Longest continuing mandamus on the Right to Food in
the World
– 51 Interim Orders so far; more than 500 affidavits; nearly 70
Interim Applications
21. Highlights of Supreme Court Orders on the Right to Food
• Converted all food and employment schemes into legal
entitlements
• Universalised food entitlement programmes for children (ICDS
for children under six and Mid Day Meal Scheme for all primary
school children)
• Instituted the independent mechanism of Commissioners to the
Supreme Court to monitor all food and employment
programmes
• Prevented the reduction of the “poverty line” from 36% to 26%
• Hauled up Government periodically by serving notice of
contempt of court on senior most Government functionaries
(Chief Secretaries)
22. Impact so far
• Universalisation of MDMS (120 million children get school
meals) and ICDS (Government would need to double the ICDS
centres to 1.4 million centres covering 60 million children under
the age of six)
• Managed to restrict the lowering of BPL quotas by GoI from
36% to 26%
• Increase in off-take of subsidised food-grains through the
targeted public distribution system
• Increased budgetary allocation for ICDS, Old Age Pensions (3
times the amount)
• Passage of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
which guarantees 100 days of employment a year (at minimum
wages)
23. Impact so far (cont’d.)
• Provided Civil Society an anchor to engage/ confront
the State and created spaces for civil society to
engage in food/ employment programmes
• Brought the discourse on food rights to the centre-
stage of governance in the States and GoI
• Has been largely effective in provision of gratuitous
relief (Tea Garden Workers in West Bengal).
• Created the environment for the passage of the
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
