RTF Update JUNE 2022
Secretariat Right to Food Campaign
Actions conducted by the campaign, various organisations and unions across the country in June 2022
The Right to Food campaign of India is extremely concerned and anguished with the severe economic crisis gripping Sri Lanka and its impact on ordinary citizens of the country, especially in terms of reports of growing food insecurity and hunger. We urge the Sri Lankan government and authorities to engage constructively with the protestors and protect their fundamental right to peaceful protest. We hope Sri Lanka will emerge from this crisis as a more democratic and equal society.
THE STATE GOVERNMENT SHOULD ADOPT RESPONSIBLE, EFFECTIVE AND SAFE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM OF MALNUTRITION IN CHHATTISGARH, AND ABANDON RICE FORTIFICATION
राज्य सरकार को छत्तीसगढ़ में कुपोषण की समस्या के लिए ज़िम्मेदार, प्रभावी और सुरक्षित समाधान अपनाना चाहिए और चावल फोर्टीफिकेशन का त्याग करना चाहिए।
The Right to Food Campaign and Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA-Kisan Swaraj) has conducted fact-finding in Chhattisgarh from 13th to 15th June, 2022 on the fortified rice distribution in food schemes and urged the Chhattisgarh Government to stop the distribution of fortified rice in the state immediately. On 20th June, 2022 Fact-finding report was released in an online press conference. The report points to the many serious concerns with regard to indiscriminate distribution of fortified rice to poor households in the state, and in Anganwadis and schools.
रोज़ी रोटी अधिकार अभियान (आरटीएफसी) और अलायंस फॉर सस्टेनेबल एंड होलिस्टिक एग्रीकल्चर (आशा-किसान स्वराज) द्वारा 3 दिवसीय फैक्ट फाइंडिंग यात्रा के अंत में, टीम के सदस्यों ने छत्तीसगढ़ सरकार से आग्रह किया है की फोर्टीफाइड चावल के वितरण को तुरंत बंद किया जाए। फैक्ट-फाइंडिंग रिपोर्ट एक ऑनलाइन संवाददाता सम्मेलन में जारी की गई। यह रिपोर्ट राज्य के गरीब परिवारों, आंगनबाड़ी और स्कूलों में फोर्टीफाइड चावल के अंधाधुंध वितरण के संबंध में कई गंभीर चिंताओं की ओर इशारा करती है।
The press release and the presentation of the findings can be found here along with the nationwide findings.
With the statement on digitisation and aadhar linking process in the Anganwadi process. the Right to Food campaign condemns any attempt to make aadhaar mandatory for any child to access their basic entitlements through Anganwadi centres and schools. We demand that the schemes be genuinely universal, whereby any child or woman who accesses an Anganwadi centre is provided with the services without further requirements.
The Chhattisgarh Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (CKMS) sought people's approval in cementing its objectives during its first meeting on 17th May 2022 in Surguja. Around 1200 people from all 7 blocks of the district attended.
छत्तीसगढ़ किसान मजदूर संगठन ने 17 मई 2022 को सरगुजा में अपनी पहली बैठक के दौरान अपने उद्देश्यों को मजबूत करने के लिए लोगों की स्वीकृति मांगी। इसमें जिले के सभी 7 प्रखंडों के करीब 1200 लोगों ने भाग लिया.
Post this, Chhattisgarh Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan's jan adhikar yatra started from 19th May that continued till 30th May in Lakhanpur, Udaypur, Batauli, & Lundra blocks. People have shown tremendous enthusiasm, sharing examples from their villages and panchayats to illustrate the importance of unity.
As of 28th May, CKMS became 2117 members strong! An encouraging pattern being noticed across villages is that even those who aren't in need of immediate assistance for documents are joining the Sangathan, willing to fight for their own or their communities causes in the future!
इसके बाद छत्तीसगढ़ किसान मजदूर संगठन की जन अधिकार यात्रा 19 मई से शुरू होकर 30 मई तक लखनपुर, उदयपुर, बटौली और लुंद्रा प्रखंड में चली. एकता के महत्व को समझाने के लिए लोगों ने अपने गांवों और पंचायतों से उदाहरण साझा करते हुए जबरदस्त उत्साह दिखाया है।
28 मई तक CKMS 2117 सदस्य मज़बूत बन गया! गांवों में एक उत्साह देखा जा रहा है कि जिन लोगों को दस्तावेजों के लिए तत्काल सहायता की आवश्यकता नहीं है, वे भी संगठन में शामिल हो रहे हैं, जो भविष्य में अपने या अपने लोगों के लिए लड़ने के लिए तैयार हैं!
13 जून 2022 को कैनुवा गांव, टोटो प्रखंड (पश्चिमी सिंहभूम) खाद्य सुरक्षा जन अधिकार मंच द्वारा आयोजित जन सुनवाई में चौकाने वाला खुलासा हुआ- पिछले कई महीनों से जन वितरण प्रणाली से ग्रामीणों को मिलने वाले राशन से लगभग आधा नियमित रूप से चोरी हो रहा है। सुनवाई की रिपोर्ट यहाँ संलग्न है।
71 per cent of Indians cannot afford a healthy diet – says CSE’s State of India’s Environment 2022: In Figures report
NSM has sent a letter on the issue to the Minister & Secretary, MoRD. A meeting was fixed by PBKMS with the NREGA Director (Dharamvir Jha) and the delegation included : Swapan Ganguly (PBKMS), Aysha, Apurva, Vijay (PAEG). Following which another meeting took place with the Secretary (N.N Sinha). Joint secretary (Amit Kataria) and NREGA Director was also part of it. Delegation included Swapan Ganguly (PBKMS), Nachiket, Apurva, Nancy and Vijay (PAEG).
