[author] => Sunita Sharma [googlescholar] => https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=KeqZGcIAAAAJ&imq=EPRA+International+Journal+of+Economic+and+Business+Review&btnA=1&citation_for_view=KeqZGcIAAAAJ:MLfJN-KU85MC [doi] => [year] => 2017 [month] => April [volume] => 5 [issue] => 4 [file] => eprapub/EW201704-01-001805.pdf [abstract] =>
Food is the necessary condition for human life and without food we cannot live in this planet. Food security is very important of human being. “Food security exists when all people at all times have physical and economic access to enough safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and the food preferences for an active and healthy life” (World food summit 1996). It should not just be evaluated in terms of how much a population has to eat or the quantity of a nation’s food stocks but in terms of the quality of life of a people[1]. So access to nutritionally sufficient and safe food is a right of each person. It is a major and fundamental issue in the world and access to food is a rightful measure for the people to lead a healthy and productive life. Food security depends on many factors. There are mainly four dimensions which determinate the food security situation in a country viz. food availability, affordability, utilization and stability. To provide food security firstly food should be available and the food availability depends on domestic production, net import and stock. But availability is not sufficient for food security if people have not purchasing power to buy it. So it is necessary that food should be affordable for their people. For proper utilization of food it should be nutritious and healthy and there also needs of stabilization in food consumption for all time to maintain food security level. Food Security is differing from right to food. The special Rapporteur on the right to food defines the food security as a corollary of the right to food. The concept of right to food is much wider than the notion of food security. The right to food creates a human right obligation on the Nation State and cannot be restricted to matter of policy or an inspirational goal[2]. The Right to food includes the concept of accountability, dignity and transparency. It makes the individual an agent of change and makes the Government accountable to redress the violation[3]. The paper presents the food security situation in the terms of quantitative and qualitative aspects and constitutional authorization of Right to food in India. It also expounds the National Food Security Act 2013 and its appreciation in India.
KEY WORDS: Food Security, Right to Food, Dimensions, NFSA.
[1] Khanna Ram and Saxena Madhu, 2003, “Food Standard And Safety In A Globalized World”, New Centaury Publication, Delhi India, Pp- 33.
[2] United Nations, (2003), “Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food” (E/CN.4/2003/54)Geneva General Assembly.
[3] Rae, I., Thomas J.& Vidhar M.(2007) The Right to Food as Fundamental Human Right in Guha, Khasnobis, S. Acharya & B Davis (eds.) Food insecurity, Vulnerability and Human Rights Failure (p. 270). New York. Palgrave Macmillian.