NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science Economics Chapter 4 Food Security in India

These NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science Economics Chapter 4 Food Security in India Questions and Answers are prepared by our highly skilled subject experts to help students while preparing for their exams.

Food Security in India NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science Economics Chapter 4

Class 9 Economics Chapter 4 Food Security in India InText Questions and Answers

Discuss

Question 1.
Some people say that the Bengal famine happened because there was a shortage of rice. Study the table given below and find out whether you agree with the statement.
Production of Rice in the Province of Bengal

Question 2.
Which year shows a drastic decline in food availability? (Textbook Page 43)
Answer:
1. From the Table it is clear that the availability of rice was much higher in 1943 than 1941, although lower than in 1942. But it will be wrong to say that the famine occurred solely due to a shortage of rice. It may be a factor but not the sole factor. Other causes such as improper distribution, poor carryover stocks due to less production in 1941, malnutrition, etc, were also responsible for the Bengal famine.

2. The year 1941 shows a drastic decline in food availability.

Discuss – A (NCERT Textbook page 45)

Question 1.
Why is agriculture a seasonal activity?
Answer:
In agriculture, farmers remain busy only during times of sowing, transplanting, and harvesting. They have no significant work when the plants are growing and maturing. So, agriculture is a seasonal activity.

Question 2.
Why is Ramu unemployed for about four months in a year?
Answer:
Ramu is unemployed for four months a year because during this period plants grow and mature.

Question 3.
What does Ramu do when he is unemployed?
Answer:
When Ramu is unemployed, he looks for work in other activities. Sometimes he gets employment in bricklaying or in construction activities in the village.

Question 4.
Who is supplementing income in Ramu’s family?
Answer:
Ramu’s wife and his eldest son Somu, who is 10 years old, are supplementing income in his family. His wife works as a house cleaner for the livestock. She gets ½ liter milk and some cooked food along with vegetables for her daily work. Ramu’s son, Somu works as pali to look after the cattle of the village Sarpanch and gets ₹ 1000 for his work.

Question 5.
Why does Ramu face difficulty when he is unable to have work?
Answer:
When Ramu is unable to get some work, he and his family face difficulties because he fails to earn enough either in cash or kind. In such a situation, the entire family has to depend on the meager income earned by Somu and his mother, Sunhari.

Question 6.
When is Ramu food insecure?
Answer:
Ramu is food insecure for 4 months when he fails to get some work during the off-season in agriculture.

Discuss – B

Question 1.
Does Ahmad have a regular income from rickshaw-pulling?
Answer:
No, Ahmed does not get regular income from rickshaw-pulling. During some days he gets enough earning for him to save some amount after buying all his day-to-day necessities. On other days, he barely earns enough to buy his daily necessities.

Question 2.
How does the yellow card help Ahmed run his family even with small earnings from rickshaw-pulling? (Textbook Page 45)
Answer:
The yellow card which Ahmed has is actually a PDS card for below-the poverty line people. With this card, Ahmed gets a sufficient quantity of wheat, rice, sugar, and kerosene oil for his family. He gets these essentials at half of the market price. He buys his monthly stock during a particular day when the ration shop is opened for below the poverty line. Thus, the yellow card helps Ahmed run his family even with small earnings from rickshaw-pulling.

Discuss

Study the graph below and answer the following questions:

Source: Economic Survey 2011-12, 2013-14

Question 1.
In which year did our country cross the 200 million tonnes per year mark in foodgrains production?
Answer:
Our country crossed the 200 million tonnes per year mark in foodgrain production in the following years:

2005-06
2009-10
2013-14

Question 2.
In which decade did India experience the highest decadal increase in foodgrain production?
Answer:
India experienced the highest decadal increase in food grain production during 2004-2014.

Question 3.
Is production increase consistent in India since 2000-01? (Textbook Page 47)
Answer:
Except for the year 2002-2003, the production increase is consistent in India since 2000-01.

Suggested Activity

Discuss

Picture 4.1 Starvation victims arriving at a relief centre, 1945.

Picture 4.2 During the Bengal Famine of 1943, a family leaves its village in Chittagong district in Bengal.

Question 1.
What do you see in Picture 4.1 (Given on Textbook, page 44)
Answer:
A group of people who are victims of starvation, arriving at a relief center.

Question 2.
Which age group is seen in the first picture?
Answer:
Elderly people.

Question 3.
Can you say that the family shown in picture 4.2 is a poor family? Why?
Answer:
Yes, the family shown in picture 4.2 is a poor family. This family is a victim of the Bengal famine of 1943. They have nothing to eat. So, they leave their native village in search of better prospects.

Question 4.
Can you imagine the source of livelihood of the people, (Shown in two Pictures) before the occurrence of famine? (In the context of a village).
Answer:
Before the occurrence of famine, the source of livelihood of these people must have been agriculture.

