RTF Updates (July-August 2024)
Secretariat Right to Food Campaign
Dear all,
Here are the RTF Updates for July and August 2024. It includes Right to Food Campaigns efforts and actions on ground nationally and at state levels. The Update also carries activities of other campaigns and networks.
RTF Updates (July- August 2024)
Updates from the Right to Food Campaign in the month of July-August 2024
Right to Food Campaign Public Statement on Union Budget 2024-25
Disappointing budget, decline in critical social welfare spending
No steps to enhance redistribution to address alarming inequality in the country
Click to read the statement here
निराशाजनक बजट, महत्वपूर्ण सामाजिक कल्याण खर्च में गिरावट
देश में फैले चिंताजनक असमानता को दूर करने हेतु पुनर्वितरण को बढ़ाने के लिए कोई कदम नहीं उठाया गया।
End Hunger in Gaza! Stop the War!
Uphold the Right to Food and Freedom of the Palestinian People
The Right to Food Campaign is appalled by the merciless use of starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza by the Israel government. We are equally dismayed by the Indian government’s continued complicity with this and related war crimes in Gaza.
Click to read the statement here
गज़ा में भुखमरी और युद्ध के विरुद्ध खड़े हों
फिलिस्तीनी लोगों के भोजन और स्वतंत्रता के अधिकार स्थापित करो
भोजन का अधिकार अभियान इज़राइल सरकार द्वारा गज़ा में युद्ध के हथियार के रूप में भुखमरी के निर्दयी उपयोग से निराश हैं। इसके साथ ही हम गज़ा में संबंधित युद्ध अपराधों में भारत सरकार की निरंतर संलिप्तता से समान रूप से चिंतित हैं।
Reports of intense distress and problems being faced by people across the country.
Government must immediately give ration cards to 8 crore migrant/unorganised sector workers as directed by Supreme Court.
Watch the Press Conference organised by the Right to Food Campaign here
Click to read the statement here
देशभर से लोगों को हो रही भारी परेशानी और समस्याओं की खबरें आ रही हैं
सरकार को सुप्रीम कोर्ट के निर्देशानुसार 8 करोड़ प्रवासी/असंगठित क्षेत्र के श्रमिकों को तुरंत राशन कार्ड देना चाहिए
विज्ञप्ति यहां पढ़ें
Updates from the State Networks of the Right to Food Campaign
Reports of the immense distress and problems being faced by people across the country on account of the government undertaking E-KYC verification of all 81 crore people who have ration cards and are entitled to receive foodgrains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA)
8 अगस्त से जारी इस अभियान में महोली तहसील में रैली और एस डी एम महोली को ज्ञापन सौंपा गया... ई के वाई सी रद्द करने के आयुक्त खाद्य एवं रसद विभाग को ज्ञापन (SITAPUR, Uttar Pradesh)
आवारा पशुओं का प्रबंध करें। अगर फिर भी फसलों का नुक़सान हो तो नुकसान की भरपाई करें। मनरेगा की समस्याओं को लेकर भी ज्ञापन ताकि एसडीएम स्वयं बीडीओ से वार्ता कर सही क्रियान्वयन करवायें। एसडीएम साहब ने बहुत अच्छे से बात की। उन्होंने कहा 2011 के बाद से जनगणना नहीं होने और राशन का कोटा नहीं बढ़ने से राशनकार्ड नहीं बन रहे।
NAPM UP along with various other organisation and network organised protest and demonstration against E-kyc process started on the ration card in Lucknow too
राशन कार्ड में हो रहे E KYC के विरोध में मनरेगा मजदूर यूनियन के साथियों ने ब्लॉक मुख्यालय पर प्रदर्शन कर सरकार से तुरंत ही इस जन विरोधी नीति को वापस लेने का आग्रह किया..(Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh)
मजदूरों ने कहा कि अगर सरकार इसको वापस नही लेती है तो हम सभी अपने गाँव में कोटेदारों के खिलाफ उनके घर पर धरना शुरु करेंगे..जब तक इसको वापस नही लिया जाता हम सभी इसका विरोध जारी रखेंगे
आदिवासी महिला पुरुषों द्वारा बताया गया कि राशन प्राप्त करना हमारा अधिकार है परंतु, लगातार केवाईसी के नाम पर राशन लेने के अधिकार से हमें बेदखल किया जा रहा है। कभी आधार अपडेट नही होने से या तो कभी अंगूठे से बायोमैट्रिक नही होने कारण हमें भोजन के अधिकार से वंचित किया जा रहा है!
