CG Board Class 10 Social Science Chapter 20 Solutions: Food Security (खाद्य सुरक्षा) (2026-27)

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CG Board (CGBSE / SCERT Chhattisgarh) Class 10 Social Science Solutions | 2026-27 Edition

📚 Chapter Overview:

  • Board: Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education (CGBSE) / CG SCERT Raipur
  • Subject & Section: Class 10 Social Science – Economics (अर्थशास्त्र) (2026-27 Edition)
  • Chapter 20: Food Security (खाद्य सुरक्षा)
  • Medium: Bilingual Solutions (English Medium + हिंदी माध्यम)
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Q1

Have you ever starved or been without food…


📝 Question:

Have you ever starved or been without food for a day or two? How did you feel when you were hungry? How can anyone stay alive without food for a long period of time? Think of the reasons why any individual or family has to remain hungry. Discuss these issues with your teacher

💡 Solution:

Food is essential for human survival alongside air and water. When a person goes without food, they experience extreme weakness, dizziness, stomach pain, inability to concentrate, and loss of bodily energy. A person cannot survive for a long period without food because the body requires energy derived from food to carry out vital physiological functions. Families remain hungry primarily due to poverty, lack of purchasing power, unemployment, loss of daily wage work, or natural disasters like droughts and crop failures.

Question 1

Has the area in which you live experienced…


📝 Question:

Has the area in which you live experienced drought or famine in any year? Talk to your elders and prepare a report about how they faced such a situation?

💡 Solution:

During drought conditions, agricultural production stops, leading to severe shortages of food-grains and drinking water. Elders recount that during such times, people survived by consuming wild roots, boiled diluted grain broths, and relying on government drought relief work or subsidized food distribution.

Question 2

What differences can you see between hunger resulting…


📝 Question:

What differences can you see between hunger resulting from famine and long-term hunger? Explain these differences

💡 Solution:

Famine Hunger*: Caused by sudden natural calamities (like drought) or crop failure; results in acute, widespread starvation, rapid rise in food prices, and sudden deaths over a short period.

  • Long-term (Invisible) Hunger: Caused by chronic poverty and low purchasing power; people eat daily but do not get adequate quantity or nutritious food, leading to severe internal weakness and long-term malnutrition.

Question 3

Explain the vicious chain of events that led…


📝 Question:

Explain the vicious chain of events that led to the alarming rise in food-grain prices during the Bengal famine

💡 Solution:

During the Bengal famine of 1943, crop failure led to an initial shortage of food-grains. Traders and hoarders began speculating and black-marketing grain, causing prices to soar beyond the reach of agricultural labourers and poor villagers. As prices rose uncontrollably, poor people lost access to food, leading to widespread starvation and millions of deaths.

Q5

Calculate the daily per capita food availability in…


📝 Question:

Calculate the daily per capita food availability in 2010 on the basis of the figures contained in Table 20.1

💡 Solution:

Total available food-grain in 2010 = 188.6 million tonnes = 188.6 × 1012 grams.

  • Population in 2010 = 1185.8 million = 1185.8 × 106 people.
  • Annual per capita availability = (188.6 × 1012 grams)/(1185.8 × 106 people) ≈ 159,048.74 grams/year.
  • Daily per capita availability = (159,048.74)/(365) ≈ 435.75 grams/day (or approx 436 gm/day).

Question 2

What is your opinion of coarse grains


📝 Question:

What is your opinion of coarse grains?

💡 Solution:

Coarse grains (jowar, bajra, ragi, maize, kodo) are often mistakenly viewed as food for the poor, but in reality, they are highly nutritious and rich in minerals and fiber. They form a vital, healthy component of the diet of people living in arid regions.

Question 3

Why is it necessary for a country to…


📝 Question:

Why is it necessary for a country to know the per capita food availability?

💡 Solution:

It is necessary to know per capita food availability to determine whether the total food production is sufficient to feed the entire population, to assess self-sufficiency, and to plan food distribution and imports accordingly.

