Food Security in India – NFSA, PDS, Food Subsidies, Hunger and Malnutrition
Food security is a core component of India's socio-economic policy and a recurring theme in the UPSC Civil Services Examination. Despite being one of the world's largest producers of food grains, India continues to face challenges related to hunger, malnutrition, inequality in access, and inefficiencies in food distribution. The Indian state has historically intervened through institutional mechanisms such as the Public Distribution System (PDS), food subsidies, and nutrition-focused schemes to ensure that no citizen suffers from chronic hunger.
The enactment of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 marked a paradigm shift by transforming food security from a welfare measure into a legal entitlement. At the same time, persistent concerns remain regarding leakages in PDS, fiscal burden of food subsidies, nutritional outcomes, and India's performance on global hunger and malnutrition indicators. This article provides a comprehensive UPSC-focused analysis of food security in India, covering conceptual foundations, institutional mechanisms, policy evolution, challenges, reforms, and the way forward.
Food Security
Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
Dimensions of Food Security
Food security is a multidimensional concept. For analytical clarity, it is commonly explained through four interlinked dimensions. UPSC frequently asks conceptual and application-based questions from this framework.
🍚 Four Dimensions of Food Security
1. Availability
Availability refers to the physical presence of sufficient quantities of food within a country or region. It depends on domestic agricultural production, food imports, buffer stocks, and food aid. In India, availability is influenced by:
- Agricultural productivity and cropping patterns
- Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations
- Procurement by government agencies
- Buffer stock management by the Food Corporation of India (FCI)
2. Accessibility
Accessibility relates to people's ability to obtain food. Even when food is available, households may remain food insecure due to poverty, social exclusion, or weak distribution systems. In India, accessibility is addressed through:
- Public Distribution System (PDS)
- Targeted PDS under NFSA
- Special welfare schemes for vulnerable groups
3. Affordability
Affordability refers to the economic capacity of individuals to purchase food without compromising other basic needs. Food subsidies, price controls, and income support mechanisms play a crucial role in ensuring affordability for the poor.
4. Absorption (Utilisation)
Absorption refers to the body's ability to utilize nutrients effectively. It depends on:
- Dietary diversity and nutritional quality
- Access to clean drinking water
- Sanitation and hygiene
- Health care services
This dimension explains why food availability alone does not eliminate malnutrition.
Evolution of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in India
📜 Evolution of Public Distribution System
The Public Distribution System is the backbone of India's food security architecture. Its evolution reflects changing priorities from price stabilization to targeted welfare.
Phase I: Pre-Independence and Early Years
PDS originated during the Second World War to tackle food shortages and rising prices. After Independence, it was retained to stabilize food prices in urban areas.
Phase II: Expansion during the Green Revolution
During the 1960s and 1970s, PDS expanded alongside the Green Revolution. The focus was on:
- Procurement of wheat and rice
- Creation of buffer stocks
- Nationwide network of Fair Price Shops (FPS)
Phase III: Revamped PDS (1992)
The Revamped Public Distribution System aimed to improve coverage in backward, remote, and hilly areas by allocating additional food grains.
Phase IV: Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), 1997
Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS)
TPDS is a restructured version of PDS that targets food subsidies specifically to Below Poverty Line (BPL) households, while limiting benefits to others.
TPDS marked a shift from a universal to a targeted approach, categorizing households into different beneficiary groups.
Public Distribution System (PDS)
The Public Distribution System is a government-managed supply chain for the distribution of essential food commodities such as rice and wheat to the population at subsidized prices through a network of Fair Price Shops.
National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013
National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013
NFSA is a rights-based legislation that legally entitles eligible households to receive subsidized food grains from the government.
⚖️ National Food Security Act, 2013
From Welfare to Legal Entitlement
Coverage under NFSA
- Up to 75% of rural population
- Up to 50% of urban population
- Overall coverage: about two-thirds of India's population
Entitlements
- 5 kg of food grains per person per month
- Prices: ₹3/kg rice, ₹2/kg wheat, ₹1/kg coarse grains
Special Provisions
- Priority households and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)
- Nutritional support for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children
- Maternity benefit of at least ₹6,000
Grievance Redressal and Transparency
- State Food Commissions
- District grievance redressal officers
- Mandatory social audits
Types of Ration Cards
🪪 Types of Ration Cards in India
| Type | Target Group | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) | Poorest of the poor | Highest subsidy, fixed household entitlement |
| Priority Household (PHH) | Eligible poor households | Per capita entitlement under NFSA |
| Non-Priority | Excluded households | Limited or no subsidy |
One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC)
🇮🇳 One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC)
Nationwide Portability of Food Entitlements
ONORC aims to ensure nationwide portability of food security entitlements, especially for migrant workers.
