THE SAGA OF FOOD SECURITY IN WEST BENGAL

Ranjan Basu

doi:10.29121/granthaalayah.v8.i1.2020.267

Abstract

Undivided Bengal in India was struck by series of famines during the pre-colonial and colonial periods. In post partition era though there is no record of famine, starvation and malnutrition are not unknown in West Bengal among the people lying below the poverty line. Lacunae in the public distribution system might be one major hurdle. Implementation of several welfare programs and National Food Security Act, 2013 seems to be conducive to control the menace of starvation. But the concept of food security has been deduced to food grain security only without any provision of protein, minerals and vitamins, the essential ingredients of nutrition. Nutrition of mothers, children and senior citizens along with male bias of nutrition—all are in question now. Throughout India while farmers are living in debt from hand to mouth, agriculture is no more a lucrative occupation. Several measures have been introduced to combat such a disastrous situation viz. efficient storage and marketing system, loan waiver, bank transfer of grant-in-aid, minimum support price and efficient public distribution system, apart from targeted nutrition schemes. But no one can be considered as effective action so far to break the ice.

Highlights

The hapless people of Eastern India suffered from the jolt of famine at regular interval either in late medieval or in the colonial period
Formation of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for making buffer stock of major crops was coupled with an organized structural measure of preparing a country wide network of Public Distribution System (PDS)
This academic endeavor has several objectives to fulfill: i) to understand gravity of the problem of food insecurity which still persists in West Bengal and to estimate her success in recovery since the last famine of Bengal in 1946; ii) to assess the role of Public Distribution System (PDS) under the National Food Security Act, 2013 in achieving distributive justice of food grains and iii) to analyze the nature of spatial variation in reducing the menace of hunger and malnutrition

Summary

Introduction

The hapless people of Eastern India suffered from the jolt of famine at regular interval either in late medieval or in the colonial period. The last famine of 1946 was experienced by undivided Bengal just prior to partition of India as an aftermath of World War II. Indian Panorama Taking lessons from the historical events of crop damage in the years of drought and other natural calamities or war time deficit of food grains along with sagacity of distributive injustice, emphasis was given on enhancing agricultural output in the first five year plan in the early fifties of the last century in the tune of P.C. Mahalanabish model of economic development. Formation of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for making buffer stock of major crops was coupled with an organized structural measure of preparing a country wide network of Public Distribution System (PDS)

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