Question 1

Why is a public distribution system essential to…


📝 Question:

Why is a public distribution system essential to ensure food security?

💡 Solution:

PDS is essential because many poor households lack sufficient purchasing power to buy food-grains from the open market. PDS supplies essential items like rice, wheat, sugar, and salt at subsidized rates through fair price shops, protecting vulnerable sections from starvation and price inflation.

Question 2

Make a table similar to Table 203 listing…


📝 Question:

Make a table similar to Table 20.3 listing the food commodities bought by your family in a month from the fair price shop and the open market. Analyse your list

💡 Solution:

Families purchase subsidized grains (rice, wheat, sugar, salt) from the fair price shop (quota) and fulfill additional monthly requirements (pulses, edible oil, vegetables) from the open market.

Question 3

How are the fair price shops managed in…


📝 Question:

How are the fair price shops managed in your area? What are the commodities sold through the PDS? Prepare a report

💡 Solution:

Fair price shops are managed by cooperative societies, gram panchayats, or authorized local dealers under government supervision. Commodities distributed include rice, wheat, sugar, gram, salt, and kerosene at subsidized prices against ration cards.

Question 1

Two threeyearold girls Santhoshi and Rambai weigh 105kg…


📝 Question:

Two three-year-old girls, Santhoshi and Rambai, weigh 10.5kg and 13kg respectively. What is their nutrition status as per Graph 20.1?

💡 Solution:

Based on WHO growth standards for a 3-year-old girl

  • Santhoshi (10.5 kg): Weight is below normal for her age, placing her in the ‘malnourished (underweight)’ category.
  • Rambai (13 kg): Weight falls within the normal range for her age, indicating ‘normal healthy’ status.

Question 2

Six months later Santhoshi still weighs 105kg while…


📝 Question:

Six months later, Santhoshi still weighs 10.5kg while Rambai weighs 14kg. Compare their nutritional status by plotting their physical growth on the graph

💡 Solution:

Santhoshi (10.5 kg at 3.5 years)*: Her weight remained stagnant over 6 months, pushing her deeper into severe malnutrition, requiring urgent nutritional intervention.

  • Rambai (14 kg at 3.5 years): Gained 1 kg over 6 months, maintaining her healthy normal growth trajectory.

Question 3

Explain the role of anganwadis in providing food…


📝 Question:

Explain the role of anganwadis in providing food for small children and pregnant women

💡 Solution:

Anganwadis under ICDS provide supplementary nutritious food, conduct regular health check-ups and vaccinations for pregnant/lactating mothers and children aged 6 months to 6 years, monitor growth via weight graphs, and offer pre-school education.

Question 4

Is the MDM scheme necessary to ensure food…


📝 Question:

Is the MDM scheme necessary to ensure food security? Explain with reasons

💡 Solution:

Yes, MDM is necessary because many poor children arrive at school hungry, hindering their physical energy and learning ability. Providing a free nutritious hot meal in government schools improves child nutrition, boosts school enrollment and attendance, and guarantees daily food access.

Question 1

Who are the people who depend totally on…


📝 Question:

Who are the people who depend totally on the market for their food requirements?

💡 Solution:

Urban residents, landless agricultural labourers, industrial workers, traders, and salaried employees depend entirely on the open market for their food supplies.

Question 2

What do you think is the possible reason…


📝 Question:

What do you think is the possible reason for people having so little money to spend on their food requirements? How does this affect their health?

💡 Solution:

Low wages, irregular employment, lack of land ownership, and low purchasing power leave working-class families with inadequate money for food. Consequently, their daily calorie intake falls far below the required levels (2100 kcal urban / 2400 kcal rural), leading to chronic malnutrition, general debility, and diseases.

