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SAI International School
                                                     Session- 2025-26
                                                          STD-IX
                                                     Lesson Notes – 2
                                    SUBJECT- ECONOMICS CH- 4 FOOD SECURITY IN INDIA



               Who are Food-Insecure?


                     In India, a large section of people suffers from food insecurity and nutrition
                       deficiency.  People having little or no land, traditional artisans, providers of
                       traditional services, petty self-employed workers, and the destitute, including
                       beggars, are the worst affected groups.

                     In the urban areas, food-insecure families are those who are generally employed in
                       ill-paid occupations and the casual labour market. These workers are largely engaged
                       in seasonal activities and are paid very low wages.


                     In the case of natural disaster there might be people who are above the poverty line
                       yet face the food insecurity during the specific period.

                     How is food security affected during a calamity?


                       Natural  calamity,  say  drought,  flood,  earth  quake  or  heavy  rain  for  which  total
                       production of foodgrains decreases. It creates a shortage of food in the affected areas

                       and the prices go up. At the high prices, some people cannot afford to buy food. If

                       such calamity happens in a very wide spread area or is stretched over a longer time
                       period, it may cause a situation of starvation. A massive starvation might take a turn

                       of famine. In a famine food is not available for many months or even for couple of

                       years.


               So, we notice that there are certain conditions that play behind the case of food insecurity
               in India.


               Food Security in India


               Since the Green Revolution, the country has avoided famine even during adverse weather
               conditions. India has become self-sufficient in food grains during the last 30 years because
               of a variety of crops grown all over the country. The availability of food grains has been
               ensured with a carefully designed food security system by the government. This system has
               two components:
               (a) buffer stock and
               (b) public distribution system.
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