Purulia Workers On The Road For Unpaid NREGA Wages
On 24th June 2022, from 11 in the morning till 4 in the evening, NREGA workers occupied Purulia town. Over 2500 workers, who are members of the Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity took out processions in the town and organised a protest demonstration in front of the District Magistrate’s office. Their demand was immediate payment of their wages that have remained unpaid since December 2021. Along with compensation as per law for late payment of wages.
PRESS RELEASE- INTERNATIONAL STATEMENT DEMANDING TEESTA'S RELEASE
260 prominent human rights activists, intellectuals, journalists, artists and community leaders from all over the world strongly condemned the arrest of eminent human rights activist Teesta Setalvad and R.B. Sreekumar , Sanjiv Bhatt (already in prison for over 18 months) as well as journalist and fact-checker Mohammed Zubair in India. The newly launched broad-based alliance, Solidarity for the Prisoners of Conscience in India, had appealed for this show of solidarity.
JOINT STATEMENT OF DEMOCRATIC GROUPS AND CONCERNED CITIZENS
News reports and articles
Is Fortified Rice the Only Way to Provide Nutritious Food?
The people’s choice and their right to eat nutritious, diverse food are being attacked on various fronts in today’s India. Serious violations of people’s choice of food and livelihood in the form of laws, bans and calls to boycott the sale and consumption of meat are now a norm. Besides social and economic, these attacks on food habits come with nutritional consequences. The distribution of fortified rice through the mid-day meal, ICDS and PDS is one such issue. It raises serious public health and food security concerns.
Indian Economy is on the Road to a Stable State of Zero Growth (Prabhat Patnaik)
Neo-liberalism has reached a dead end, not just in India but in the world as a whole. The Narendra Modi government’s propaganda machine, as usual, is working overtime to paint a rosy picture of the economy; but the reality is the very opposite. This propaganda uses a simple arithmetical trick. If output falls, say, from 100 to 90, then the fall is 10%; and then if it recovers next year to 100, then the increase is 11.1% (because of the lower base).
64% poor homes' income halved in Maharashtra in second wave: Hunger Watch Survey
Interim results of the survey conducted by the Right to Food Campaign across 17 districts between December 2021 to January 2022 to assess food security after the second wave of COVID-19. More than 78% of the respondents reported food insecurity and 56% reported outstanding debt.
Plan to give eggs, bananas, chikki in all government and aided schools in Karnataka
The State Government is planning to extend the programme of providing boiled eggs, bananas, and groundnut chikki to students in all government and aided schools across Karnataka. In the Yadgir district, 74% of students were suffering from malnutrition and anaemia. It was 72.4% in Kalaburagi, 72.3% in Ballari, 70.7% in Koppal, 70.6% in Raichur, 69.1% in Bidar, and 68% in Vijayapura district. After the implementation of the programme, there was anger and protests against the government by various seers and religious groups against serving eggs. There were also counter-protests by schoolchildren and various progressive and student organisations, demanding that the government continue the programme.
This document flew under the radar for many but is now more important than ever in the light of what has been happening to food processing facilities being destroyed globally and herds of cattle being culled.
Dangerous trends and the need for greater restraints and autonomous institutions
For a stronger India, we need to follow the constitutional values and treat every citizen as equal, keep faith in your personal domain, stop hate speeches and prejudices which will only deepen the divisions. For that to succeed, our institutions will have to protect their autonomy as well as rights of citizens when they are violated or intimidated.
Millions Of Children Will Soon Need Aadhaar IDs To Access Their Right To A Nutritious Meal
A union government decision to cut funding to states that do not ensure children and mothers getting free food have Aadhaar IDs could cause millions of poor families to lose key sources of nutrition. The move violates a Supreme Court order that no subsidy or service may be denied for want of an Aadhaar number. India’s national nutrition mission provides free food to 79 million children aged six months to six years and 15 million pregnant, lactating women. Only 23% of children under five have Aadhaar cards.
Use of App to Record MGNREGA Attendance ‘Violation’ of Worker Rights, Act
The Peoples’ Action for Employment Guarantee (PAEG) has opposed the rural development ministry’s May 13 order discontinuing manual attendance at Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme worksites with more than 20 workers and replacing it with the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app.
Group wants new order on MGNREGA workers revoked
The Union Rural Development Ministry must withdraw its order to discontinue manual attendance for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) scheme work sites with more than 20 workers to replace it using a mobile phone-based application — National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS) for recording attendance, the Peoples Action For Employment Guarantee (PAEG), a group of academicians and activists working in the field, said.
Teesta Setalvad, Sreekumar remanded in judicial custody
A court in Ahmedabad on Saturday sent activist Teesta Setalvad and former Director-General of Police R.B. Sreekumar, arrested for alleged fabrication of evidence regarding the 2002 Gujarat riots cases, to 14-day judicial custody.
ASHA workers are an essential bridge between the public health system and communities. They deliver essential primary health services in the areas of maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, communicable and non-communicable diseases, and nutrition and are often the most accessible health worker in rural areas. They are often on standby 24/7 and regularly work more than 8 hours a day.
Government may withdraw PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana
The Centre has allocated Rs 2.07 lakh crore for food subsidies in the current financial year. However, extending the scheme further is likely to cost another Rs 80,000 crore to the government. This means that the food subsidy bill will swell to Rs 3.7 lakh crore in 2022-23.
Mohammed Zubair, AltNews co-founder, arrested for allegedly hurting religious sentiments
A cyber unit of Delhi Police on Monday arrested Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of fact-checking website AltNews, on charges of allegedly hurting religious sentiments following a complaint by a social media user who referred to a tweet from 2018.
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