Author(s): Ekta Sawai and Dr. Nishant Shende

Abstract: One of the prime concerns of India’s policies has been the food and nutritional security to its population. The three important components of food security are: availability, access and absorption of food. These three are interrelated. The major aim of these study is to examine the performance of the food security in India in respect of these three components. In respect of availability, the average annual growth rate in Area under cultivation, Production and Yields of food grain have been computed for two political regimes. Namely, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) from May 2004 – May 2014 and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from May 2014 – 2022 year. The food-grain production of 315.72 million tones was reported with an area of 130.53 million hectare in year 2021-22. Per capita net availability of food grains shows the positive trend with growth rate of 1.09 percent. Despite the adverse climatic condition prevalent during the major part of the NDA regime, Agricultural GDP grew at a healthy 3.46 percent in NDA regime compared to -3.65 percent recorded in the entire UPA regime. However, in the overall period Agriculture GDP was the 0.13 percent. The decline in the growth rate of undernourishment seen higher (-3.42 percent) in UPA regime while in NDA regime it was only -0.58 percent. BPL percent was decreasing in both the regime which shows the healthy economic growth of country. There was also a significant decline in the food deficit percent in UPA regime (-3.93 per cent) than the NDA regime (--1.11 percent). Food security is a fundamental inherent of the country that progresses food grain production, overcome malnutrition, improve agriculture GDP, overcome poverty line and hunger index score. The progress of food grain production because of farmers encouragement and supplying schemes to farmers. Further India’s performance in food security on nutritional outcome has not been very satisfactory, it ranked 107th among 121 countries. The Global Food Security Index 2022 placed India in moderate category. It ranked India 68th among the 113 nation and cited affordability rather than availability as a key food security threat for Indians. It also points to its poor ability to move food efficiently because of infrastructure problem. We lived in a paradoxical time, and it is not the shortage of food but the lack of a proper food distribution network that is to blame.

Pages: 1207-1213 | Views: 110 | Downloads: 3

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