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N E W S A L E R T
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| Failed Food Summit and rising hunger |
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The three-day World Summit on Food Security (WSFS) that opened in Rome,
Italy on 16 November, 2009 has ended with serious differences among
participants. Among those expressing dissatisfaction with the final
declaration was no less a person than Jacques Diouf, the head of UN’s
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Diouf criticised the
declaration for not including exact targets to reduce hunger.
There is no mention of a deadline for the total eradication of world
hunger in the Food Security Summit declaration. The summit has rejected
the UN's call to commit $44bn (£26bn) annually for agricultural
development in developing nations, for which it has been criticised by
Oxfam. |
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| No back door amendments to RTI Act |
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The Union Minister for Personnel Prithviraj Chavan said that there was
no question of bringing in an amendment in the Right to Information Act
without consulting the people. Speaking to a delegation of National
Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information (NCPRI) at his office on
Monday, Mr Chavan assured the delegates that a final decision on the
nature of amendments has not been taken as yet.
Chavan said that he had an open mind to the civil society’s suggestion
of setting up an RTI Advisory Council to provide better interaction
between the government and various stake holders. He also indicated
that the government was in the process of preparing a position paper on
the issue which he hoped would lead to proper consultation. |
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| Right to Food: Too Little Too Late? |
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Is drought being used as an excuse to delay the national Food Security
Act? An informal network of organizations and individuals involved in
the Right to Food Campaign believe so. The campaign groups are
demanding that a national consultative process on an improved draft
bill must be started immediately so that the proposed Food Security Act
could be passed as soon as possible.
The campaigners also demand that exports of all food items and their
futures trading and other speculative activities be banned so that
hunger could be fought comprehensively. The Right to Food campaign is
holding a rally on November 26 to highlight these and many more issues
concerning hunger and malnutrition. |
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| Food Security, Sustainability and Copenhagen Summit |
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A seminar titled Food Security and Sustainability in India, organized
at Amritsar between 7 and 8 November by the GAD Institute of
Development Studies, a NGO, at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar,
brought together government officials, scientists, academicians and
NGOs so as to generate discussions and debates surrounding climate
change and global warming and their impact on agriculture.
The Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change is going to take place between
7 and 18 December, 2009. As a precursor to this international event of
historical importance, social scientists, academicians, agro-scientists
from government bodies and civil society organizations, world over,
have started working together to analyze the problems related to
ecological degradation, unsustainable industrial as well as
agricultural practices and loss of biodiversity. |
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Success Stories |
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Interviews |
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