3 Review(s)

Food, being basic to human survival, has always occupied the central place in government policy and action. Today questions relating to food security are engaging the most anxious attention of planners and administrators in the world capitals, with the FAO playing the role of a catalyst. It is a sector which lends itself to management with no small complexities. The decisions of millions of producers and the behaviour often irrationaland preferences of the millions of consumers have to be reckoned with in food administration. The financial implications are staggering; the management and distribution aspects highly complex. Dr. Acharya treats these various facets of food security in the Indian context, with the Indian' experience as the centre-piece. He starts by explaining the meaning and components of food security in general and its crucial importance for India. Then a couple of chapters are devoted to the historical background and it is reassuring that the early beginnings of a food security system date back to the;ancient times of the Jataka stories, and subsequently improved and enforced by the Mauryan Kings, particularly Asoka. This sequence is followed through covering the Moghul times, the British rule and finally the modifications made in the post-independence era- The transformation of a 'distress alleviation' oriented food policy into a positive instrument of agricultural development is, according to Dr. Acharya, the most remarkable phenomenon which has occurred in free India in this department of administration. In the second part the author analyses the various approaches to evaluating a subject like this, the costs involved in sustaining the system, the benefits conferred on the various sections of the community, possible alternatives: management and distribution questions. Finally, the international dimensions of food security problems and the efforts being made in the FAO and other world bodies to evolve a stable model have been briefly narrated. These developments have a direct relevance to India.This is a book written by an administrator turned scholar enlivened by his field experience. The subject, with its attendant topics, has been dealt with at one place in this volume which should prove useful to food administrators as well as students of Indian economics alike.