Food policy in India: A historical appraisal

The food policy is a consequential wedge in the sphere of Indian public policy as it plays a pivotal role in determining food security in the country. In this regard, the government of India has taken many steps from time to time by introducing various food policies. Initially the rationing system was introduced and was extended in the form of Public Distribution System especially for urban areas. During 1980s the Public Distribution System was linked with anti-poverty and employment programs and in order to increase the household level food security the Revamped Public Distribution and Targeted Public Distribution System schemes were introduced during 1990s. Later on Targeted Public Distribution System and Mid Day Meal Scheme were also introduced to tackle the menace of hunger and malnutrition. Recently National Food Security act, 2013 unified all the food programs under one umbrella and streamlined the benefits of all the programs according to the needs of the beneficiaries. Therefore, the objective of the present paper is to provide an overview of food policy in India and the steps taken by government to improve it in order to ensure the food security to all people in the country.