Tags: GS2 Social Justice Poverty & Hunger Food security mechanisms
Source: The Hindu
Context: India has transformed from a food-aid-dependent country in the 1960s into a major food producer with substantial buffer stocks and a legal food entitlement for around 800 million people under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.
●This transformation was supported by public investment in improved seeds, irrigation, procurement, price support, storage and the Public Distribution System (PDS).
●The emerging challenge is to protect these gains amid rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, extreme weather, water scarcity and climate-induced disruptions across the food value chain.
India’s Existing Strengths
●Strong production base: Foodgrain production exceeded 350 million tonnes in 2024-25, including record rice and wheat output.
●Robust food-distribution architecture: Digitisation of the PDS and One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) have improved access and portability of food entitlements.
●These production and administrative capabilities provide a strong foundation for shifting towards a climate-resilient food-security system.
How Climate Change Threatens Food Security
●Production: Heat stress can reduce crop yields, while erratic monsoons can cause floods and droughts within the same agricultural season.
●Water security: Groundwater depletion reduces the irrigation buffer available during rainfall failures.
●Storage and transport: Floods, heat and extreme weather can damage warehouses, roads and other food-supply infrastructure.
●Household nutrition: Disruptions across the value chain can increase market volatility and make nutritious food less affordable.
●Thus, climate change is shifting the policy challenge from merely producing enough food to ensuring affordable and nutritious food despite climate risks.
Need to Diversify Beyond the Rice-Wheat System
●The rice-wheat system played a crucial role in India's food-security transformation but procurement remains concentrated in a few crops and regions, several of which face severe groundwater stress.
●Procurement should gradually diversify across crops and geographical regions, with price support increasingly aligned with crops suited to local water availability and climatic conditions.
●Millets, pulses, oilseeds and other nutri-cereals can reduce dependence on a narrow crop portfolio while improving dietary diversity.
●Rice and wheat will remain important, but a broader procurement base can create a more climate-resilient national food portfolio.
Diversifying the PDS
●The PDS can progressively move towards a more diversified food basket, including locally appropriate millets and pulses.
●Such diversification can simultaneously advance food security, nutrition, water conservation and climate adaptation.
●Procurement and distribution policies should therefore consider not only calorie availability but also nutrition and ecological sustainability.
Integrating Climate Information into Food Policy
●India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts can be more directly integrated into decisions on procurement, buffer stocks and contingency planning.
●NFSA monitoring can include indicators such as heat stress, water availability, storage vulnerability and supply-chain resilience, alongside conventional indicators such as coverage and foodgrain offtake.
●Farmers need practical climate-risk management tools such as climate-resilient seeds, micro-irrigation, watershed development, precision farming, digital advisories and weather-indexed insurance.
●Public-private partnerships can accelerate research, certification and last-mile delivery while public safety nets protect small farmers and climate-vulnerable regions.
Climate-Proofing the Food Supply Chain
●Flood-resilient warehouses, heat-resistant storage, expanded cold chains and stronger transport networks are essential to protect both grains and perishables.
●This becomes even more important as the food basket diversifies into commodities requiring different storage and transportation conditions.
●Climate-adaptation incentives and standards should therefore cover the entire value chain—procurement, storage, logistics and market stabilisation, rather than focusing only on farm production.
Financing Climate-Resilient Food Systems
●Transitioning towards climate-resilient agriculture requires green bonds, adaptation finance, insurance and investment in resilient agricultural value chains.
●Integrating food systems into India's net-zero pathway can coordinate action across agriculture, water, energy, transport and nutrition.
●Measurable targets for emission reduction, carbon sequestration and climate resilience can also help unlock climate finance.
From Buffer Stocks to a “Climate Buffer”
●India's traditional buffer-stock system provides a useful model for managing climate-related food risks.
●A broader “climate buffer” could combine diversified crops and procurement regions with resilient infrastructure, climate information, insurance and improved water management.
●Just as grain reserves protect against poor harvests, such a diversified portfolio can reduce systemic risks arising from increasingly unpredictable climate conditions.
Sustainable Food Security: The Next Phase
●Climate-resilient food security is not a departure from India's existing approach but its logical next stage.
●India already possesses major institutions, production capacity, distribution networks and policy mechanisms required for this transition.
●The policy framework should gradually shift from “food security” to “sustainable food security”, integrating climate-risk management directly into NFSA planning and monitoring.
●Climate risk should be treated as a first-order design parameter, rather than an externality addressed only after disruptions occur.
Way Forward
●Diversify: Expand procurement and PDS coverage to suitable millets, pulses, oilseeds and other climate-resilient crops.
●Adapt: Scale climate-resilient seeds, efficient irrigation, watershed management, precision agriculture and climate advisories.
●Build resilience: Climate-proof storage, transport and cold-chain infrastructure.
●Strengthen institutions: Integrate climate forecasts and risk indicators into procurement, buffer-stock and NFSA decisions.
●Mobilise finance: Leverage insurance, green bonds, adaptation finance and private investment.
●The ultimate objective should be a food system that is nutritious, affordable, resource-efficient and resilient to climate shocks.
Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the mechanisms for India–China boundary management:
1.The Line of Actual Control (LAC) serves as the de facto boundary between India and China, although its alignment remains disputed in several sectors.
2.The 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles provides the framework for negotiations aimed at settling the India–China boundary question.
3.The Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination (WMCC) is exclusively a military mechanism for resolving localised LAC disputes.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 1 and 3 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: A
Explanation:
●Statement 1 is correct: The LAC is the de facto boundary, but its precise alignment is not mutually agreed upon in several sectors.