Question 5.
Find out what type of help is given to the victims of a natural calamity at a relief camp?
Answer:
The kinds of help given to the victims of a natural calamity at a relief camp include shelter, food, medical and, clothes, etc.

Question 6.
Have you ever helped such victims (in the form of money, food, clothes, medicines, etc). Gather more information about famines in India (Project work) (Textbook Page 44)
Answer:
Information about famines in India: Here are the details of some famines which occurred in India since 1791.

Year	Name of famine	Regions of India	Mortality
1791-92	Doji bara famine	Hyderabad, Southern Maratha country, Deccan, Gujarat, and Marwar.	It is thought that 11 million people may have died during the years 1788-94. It was one of the most severe famines known.
1860-61	Upper Doab famine of 1860-61	Upper Doab of Agra, Delhi, Hissar, and Rajasthan.	About two million people died.
1865-67	Orissa (now Odisha) famine of 1866	Orissa and Bihar, Ballary, and Ganjam district of Madras.	About one million in Orissa, 135, 676 in Bihar, and 10,898 in Ganjam.
1899-1900	Indian famine of 1899-1990	Bombay, Central Provinces, Berar and Ajmer.	About 1 million.
1943-44	Bengal famine of 1943	Bengal	1.5 million from starvation, 3.5 million deaths from epidemics.

Discuss

Visit some farms in a nearby village and collect the details of food crops cultivated by the farmers. (Textbook Page 46)
Answer:
The food crops cultivated by the farmers are wheat, rice, pulses, maize, mustard, bajra, etc.

Discuss (Textbook Page 46)

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

Question 1.
When does the ration shop open.
Answer:
The ration shop in my area opens weekly.

Question 2.
What are the items sold at the ration shop?
Answer:
The items sold at the ration shop are wheat, rice, sugar, and kerosene oil.

Question 3.
Compare the prices of rice and sugar from the ration shop with the prices at any other grocery shop? (for families below the poverty line)
Answer:
The prices of rice and sugar sold at the ration shop are generally half of the market price.

Question 4.
Find out:
Do you have a ration card?
What has your family recently bought with this card from the ration shop?
Are there any problems that they face?
Why are ration shops necessary?
Answer:
Ration shops are necessary for every locality because they supply essential items at a subsidized rate for those who are below the poverty line.

Class 9 Economics Chapter 4 Food Security in India Textbook Questions and Answers

Question 1.
How is food security ensured in India?
Answer:
To ensure food security to all sections of the society the Indian government has carefully designed a food security system, which is composed of two components:

Buffer stock, and
Public Distribution System or PDS

In addition to PDS, various poverty alleviation programmes have also been started which comprise a component of food security. Some of these programmes are:

Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
Food-For-Work (FFW)
Mid-Day Meals in schools
Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY).

The cooperatives are also playing an important role in food security in India. Various NGOs are also working intensively in this direction.

Question 2.
Which are the people more prone to food insecurity?
Answer:
(i) A large section of people suffer from food and nutrition insecurity in India. However, the worst affected groups are landless people with little or no land to depend upon, traditional artisans, providers of traditional services, petty self-employed workers, and beggars.

(ii) In the urban areas, those engaged in the casual labour market and seasonal activities are more prone to food insecurity.

(iii) The SCs, STs, and some sections of the OBCs who have either poor land base or very low land productivity are prone to food insecurity.

(iv) The people affected by natural disasters, who have to migrate to other areas in search of work, are also among the most food-insecure people.

(v) A large proportion of pregnant and nursing mothers and children under the age of 5 years consti¬tute an important segment of the food insecure population.

Question 3.
Which states are more food insecure in India?
Answer:
The state of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, parts of Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra are more food insecure than other states of India.

Question 4.
Do you believe that Green Revolution has made India self-sufficient in food grains? How?
Answer:
Yes, the Green Revolution has made India self-sufficient in food grains. India adopted a new strategy in agriculture in the early 1970s which resulted in the Green Revolution. It introduced the Indian farmer to the cultivation of wheat and rice using High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) of seeds, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides. HYV seeds promised to produce much greater amounts of grain on a single plant.

The increase in food grains was, however, disproportionate. The highest rate of growth has been achieved in western Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana where food grain production reached an all-time high of 78.9 million tonnes in 2012-13. The success of wheat was later replicated in rice. States like Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have recorded significant increases in rice yield in 2012-13.

Question 5.
A section of people in India is still without food. Explain.
Answer:
Although India has achieved self-sufficiency in food grains as a result of the Green Revolution, a section of people are still without food because of extreme poverty. The landless laborers in rural areas, the casual workers in urban areas, SCs, and STs who are below the poverty line lead a very tough life in dearth of enough food grains.

The ill-funding of the public distribution system is also responsible for this. The PDS dealers are sometimes found resorting to malpractices like diverting the grains to the open market to get a better margin, selling poor quality grains at ration shops, etc. Unless corruption in the PDS and abject poverty are eliminated, a section of people is destined to food insecure.

