Self-sufficiency in food. In the true sense of freedom from hunger, has not been achieved in India in spite of a more than three-fold rise in food grains production over 1950-1990. Which of the following are the reasons for it ? I. > The green revolution

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Q: 55 (IAS/1994)
‘Self-sufficiency’ in food. In the true sense of freedom from hunger, has not been achieved in India in spite of a more than three-fold rise in food grains production over 1950-1990.
Which of the following are the reasons for it ?
I. The green revolution has been restricted to small pockets of the country.
II. The cost of food is too high compared to the earnings of the poor.
III. Too much emphasis is laid on wheat and paddy compared to the coarse grains.
IV. The gain s of the green revolution have largely accrued to the cash crop rather than food crops.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below. Codes :

question_subject: 

Economics

question_exam: 

IAS

stats: 

0,144,109,144,21,66,22

keywords: 

{'food crops': [1, 1, 0, 1], 'food grains production': [0, 0, 1, 0], 'cash crop': [1, 0, 0, 1], 'green revolution': [11, 0, 0, 2], 'wheat': [4, 1, 2, 2], 'hunger': [0, 1, 0, 2], 'food': [18, 3, 8, 24], 'coarse grains': [1, 1, 0, 0], 'india': [8, 1, 7, 13], 'sufficiency': [1, 1, 0, 0], 'paddy': [3, 1, 1, 2], 'gain': [0, 1, 2, 1]}

The correct answer is option 1. This means that statements I, II, and III are considered reasons for why self-sufficiency in food has not been achieved in India even after increased food grain production.

Statement I suggests that the green revolution, which led to significant increases in agricultural production, was not widespread enough throughout the country. This could contribute to continued hunger in areas that were not impacted by the revolution.

Statement II indicates that although the production of food has risen, the affordability of food remains a barrier to hunger alleviation. If the cost of food is too high, the poor will not be able to afford it regardless of its availability.

Statement III argues that an over-emphasis on wheat and paddy production, as opposed to coarse grains, might be a problem. If true, this could lead to a lack of dietary diversity, potentially contributing to malnutrition even if overall hunger is reduced.

Statement IV is not included in the correct answer, implying that it is not considered a significant factor. The statement suggests that cash crops benefited more from the green revolution than food crops - if this were true, it could hinder the objective of self-sufficiency in food.