Why a section of people in India are still without food?

January 4, 2026 •

4 min read

Despite India's status as a major global food producer, a significant portion of its population continues to face persistent food insecurity, with the nation ranking 101st out of 116 countries on the Global Hunger Index in 2021. This stark paradox reveals that the challenge is not about food availability but rather complex issues of access, distribution, and vulnerability.

Quick Summary

This article examines the multifaceted issues—including economic disparity, systemic distribution failures, climate impacts, and social inequities—that explain why a segment of India's population remains without food, despite national progress.

Key Points

Economic Disparity: Widespread income inequality and stagnant real incomes for the poor make accessing food a daily struggle, despite overall economic growth.
Flawed PDS: The Public Distribution System, India's primary food safety net, is compromised by leakages, corruption, and exclusion errors that prevent food from reaching intended beneficiaries.
Climate Vulnerability: Erratic rainfall, floods, and heatwaves exacerbated by climate change severely impact agricultural productivity and destabilize food availability for millions.
Urban Hunger: Rapid urbanization has increased food insecurity for migrant and urban poor populations who often lack access to formal welfare and face higher food costs.
Malnutrition and Diet: Despite caloric sufficiency in some cases, a heavy reliance on staples like rice and wheat leads to widespread micronutrient deficiencies and poor dietary diversity.
Systemic Issues: Underlying issues include inadequate storage, poor market access for small farmers, and long-standing social inequities based on caste and gender.

The Paradox of Plenty

India's journey since the Green Revolution has been marked by significant agricultural advancements, leading to a surplus food grain production. Yet, this achievement has not eliminated mass hunger, with millions still struggling to secure adequate nutrition. The reasons behind this are layered, spanning economic, environmental, and systemic challenges that prevent food from reaching the most vulnerable populations.

Deep-Rooted Socio-Economic Factors

Persistent Poverty and Inequality

Economic growth has not translated into universal prosperity in India. Wide income disparities mean that while the middle and upper classes have increased their food consumption, often including resource-intensive animal products, the poor have seen their real incomes and food security decline. A significant percentage of impoverished families must allocate over 60% of their meager income to food, leaving them extremely vulnerable to price fluctuations.

Migration and Urban Vulnerability

Rapid urbanization has created a new landscape of food insecurity. Migrant and urban poor communities often lack the formal documentation needed to access government welfare, such as ration cards, leaving them outside the social safety net. In these monetized urban environments, a lack of consistent cash income and rising living costs amplify food insecurity, making it a distinctly different challenge from that in rural areas.

Systemic Failures in Food Distribution

The Inefficient Public Distribution System (PDS)

The Public Distribution System (PDS) is a crucial government program intended to provide subsidized food grains to the poor. However, it is plagued by inefficiencies and leakages. A significant portion of the food grains intended for the poor is diverted to the open market or wasted. Studies reveal persistent challenges:

Leakages and Diversion: Despite technological integrations like Aadhaar and e-PoS devices in many states, diversion of grains remains a major problem, often due to inadequate monitoring.
Inclusion/Exclusion Errors: Outdated beneficiary lists and complex verification processes lead to many genuine beneficiaries being excluded, while non-eligible individuals might be included.
Storage and Infrastructure: Inadequate storage facilities lead to significant post-harvest grain losses due to pests and spoilage, adding to the inefficiency.

The Agrarian and Nutritional Crisis

Despite being an agrarian economy, India faces an ongoing agricultural crisis. Smallholder farmers, who constitute a large part of the farming community, face numerous challenges, including lack of access to quality inputs, financing, and robust markets. This affects their own food security and the overall food supply chain. Furthermore, the PDS's heavy focus on staple grains like rice and wheat has led to poor dietary diversity, contributing to micronutrient deficiencies and malnutrition, even among those with sufficient caloric intake.

Environmental and Global Pressures

The Impact of Climate Change

Climate change poses a severe and growing threat to India's agricultural sector and food security. Erratic monsoon patterns, increasing frequency of extreme weather events like floods and heatwaves, and water scarcity directly impact crop yields. Rainfed agriculture, which accounts for a large portion of India's cultivated land, is particularly vulnerable. This instability in production directly affects the incomes of small farmers and the availability of food for the poor.

Global Market Forces

Global market fluctuations and trade policies can also impact domestic food security. For instance, policies that push developing countries towards export-oriented agriculture can divert land and resources away from producing food for domestic consumption. Soaring global food prices also disproportionately impact low-income families, who spend a larger percentage of their earnings on food.

A Comparison of Contributing Factors


Factor	Impact on Food Insecurity	Why it Persists in India
Economic Inequality	Low real incomes, high food expenditure, disproportionate impact of price rises on the poor.	Uneven distribution of wealth despite GDP growth; neoliberal policies that fail to sufficiently uplift the poor.
PDS Inefficiency	Leakages, exclusion errors, inadequate storage, limited food basket variety.	Corruption, outdated beneficiary data, logistical challenges, and insufficient monitoring.
Agricultural Challenges	Low yields for small farmers, vulnerability to climate, poor market access.	Fragmented landholdings, limited access to modern technology and finance for marginal farmers.
Climate Change	Reduced crop yields, increased frequency of droughts and floods, water scarcity.	High dependency on rainfed agriculture; poor coping mechanisms among small farmers.
Social Discrimination	Exclusion of marginalized communities from welfare programs, limited opportunities.	Deep-seated inequities related to caste, gender, and ethnicity continue to affect access and opportunity.

Addressing the Multidimensional Problem

Successfully addressing food insecurity requires a multifaceted approach that goes beyond simply increasing food production. It involves strengthening social safety nets, improving the efficiency of distribution systems, investing in climate-resilient agriculture, and tackling the root causes of poverty and inequality. Efforts must prioritize targeted interventions for the most vulnerable populations, such as women, children, and migrant workers, while promoting dietary diversity and nutritional education.

Conclusion

Food insecurity in India is a complex, systemic issue stemming from a confluence of economic inequality, flawed distribution mechanisms, environmental vulnerability, and social exclusion. While the country has made strides in food production, the failure to ensure equitable access and nutritional security for all its citizens remains a significant challenge. Eradicating hunger will require not only sustained economic growth but also radical reforms in its social, agricultural, and public policy frameworks to create a more resilient and inclusive food system for every Indian. The National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013 was a major step, but effective implementation remains a hurdle. A true solution demands transparency, accountability, and a renewed focus on holistic human development.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, India is self-sufficient in food grain production and even holds buffer stocks sufficient to meet future demands. The problem lies not in availability but in inefficient distribution and access.

The PDS is a government program providing subsidized food grains to the poor. It is failing due to significant leakages, diversion of grains to the open market, errors in identifying beneficiaries, and poor storage infrastructure.

Climate change impacts food security through erratic weather patterns, such as unpredictable monsoons, droughts, and floods, which reduce crop yields and disproportionately affect small, rainfed farms.

Yes, systemic and social inequities, including caste, ethnicity, and gender, often lead to discrimination and exclusion, making marginalized communities more vulnerable to food insecurity.

Malnutrition persists due to poor dietary diversity. The PDS largely provides staples like rice and wheat, which can lead to micronutrient deficiencies and poor nutritional outcomes, even when caloric intake is met.

Poverty is a primary driver. Low-income families spend a large portion of their budget on food, leaving them highly sensitive to price increases and unable to afford nutritious, diverse diets.

Potential solutions include reforming the PDS with better targeting and technology, investing in climate-resilient agriculture, promoting dietary diversity, and strengthening social safety nets, particularly for vulnerable groups like migrant workers.