Gujarat: Food security | Gujarat State PSC (GPSC) Preparation: All subjects - GPSC (Gujarat) PDF Download

Definition and Importance of Food Security

• Food security refers to a condition where individuals have consistent access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and preferences for an active and healthy life. It applies at both individual and household levels, ensuring that every member of a household can access adequate food. Conversely, food insecurity occurs when people lack adequate physical, social, or economic access to food.
• Food security involves two key elements:
  • The availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food.
  • The assured ability to acquire food in socially acceptable ways.
• Food security is not simply about having enough food production or availability; it fundamentally depends on effective access to food, which is closely tied to livelihood security and access. According to the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and the World Food Programme (2001), having access to livelihoods generally ensures access to food and nutrition.

Food Insecurity in Gujarat

• Before the implementation of schemes that provided food grains at subsidized prices, Gujarat experienced high levels of food insecurity, particularly in rural areas. Reports from the International Food Policy Research Institute indicated that Gujarat had food insecurity levels ranging from 0.621 to 0.776, categorizing it as a highly food-insecure state.
• Efforts to improve nutrition levels, particularly among women and children, have been a priority in Gujarat. Despite economic development and progress in health and mortality indicators, food insecurity levels still ranged from 0.218 to 0.89 across the country, with Gujarat showing particularly poor records. In response, the state government consulted with grassroots organizations, experts, and officials to address the issue of food insecurity.

Gujarat's Efforts Towards Food Security

• Despite providing free medical aid to the poor, Gujarat struggled with food security, with an under-nutrition rate of 47%, even amidst economic growth. Recognizing this, Gujarat prioritized reducing under-nutrition, especially among adolescents, women, and children, through initiatives like the Gujarat Nutrition Mission. 
• The Swarnim Gujarat Goals focused on ensuring that every pregnant woman, nursing mother, and child under two years old received the necessary nutrition for optimal health and development.

National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA)

• The National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013 was enacted to provide food and nutritional security by ensuring access to adequate quantities of quality food at affordable prices. The Act aims to cover up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population, providing subsidized food grains to about two-thirds of the population under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). Eligible individuals receive 5 kg of food grains per person per month at subsidized rates of Rs. 3, 2, and 1 per kg for rice, wheat, and coarse grains, respectively. Households under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), representing the poorest of the poor, continue to receive 35 kg of food grains per household per month.
• The Act also emphasizes nutritional support for women and children, providing meals to pregnant and lactating women and a maternity benefit of at least Rs. 6,000. Children up to 14 years old are entitled to nutritious meals according to prescribed standards. In cases of non-supply of food grains or meals, beneficiaries receive a food security allowance. The Act also includes provisions for grievance redressal mechanisms at district and state levels, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Implementation of Food Security in Gujarat

• Gujarat implemented the much-needed Food Security Act in 2016, three years after the Act was passed at the national level. 
• The state government launched the 'Maa Annapurna Yojna,' which covers 3.82 crore people in Gujarat, providing good quality wheat and rice at Rs. 2 and Rs. 3 per kg, respectively. 
• The program covers nearly 75% of the state's population, ensuring that 3.82 crore people benefit from subsidized food.

Criteria for Inclusion and Expansion

• Under the Maa Annapurna Yojna, families can verify their eligibility criteria through zonal offices and apply for the required seal from the mamlatdar/taluka development officer in villages or the chief officer in towns on their ration card. Lists of priority families are available at fair price shops, village and taluka panchayat offices, and on the government website.
• The government is open to adding more families if they are found deserving, and there is also a provision for providing subsidized food grain in all scarcity-hit areas of the state, covering hazard-prone regions. Many poor citizens, including widows and farmers who lost their crops, are now covered under the scheme, alleviating their concerns about feeding their families.

Conclusion

• The Food Security Act, considered a 'game changer' by the UPA-II Government, requires state governments to establish their own criteria for identifying beneficiaries. The Act, which made food a legal right, received Presidential assent in September 2013 and provided a one-year window for states to implement it.
• Feeding over 1.25 billion people remains India's biggest challenge. Despite economic growth and self-sufficiency in food grain production, high levels of poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition persist. The National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013 is a milestone in India's fight against hunger and malnutrition, aiming to feed more than 800 million Indians with highly subsidized food grains. The NFSA has a wide-ranging impact on the Indian economy, influencing labor requirements, GDP growth, and other sectors.