| Pub. Date | : Mar' 2019 |
|---|---|
| Product Name | : The IUP Journal of Business Strategy |
| Product Type | : Article |
| Product Code | : IJBS21903 |
| Author Name | : Anuradha and Tilak Raj |
| Availability | : YES |
| Subject/Domain | : Management |
| Download Format | : PDF Format |
| No. of Pages | : 10 |
The paper is an attempt to study the role of food subsidies in enhancing food security in India. The Government of India spends a large portion of its subsidies on food to eradicate hunger and malnutrition from the country. The focus of the present study is to analyze the trends in volume of food subsidies in the post-reforms period and examine the contribution of these subsidies to nutrition intake of the bottom poor population in India. This study is based on secondary data collected from various sources such as India Stat, Economic Survey and National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO). The results of the study indicate that the food subsidies provided by the Indian government have increased over time. The increased food subsidies have the highest contribution to the intake of nutrition among poor both in the rural and urban areas. There is an upward trend in per capita per day intake of calories and protein in both areas. However, it also reveals that per capita per day calorie intake was much lower than the nutritional norms in both areas. Finally, the study concludes that food subsidies are the major source of nutritional intake for the poor and it has a significant impact on enhancing food security.
Food security is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as “a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food for an active and healthy life” (FAO, 2018). This definition considered an adequate supply of nutrition as a key determinant of food security. Food subsidy is one of the most common welfare schemes to improve nutrition among the poor.