●Statement 2 is correct: The 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles guides the boundary negotiations.
●Statement 3 is incorrect: The WMCC is a diplomatic mechanism, not exclusively a military one. It facilitates consultation and coordination on India–China border affairs, alongside military mechanisms such as local commander-level meetings.
Q2. Consider the following statements regarding Western Disturbances (WDs):
1.Western Disturbances are extratropical weather systems that generally move eastwards from the Mediterranean–West Asian region towards South Asia.
2.Their influence is confined largely to winter precipitation over northwestern India and does not extend to the Himalayan region beyond India.
3.Besides winter rainfall in northwestern India, they contribute to snowfall in parts of the western Himalayas.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 and 3 only
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: A. 1 and 3 only
Explanation:
●Statement 1 is correct: WDs are extratropical weather systems originating around the Mediterranean–West Asian region and generally moving eastwards.
●Statement 2 is incorrect: Their influence is not confined to northwestern India. They can also affect the Himalayan region, including through interactions with other weather systems and terrain.
●Statement 3 is correct: WDs are significant for winter rainfall in northwestern India and snowfall in the western Himalayas. Their precipitation is also important for rabi crops such as wheat.
Q3. Consider the following statements regarding the challenges of securing India’s land borders:
1.The feasibility of conventional physical fencing may vary significantly depending on the geographical character of a border.
2.The undemarcated nature of portions of the India–China boundary creates a challenge distinct from merely preventing unauthorised cross-border movement.
3.Drone-based activities have emerged as a security concern particularly along India’s western border.
4.A technology-intensive border-management system necessarily requires a uniform architecture across all international borders to ensure interoperability.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
A. 1, 2 and 3 only
B. 1 and 4 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: A. 1, 2 and 3 only
Explanation:
●Statement 1 is correct: Physical fencing is not equally practical in deserts, mountains, forests, riverine areas or densely populated regions.
●Statement 2 is correct: Along the China border, the issue is not simply physical infiltration; parts of the boundary remain undemarcated, making conventional fencing impractical and creating a broader border-management challenge.
●Statement 3 is correct: Drone-based smuggling and reconnaissance are specifically identified as major concerns along the Pakistan border.
●Statement 4 is incorrect: The proposed architecture is based on a localised approach, with technology customised according to terrain and operational requirements. Uniformity is therefore not the objective.
Q4. Consider the following statements regarding the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD):
1.CERD is a treaty body established to monitor the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
2.The members of CERD are representatives nominated by the governments of States parties to the Convention and are accountable to those governments.
3.The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was adopted by the UN General Assembly before it entered into force.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 and 3 only
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: A. 1 and 3 only
Explanation:
●Statement 1 is correct: CERD is a UN treaty body that monitors implementation of the ICERD by States parties.
●Statement 2 is incorrect: CERD consists of independent experts, not government representatives. This distinction is important: treaty bodies are designed to provide independent scrutiny of States’ compliance with their treaty obligations.
●Statement 3 is correct: ICERD was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1965 and subsequently entered into force in 1969.
Q5. With reference to Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs), consider the following statements:
1.Under a DRG-based system, a hospital may receive a predetermined payment for an inpatient episode based on the patient's diagnosis and procedures.
2.Unlike fee-for-service, DRGs can create incentives to control the overall cost of a treatment episode.
3.DRGs completely eliminate the risk of under-treatment by healthcare providers.
Q5. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: A
Explanation:
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. DRGs provide a predetermined payment for an inpatient episode and can encourage hospitals to control costs. Statement 3 is incorrect because DRGs may create incentives for under-treatment or inappropriate patient classification, necessitating monitoring.
Q. “India’s healthcare challenge is not merely a shortage of investment, but the conflict between commercial incentives and the objective of affordable, equitable healthcare.” Discuss. Suggest measures to balance private participation with public interest.
(15 marks, 250 words)
Introduction
●Establish the central dilemma: private healthcare is essential for expanding capacity, but high out-of-pocket expenditure and information asymmetry can make profit incentives conflict with affordability.
●Use the expenditure contrast: private hospitalisation costs are substantially higher than public facilities.
Body
1. Why private participation is necessary
●High capital intensity of hospitals, specialised equipment and skilled manpower.
●Public sector capacity remains inadequate for secondary/tertiary care.
●Private/foreign capital can bring technology, managerial expertise and capacity expansion, especially in underserved regions.
●Investment in pharmaceuticals and medical devices can strengthen health-security and supply chains.
2. Concerns with excessive commercialisation
●Information asymmetry: patients cannot independently judge the necessity of tests/procedures.
●Fee-for-service and revenue targets may encourage over-treatment, unnecessary investigations and hospitalisation.
●Market concentration can increase pricing power.
●Premium investment may remain concentrated in metropolitan areas.
3. Measures to balance investment and affordability
●Price transparency: mandatory pre-treatment estimates, standardised billing and package rates.
●Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs): fixed reimbursement for treatment episodes to reduce incentives for unnecessary procedures.
●Competition regulation: scrutinise acquisitions that create excessive market concentration.
●Public obligations: hospitals receiving concessional land/tax benefits should provide affordable beds and participate in Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
●Strengthen public healthcare and primary healthcare to reduce dependence on costly private care.
●Clinical audits, evidence-based protocols and grievance-redress mechanisms.
Conclusion
●India needs a “regulated partnership” rather than a choice between public and private healthcare.
●Encourage greenfield investment, domestic manufacturing and underserved-area expansion while ensuring that healthcare remains patient-centred, affordable, transparent and equitable.