Question 3

Calculate your BMI and use the WHO chart…


📝 Question:

Calculate your BMI and use the WHO chart to find out your physical development and nutritional status

💡 Solution:

Formula: BMI = (Weight in kg)/((Height in metres)2).

  • Example: For a 15-year-old girl weighing 26 kg with height 1.34 m: BMI = (26)/(1.34 × 1.34) = 14.52, which falls under ‘malnourished (underweight)’ on the WHO chart.

Question 4

Discuss your nutritional status and diet with your…


📝 Question:

Discuss your nutritional status and diet with your teacher and guardian

💡 Solution:

Students should compare their calculated BMI with WHO benchmarks and consult teachers/guardians to include balanced proportions of cereals, pulses, green vegetables, milk, and seasonal fruits in their daily diet.

Q19

Choose the correct option in the following 1…


📝 Question:

Choose the correct option in the following: 1. The Chhattisgarh Food Security Act was passed in: a) 2011 b) 2012 c) 2013 * d) 2014

💡 Solution:

b) 2012**

d) 6 years** (Text explicitly states: “monitoring children aged 6 months to 6 years… 90% of mental development occurs during this phase”).

d) Body mass index**

d) Minimum support price**

  1. People living in urban and rural areas require 2100 and 2400 calories per day respectively.
  2. Coarse grain is the staple diet of people living in arid regions.
  3. The ICDS monitors the nutritional status of children aged 6 months to 6 years.
  4. Eligible households receive their monthly ration of food-grain at subsidised prices.
  5. New-born children should be fed mother’s milk till the age of six months.
  6. The mid-day meal scheme is run in primary and upper primary (government) schools.
  7. The low purchasing power / poor (working) class is most vulnerable to malnutrition.
Q20

Give your comments on the following 1 Minimum…


📝 Question:

Give your comments on the following: * 1. Minimum Support Price

💡 Solution:

Minimum Support Price (MSP) is the pre-announced price at which the government (through FCI) buys wheat and rice directly from farmers. It protects farmers from market price crashes and encourages increased agricultural production.

Buffer stock is the reserve stock of food-grains purchased by FCI and maintained in government warehouses. It ensures a continuous supply to fair price shops and meets emergency shortages during natural disasters or droughts.

Fair price shops (ration shops) are retail outlets set up under PDS across villages and towns. They distribute essential commodities (rice, wheat, sugar, salt) at subsidized rates to eligible ration card holders.

It is calculated by dividing total national food-grain availability by the population and then dividing by 365 days. It indicates whether national food supply is sufficient to meet individual daily consumption needs.

Question

What are the objectives of food security


📝 Question:

What are the objectives of food security?

💡 Solution:

The primary objectives of food security are

  1. Ensuring physical availability of adequate food-grains across the country.
  2. Guaranteeing economic access and affordability so all citizens have purchasing power.
  3. Ensuring proper nutritional absorption for living a healthy and dignified life.

Question 5

Which people are most affected by food insecurity


📝 Question:

Which people are most affected by food insecurity?

💡 Solution:

Landless agricultural labourers, daily wage casual workers, urban slum dwellers, traditional artisans, destitute individuals, pregnant/lactating women, and young children in low-income families are most affected by food insecurity.

Question 6

How are daily wage workers affected by happenings…


📝 Question:

How are daily wage workers affected by happenings like curfew, market shutdowns, strikes, etc? Share your thoughts

💡 Solution:

Daily wage workers rely on daily employment to earn money for buying food. Events like curfews or market shutdowns stop their work instantly, completely wiping out their daily income and leaving them unable to purchase food, making them immediately vulnerable to hunger.

Question 7

What was the reason for the sudden spurt…


📝 Question:

What was the reason for the sudden spurt in the production of food-grain in the country?

💡 Solution:

The sudden spurt in food-grain production from the 1970s onwards was driven by planned development, high-yielding crop varieties (HYV), expansion of irrigation infrastructure, increased chemical fertilizer usage, and government Minimum Support Price (MSP) incentives.

