The correct option is (a).
Explanation
Food security in India is ensured through a system designed to maintain the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food grains for the population. The Government of India, through the Food Corporation of India (FCI), manages this system. This system is structurally composed of two primary components: procurement/storage and distribution.
Statement-wise Analysis
- Statement 1 is Correct: Buffer Stock is one of the two main components. It refers to the stock of food grains, namely wheat and rice, procured by the government through the Food Corporation of India (FCI). This stock is maintained to distribute food in deficit areas and among the poorer strata of society, and to resolve shortages during adverse weather conditions or calamities.
- Statement 2 is Incorrect: Minimum Support Price (MSP) is the price policy/mechanism used to procure the grains for the buffer stock. While essential to the process, it is classified as an economic instrument or incentive for farmers, not as a structural component of the food security system itself in this context.
- Statement 3 is Correct: Public Distribution System (PDS) is the second main component. It is the mechanism through which the food procured by the FCI is distributed to the poorer sections of society through a network of Fair Price Shops (Ration Shops).
- Statement 4 is Incorrect: Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is a welfare scheme focused on early childhood care, nutrition, and development. While it contributes to nutritional security, it is a specific programmatic intervention and not one of the two foundational pillars of the general food security system (Buffer Stock and PDS).
Key Takeaway: The Indian food security system is fundamentally built upon two pillars: Buffer Stock (supply-side management) and the Public Distribution System (demand-side distribution).