In 1981, Amartya Sen published Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation (1981), a book in which he argued that famine occurs not only from a lack of food, but from inequalities built into mechanisms for distributing food. Sen also argued that the Bengal famine was caused by an urban economic boom that raised food prices, thereby causing millions of rural workers to starve to death when their wages did not keep up.

In the urban areas the following types of people are more prone to food insecurity:
(i) Casual labourers
(ii) Workers employed in the ill paid occupations.
(iii) Workers employed in seasonal activities.

The economically backward states with high incidence of poverty, tribal and remote areas, and regions more prone to natural disasters etc. are more food insecure in India. These states include Orissa, Rajasthan, Jharkjand and parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Maharashtra.

Public distribution system supply food products for the low-income groups. All the staple food grains like rice, wheat, and essential commodities are provided through these shops. These commodities are provided to the poor people at a lower cost as compared to the market. 

Minimum Support Price (MSP) is decided by the government. This is the price at which the government pays to the farmers for their produce. Government buys the crops from farmers at MSP and then sell it in the market. This policy helps the farmers as they get a fixed amount for their produce no matter what the market price is. And also they don’t have to look after the distribution of the produce. 

The Annapurna Scheme has been launched with effect from 1st April, 2000. It aims at providing food security to meet the requirement of those senior citizens who, though eligible, have remained uncovered under the National Old Age Pension Scheme The Ministry of Rural Development launched the scheme in 2000-2001. Indigent senior citizens of 65 years of age or above who though eligible for old age pension under the National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS) but are not getting the pension, are covered and 10 kgs. This scheme was brain-child of then Union Food and Civil Supplies minister, Shanta Kumar. It was launched by the NDA government on 25 December 2000 and first implemented in the Indian state of Rajasthan.

14 January, 1965.

National food for work programme was launched in November, 2004 by the minister of rural development. The objective of this scheme is to give employment to Indian poors who can undertake unskilled jobs and thus also maintaining food security.  

As part of its development mandate, IFCI was one of the promoters of National Stock Exchange (NSE), Stock Holding Corporation of India Ltd (SHCIL), Technical Consultancy Organizations (TCOs) and social sector institutions like Rashtriya Gramin Vikas Nidhi (RGVN), Management Development Institute (MDI), The functions of the IFCI base are as follows: The corporation grants loans and advances to industrial concerns. Granting of loans both in rupees and foreign currencies. The corporation underwrites the issue of stocks, bonds, shares etc. IFCI, previously Industrial Finance Corporation of India, is a Non-Banking Finance Company in the public sector. Established in 1948 as a statutory corporation, IFCI is currently a company listed on BSE and NSE. IFCI has seven subsidiaries and one associate.

The public distribution system relates to the retailing system. PDS is a network of fair price shops where the necessary commodities and staple food grains are provided to the poor people at a low price as compared to the market. So this is a retailing system as the distribution is done through retail shops.