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

When a country faces a national disaster/calamity like earthquake, drought, flood, tsunami, there is widespread failure of crops causing famine.
Due to a natural calamity, the total production of food grains decreases. It creates a shortage of food in the affected areas.
Due to a shortage of food, the prices go up. At the high prices, some people cannot afford to buy food. If such calamity happens in a widespread area or is stretched over a longer time period, it may cause a situation of starvation.

Question 7.
Differentiate between seasonal hunger and chronic hunger.
Answer:
Hunger has chronic and seasonal dimensions.

Chronic hunger is a consequence of diets persistently inadequate in terms of quantity and /or quality. Poor people suffer from chronic hunger because of their very low income and in turn inability to buy food even for survival.

Seasonal hunger is related to cycles of food growing and harvesting. This is prevalent in rural areas because of the seasonal nature of agricultural activities and in urban areas because of the casual labour, e.g. there is less work for casual construction labour during the rainy season. This type of hunger exists when a person is unable to get work for the whole year.

Question 8.
What has our government done to provide food security to the poor? Discuss.
Answer:
(i) In order to provide food security to the poor, our government has carefully designed a food security system by creating a buffer stock of food grains and a public distribution system.

(ii) The Food Corporation of India (FCI) purchases wheat and rice from the farmers in states where there is surplus production. The farmers are paid a pre-announced price for their crops. The purchased food grains are stored in granaries to distribute them in the deficit areas and among the poorer strata of society at a price lower than the market price.

(iii) There is a public distribution system that makes available food grains at highly subsidized rates.

(iv) The government has also started various poverty alleviation programmes such as Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in 1975, Food-For-Work (FFW) in 1977-78, Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) in 2000.

(v) Antodaya Anna Yojana is for the poorest of the poor. Under this scheme, 35 kg of food grains is made available to each eligible family at a highly subsidised+ rate of ₹ 2 per kg for wheat and ₹ 3 per kg for rice.

Question 9.
Why buffer stock is created by the government?
Answer:
(i) Buffer stock is created by the government to make the people of India’s food security. Buffer stock is the stock of food grains such as wheat and rice procured by the government through the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

(ii) The FCI buys wheat and rice from the farmers in states where there is surplus production at a preannounced price for their crops. The purchased food grains are stored in granaries to distribute them in the deficit areas and among the poorer strata of society a price lower than the market price.

(iii) This also helps resolve the problem of food shortage during adverse weather conditions or during periods of natural calamity.

Question 10.
Write notes on:
(a) Minimum support price
(b) Buffer stock
(c) Issue price
(d) Fair price shop.
Answer:
(a) Minimum Support Price: The Food Corporation of India purchase wheat and rice from the farmers in states where there is surplus production. The farmers are paid a pre-announced price of their crops. This price is called Minimum Support Price (MSP). The MSP is declared by the government every year before the sowing season to provide incentives to the farmers for raising the production of these crops.

(b) Buffer Stock:
(i) Buffer stock is created by the government to make the people of India’s food secure. Buffer stock is the stock of food grains such as wheat and rice procured by the government through the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

(iii) This also helps resolve the problem of food shortage during adverse weather conditions or during periods of natural calamity.

(c) Issue Price: The food grains purchased by FCI are stored in granaries to distribute them in the deficit areas and among the poorer strata of society at a price lower than the market price. This price is known as the Issue Price.

(d) Fair Price Shops: The food grains procured by the FCI are distributed through government-regulated ration shops among the poorer section of the society. These ration shops are also known as Fair Price shops. These shops are now present in most localities, villages, towns, and cities. They keep stock of food grains, sugar, and kerosene oil for working. These items are sold to people at a price lower than the market price. Any family with a ration card can buy a stipulated amount of these items e.g. 35 kgs of grains, 5 liters of kerosene and 5 kgs of sugar, etc; every month from the nearby ration shop.

Question 11.
What are the problems with the functioning of ration shops?
Answer:
Here are the problems of the functionary of ration shops:

PDS dealers are sometimes found diverting the grains to the open market to get a better margin.
They sell poor-quality grains at ration shops.
The ration shops are not opened on a regular basis.
It is common to find that these shops regularly have unsold stocks of poor-quality grains left. This has proved to be a big problem.
When ration shops are unable to sell, massive stock of food grains piles up with the FCI.

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

There are various cooperatives also playing a significant role in food security in India especially in the southern and western parts of the country. The cooperative societies set up shops to sell low-priced goods to poor people.
In Tamil Nadu, out of all fair price shops running there, around 94 percent are being run by cooperatives.
In Delhi, Mother Dairy is making strides in the provision of milk and vegetables to the consumers at a controlled rate decided by the Government of Delhi.
AMUL has brought the White Revolution in the country in milk and milk products from Gujarat.
There are many more cooperative running in different parts of the country. The main objective of all these cooperatives is to contribute to ensuring food security for the people of India.