POPULATION

1. What is census? Why do we need it?

 A census is an official enumeration of population done periodically. In India
the first census was held in the year 1872.
 The first complete census however was taken in the year 1881. Since then
the census have been held regularly every tenth year.
 A census gives useful and important statistical information about a
population. Census to useful to formulate the future policies of the
country.

2. What are the factors responsible for the uneven population

distribution of India?
 Moderate temperate zones are highly populated areas.
 Industrial developed regions are also densely populated as compared to
other areas because more employment opportunities attract the people to
migrate the industrial regions.
 Physiographic is an important factor for the uneven distribution of
population. Mountains, plateau and desert are sparsely populated where
as plains are highly populated.

3. What is birth rate and death rate?

 Birth rate is a number of live births for every 1000 persons in a year. The
high birthrate is responsible for increase in population.
 Death rate is a number of deaths per thousand persons in a year. The
death rate can be controlled by providing good medical facilities.

4. ‘Migration is an important determinant of population change’.

Explain.
 Migration is an important determinant of population change. It
changes not only the population size but also the population
composition of urban and rural population in the terms of age and
sex composition.
 In India the rural-urban migration has resulted in a steadily increase
in the percentage of population in cities and towns.

5. Why is dependency ratio higher in India?

 Lack of better medical facilities. Unhealthy unemployed youth cannot
afford to take treatment from private hospitals.
 Population is very high so the government is unable to help the every
citizen of the country.
 Females in spite of being educated and efficient are not allowed to work
because of social foundations.
 Unemployment is a major problem of India. Educated unemployed youth is
also become a part of dependent population.

6. What is meant by population growth and how do you calculate it?

 Growth of population refers to the change in the number of inhabitants of

a country/territory during a specific period or time as an instance, during
the last 10 years. Such a change can be expressed in two ways: in terms
of absolute numbers and in terms of percentage change per year.
 It is obtained by simply subtracting the earlier population from the later
population. It is referred to as absolute increase.
7. What are the push and pull factors of internal migration in India?

In India, most migrations have been from rural to urban areas because of the
‘push’ factor in rural areas. These are adverse conditions of poverty and
unemployment in the rural areas and the ‘pull’ of the city in terms of increased
employment opportunities and better living conditions.

8. Write a short note on adolescent population.

 The most significant feature of the Indian population is the size of its
adolescent population. It constitutes one-fifth of the total population of
India.
 Adolescents are generally, grouped in the age-group of 10 to 19 years.
 They are the most important resource for the future.
 Nutrition requirements of adolescents are higher than those of a normal
child or adult. Poor nutrition can lead to deficiency and stunted growth.
 But in India, the diet available to adolescents is inadequate in all nutrients.
A large number of adolescent girls suffer from anaemia.
 Their problems have so far not received adequate attention in the process
of development.
 The adolescent girls have to be sensitized to the problems they confront.
 Their awareness can be improved through the spread of literacy and
education among them.

9. What are the reasons for the steep rise in the population of India
since 1921?
After 1921, India’s population has been constantly increasing due to the
following reasons:
 Early marriage of men and women.
 Lack of literacy, particularly among females.
 High birth rate and low death rate.
 Lack of proper family planning techniques.

10. What are the three main processes of change of population?

The three main processes of change of population are – birth rates, death rates
and migration.
(i) Birth rate: It is the number of live births per thousand persons in a year. If is a
major component of growth because in India, birth rates have always been
higher than the death rates.
(ii) Death rate: It is the number of deaths per thousand persons in a year. The
main cause of the rate of growth of the Indian population has been The rapid
decline in the death rate. (iii) Migration: Migration is the movement of people
across regions and territories. Migration can be internal (within the country) or
international (between countries).

FOOD SECURITY IN INDIA

1. What do you mean by food security?

 Food security is a vital concept. It means availability, accessibility and
affordability of food to all citizens of the country at all items.
 Government maintains food security through various agencies such as
PDS and vigilance and action at times, when this security is threatened.
 2. Write a short note Buffer Stock?
 It is stock of food grains namely wheat and rice procured by the
government through Food Corporation of India. The FCI purchases wheat
and rice form the farmers in states where there is surplus production
 The farmers are paid a pre-announced price for their crops. The buffer
stock helps to resolve the problem of shortage of food during adverse
weather conditions or during the period of calamity.

3. Explain the three dimensions of Food Security.

 Availability: Availability of food means production within the country, food
imports and previous year’s stock stored in the government granaries.
Affordability of Food:
 Affordability implies that an individual has enough money to buy sufficient,
safe and nutritious food to meet one’s dietary need.
 Accessibility of food: Accessibility means food is within reach of every
person.

4. What is the Public Distribution System? What are the objectives of

PDS?

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) procures food at pre-announced prices.

The government distributes food grains to the poorer strata of the society
through ration shops at subsidized prices fixed by the government. This is
called the Public Distribution System.
The objectives of the PDS are :

 To provide essential goods at subsidized prices to the consumers.

 To control prices of essential commoditiess.

5. Describe the role of FCI.

Ans. The role of Food Corporation of India is as follows: The food corporation of
India was set-up in 1965. It performs the following functions on behalf of the
government:

 The food procured by the FCI fixed by the government. These prices are
known as Procurement Prices or Minimum Support Prices. It maintains a price
stability of food grains.
 It distributes the food grains at subsidized prices among the ration card-
holders through government regulated ration shops (also known as Fair Price
Shops). The subsidised prices are known as issue prices. The subsidized
prices (issue prices) are also fixed by the government.

6. What is the importance of rationing?

The importance of rationing is :

 We need rationing to reduce the wastage and for the maximum utilization
of the articles. In India, the rationing concept was introduced in the 1940s
after the Bengal famine.
 The rationing system was revived in the wake of an acute food shortage
during the 1960s, prior to the Green Revolution. During the times of
emergency or natural calamities, rationing helps to overcome the crisis.
 7.What were the effects of Famine of Bengal in 1943?

 The most devastating famine that occurred in India was the Famine of
Bengal in 1943. This famine killed thirty lakh people in the province of
Bengal. Nothing like the Bengal Famine has ever happened in India
again.
 During the famine, the families left their villages. The agricultural
labourers, fishermen, transport workers and the other casual labourers
were affected the most by dramatically increasing price of rice. They were
the ones who died in this famine.

8. Explain any two important food intervention introduced after the

report given by the NSSO?

 The two important food intervention programmes which were introduced

after the report given by the NSSO are :
 Public Distribution System (PDS) for food grains (in existence earlier but
strengthened thereafter) is the major step taken by the Government of
India towards ensuring food security.
 Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) was introduced in 1975 on
an experimental basis.

9. What do you mean by hunger? What are the different dimensions of

hunger?

 Hunger is one of the aspects that indicate food insecurity. Hunger is not
just an expression of poverty, it brings about poverty. The attainment of
food security therefore involves eliminating current hunger and reducing
the risks of future hunger.
 There are two dimensions of hunger chronic hunger and seasonal hunger.
 Chronic hunger is a consequence of diets persistently inadequate in terms
of quantity and/or quality.
 Seasonal hunger is related to cycles of food growing and harvesting.

10. What are the consequences of the excessive reserves of foodgrains

in India?
The consequences of excessive reserves of foodgrains in India are as follows :

 There is wastage and deterioration in grain quality.

 Excess reserves have led to high carrying costs.
 It has led to the decline in the quantity of foodgrains available to the
consumers in the market.