Question 8

How does food supply affect longterm natural calamities…


📝 Question:

How does food supply affect long-term natural calamities like drought or famine?

💡 Solution:

Prolonged calamities like drought destroy standing crops, stopping local food production. If the government fails to deploy buffer stocks and public distribution networks, grain availability collapses, prices rise sharply, and severe starvation ensues.

Question 9

What steps has the government taken to widen…


📝 Question:

What steps has the government taken to widen the food security net? Describe any three schemes

💡 Solution:

Three key schemes include

  1. Public Distribution System (PDS): Provides monthly subsidized food-grains to eligible households via fair price shops.
  2. Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS): Operates Anganwadis for health check-ups, nutrition, and vaccinations for mothers and children aged 6 months to 6 years.
  3. Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme: Serves cooked nutritious lunches to children in government schools to combat hunger and boost education.

Question 10

How does the FCI support the public distribution…


📝 Question:

How does the FCI support the public distribution system?

💡 Solution:

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) procures food-grains at MSP from surplus farming regions, stores them safely in large godowns, and maintains regular supply lines to state fair price shops for smooth PDS distribution.

Question 11

Why does the government hold a buffer stock


📝 Question:

Why does the government hold a buffer stock?

💡 Solution:

The government holds a buffer stock to ensure continuous grain supply to fair price shops and to stabilize prices and prevent famine during crop failures, natural disasters, or unexpected national scarcities.

Question 12

How does longterm hunger affect health


📝 Question:

How does long-term hunger affect health?

💡 Solution:

Long-term hunger causes chronic malnutrition, retards physical and mental development, severely weakens immune function, and leaves individuals vulnerable to frequent infections, low productivity, and premature death.

Question 13

Who were the people most affected by the…


📝 Question:

Who were the people most affected by the Bengal famine of 1943?

💡 Solution:

Landless agricultural labourers, fishermen, transport workers, casual wage earners, and rural artisans were most severely affected due to loss of employment and sky-rocketing grain prices.

Question 14

Do you think invisible hunger is an obstacle…


📝 Question:

Do you think invisible hunger is an obstacle in the nation’s development?

💡 Solution:

Yes, invisible hunger (long-term malnutrition) weakens physical capacity, impairs learning abilities, reduces worker productivity, and creates generational health deficits, acting as a massive obstacle to national economic development.

Question 15

What are main dimensions of food security Discuss…


📝 Question:

What are main dimensions of food security? Discuss in detail

💡 Solution:

The three core dimensions of food security are

  1. Availability: Sufficient overall production and stock of food-grains in the country.
  2. Access: Efficient state supply systems (PDS, MDM, ICDS) enabling food to reach every region.
  3. Affordability: Adequate purchasing power ensuring individuals can buy nutritious food at reasonable prices.

Question 16

What is a balanced diet Why does our…


📝 Question:

What is a balanced diet? Why does our body need it?

💡 Solution:

A balanced diet contains required proportions of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and roughage. The body needs it to maintain growth, repair tissues, build immunity against diseases, and provide daily energy.

Question 17

Look at Table 15 in the chapter Understanding…


📝 Question:

Look at Table 1.5 in the chapter ‘Understanding development’ and explain why children aged under 5 years are underweight and short for their age, keeping in mind their nutrition status

💡 Solution:

Children under 5 years are underweight and stunted because their mothers suffer from severe malnutrition during pregnancy, leading to low birth weight. Inadequate post-birth supplementary nutrition perpetuates this vicious cycle of growth stunting.

Q35

Find out the nutritional status of the young…


📝 Question:

Find out the nutritional status of the young and old in your family or your neighbouring family

💡 Solution:

Students should measure weight and height of family/neighbourhood members, compute their BMI (weight/height²), compare against adult WHO benchmarks (underweight < 18.5, normal 18.5-24.9, overweight > 25), and record nutritional observations.

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