Significance
- Addresses internal migration
- Enhances inclusion and choice
- Reduces dependence on local dealers
Enabling Factors
- Aadhaar seeding
- Digitization of ration cards
- Electronic Point of Sale (e-PoS) devices
Food Subsidy
Food subsidy is the difference between the economic cost of food grains incurred by the government and the price at which they are sold to beneficiaries under PDS and NFSA.
Food Subsidy Burden in India
💸 Food Subsidy Components
Food subsidy constitutes a major component of India's welfare expenditure.
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Procurement Cost | MSP payments to farmers |
| Storage and Transport | FCI operational costs |
| Distribution | Subsidy for PDS and welfare schemes |
While subsidies enhance food access, they raise concerns about fiscal sustainability and efficiency.
Challenges in PDS and NFSA Implementation
⚠️ Key Challenges in PDS
1. Leakages and Diversion
Food grains are often diverted to open markets due to weak monitoring.
2. Targeting Errors
- Inclusion errors: Non-poor receiving benefits
- Exclusion errors: Poor left out
3. Quality Issues
Beneficiaries frequently report poor quality of grains.
4. Fiscal Stress
Rising subsidy bills limit public investment in nutrition-sensitive sectors.
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in Food Security
DBT involves transferring subsidy amounts directly to beneficiaries' bank accounts.
Advantages
- Reduces leakages
- Enhances choice
- Improves transparency
Concerns
- Market price volatility
- Banking access in remote areas
- Gender and intra-household control
Hunger and Global Hunger Index
India's performance on hunger indicators remains a matter of concern.
Global Hunger Index (GHI)
- Measures undernourishment, child wasting, stunting, and mortality
- India ranks poorly compared to many developing countries
Methodological debates exist, but child nutrition indicators consistently highlight structural challenges.
Malnutrition
Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances in a person's intake of energy and nutrients, including undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.
Malnutrition in India
📊 Malnutrition Indicators in India
Key Indicators
- Stunting: Chronic undernutrition
- Wasting: Acute undernutrition
- Underweight
- Anaemia
Malnutrition is closely linked with sanitation, maternal health, and education.
Major Nutrition and Food Security Schemes
🏛️ Major Nutrition & Food Security Schemes
POSHAN Abhiyan
POSHAN Abhiyan aims to reduce stunting, wasting, and anaemia through a convergence-based approach.
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
ICDS provides supplementary nutrition, health services, and early childhood education.
Mid-Day Meal Scheme
Ensures nutritional support to school children and promotes school attendance.
PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)
PMGKAY provides free food grains to NFSA beneficiaries, especially during economic shocks.
Recent Reforms in Food Security
- End-to-end digitization of PDS
- Portability through ONORC
- Integration of nutrition outcomes
- Technology-based monitoring
Way Forward
🚀 Way Forward for Food Security
- Shift from calorie-centric to nutrition-centric approach
- Improve targeting using dynamic databases
- Strengthen decentralised procurement
- Enhance accountability through social audits
- Address sanitation and health for better absorption
UPSC Previous Year Questions
UPSC PYQ
Question: Food security in India is not just a question of availability but also of access and absorption. Discuss.
Approach: Explain four dimensions of food security and link them with Indian policy instruments.
UPSC PYQ
Question: Examine the role of NFSA in addressing hunger and malnutrition.
Approach: Evaluate entitlements, achievements, and gaps.
UPSC PYQ
Question: Discuss challenges associated with PDS reforms in India.
Approach: Focus on leakages, targeting, and fiscal issues.
UPSC PYQ
Question: How does ONORC strengthen food security for migrants?
Approach: Link migration, portability, and technology.
Practice MCQs
-
Which dimension of food security is most directly linked with sanitation?
- Availability
- Accessibility
- Affordability
- Absorption
Answer: Absorption – It depends on health, sanitation, and clean water.
-
NFSA primarily converts food security into:
- A market-based system
- A legal entitlement
- A voluntary scheme
- A cooperative framework
Answer: A legal entitlement.
-
TPDS differs from universal PDS because it:
- Eliminates subsidies
- Targets specific households
- Privatises food distribution
- Focuses only on urban areas
Answer: Targets specific households.
-
ONORC mainly benefits:
- Farmers
- Migrant workers
- Urban middle class
- Exporters
Answer: Migrant workers.
-
Food subsidy mainly bridges the gap between:
- MSP and market price
- Economic cost and issue price
- Retail and wholesale price
- Import and export price
Answer: Economic cost and issue price.
-
Which scheme focuses on convergence to reduce malnutrition?
- ICDS
- POSHAN Abhiyan
- PDS
- TPDS
Answer: POSHAN Abhiyan.
-
Global Hunger Index uses which indicator?
- Adult BMI
- Child stunting
- Life expectancy
- Literacy rate
Answer: Child stunting.
-
DBT in food security is criticized mainly due to:
- Higher fiscal cost
- Market price volatility
- Lower farmer income
- Increased storage losses
Answer: Market price volatility.