The Odisha Khadya Adhikar Abhijan said the verification was disrupting the ground, with lakhs fearing they would be excluded from the National Food Security Act
India’s Mid-day meal programme under the threat of centralised kitchen and Religious institutions
ख़राब खाने के विरुद्ध लगातार शिकायतों के बावजूद आज तक इसे बंद नहीं किया गया. विधायक @NiralPurty1 ने आज फिर से 1 साल बाद इसे विधान सभा में उठाया. 1.5 साल की कहानी समझें
Private entities and NGOs, like the Hare Rama Hare Krishna Foundation, sometimes impose their own agendas and beliefs on local communities. For example, in Karnataka, this foundation refused to include onion and garlic in the food, considering them not "satvik." These organizations do not serve eggs & meat due to their religious beliefs. We have learned of similar experiences from Jharkhand, the same is being resisted by many adivasi students.
Updates from other campaigns and networks
Indian government along with some public and private sector companies’ complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza is well known. We have heard of Adani Defence and Aerospace Ltd., but there are other culprits as well – Munitions India and Premier Explosive, in addition to the government itself which has approved not just the provision of militarised cargo to Israel but also the shipment of Indian workers to Israel, a move that puts their lives at risk,” the protesters have said in a statement after having been detained.
The alliance demanded for the arrest of all the accused in the crime and subsequent vandalism and action against police and hospital officials who violated the law. Click here to read the statement
In light of the tragic #RGKAR incident, WGH India demands urgent action & accountability to end sexual violence in healthcare & protect the dignity & safety of ALL persons in healthcare institutions.
ROZGAAR
नरेगा संघर्ष मोर्चा ने ग्रामीण विकास सचिव श्री शैलेश कुमार सिंह से मुलाकात की; बजट कटौती और पश्चिम बंगाल में नरेगा को बंद करने के खिलाफ संघर्ष तेज करने की घोषणा की
Around 90 farmer leaders from various farm unions met in Chandigarh on 22nd August 2024 where they resolved to oppose GM (genetically modified) crops in India tooth and nail. They discussed about the multiple harmful effects and failure of GM cotton, and were firm in their resolve not to allow corporate control of our farming systems through modern biotechnology and associated Intellectual Property Rights. This gathering took place in the context of the Supreme Court asking Union Govt to formulate a national policy on GM crops. The leaders who assembled united on their demands, cutting across political ideological divide, from 18 states.
Important News reports and articles
Beyond Food Security: It's Time India Focus its Policy Efforts on Concerns Over Dietary Diversity (Dipa Sinha 30th August 2024)
A shift in attention to improving dietary diversity for all can also be a good segue towards a comprehensive food and nutrition policy based on a ‘food systems’ approach.
Why do children continue to suffer from ‘food poverty’? (Vandana Prasad, Peter Roholoff)
It is important to underscore that the world has not just transitioned from one category to another; hunger has not been eliminated and lives on in pockets across the world. Hunger has served as an important rallying cry for human rights advocates for decades, and it continues to deserve immediate attention.
Should Mid-day meals be cooked in schools or centralised kitchens?
Climate crisis is coming for your Sambar
For consecutive years in 2022 and 2023, tur production was hit by way-ward rains in major growing regions. While Karnataka suffered a crippling drought, excess rains (in different growth stages) damaged the crop in Maharashtra. This came on top of steadily declining acreage (over the past several decades) in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh where farmers moved away from tur and towards more remunerative crops like rice, soybean and cotton.
Migrants Are Going Home, This Time to Save Their Ration (Raj Shekhar)
Ironically, the E-KYC verification exercise for removing unwanted beneficiaries (dead, fake, etc) from the food security coverage list is turning out to be a real threat to most of the genuine ration cardholder population, particularly the migrant population.
Custodial death of Adivasi in Khandwa -
Dharmendra had bruises all over his body, could not have hung himself|खंडवा में पुलिस हिरासत में मौत - धर्मेंद्र के पूरे शरीर पर मार के निशान थे, फांसी कैसे लगता?
Political Silence, Social Impact: The JMMSY and Its Ripples Across Jharkhand
Hemant Soren’s initiative, Jharkhand Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojna targets 50 lakh beneficiaries, marking a cornerstone of his administration’s efforts. Economists and activists discuss its potential to combat tribal girl migration and child malnutrition amid ongoing political challenges.
SEBI’s Credibility Crisis Is an Opportunity to Turn the Tide in Favour of Transparency (Anjali Bharadwaj and Amrita Johari, 20th August 2024)
The serious allegations of conflict of interest against the SEBI chairperson highlight why we need to move towards greater transparency & ensure that assets, liabilities & conflict of interest disclosures of public servants are made publicly available.
Why are canteens important when 800 million people get free grains?
Over the past decade, canteens have been established in various parts of India to provide subsidised meals and enhance food security. Based on a survey of canteens conducted across three states, Reetika Khera contends that this social policy intervention has helped ensure dignified meals for millions, created jobs, and fostered a sense of oneness and well-being for many. She advocates for more and guaranteed funding for canteens, revamp and expansion of menus, better infrastructure, and fair wages for staff.
Beyond the Consumer Food Price Index (Sudha Narayanan, Kalyani Raghunathan, Anita Christopher)
It is widely acknowledged that the nutritional challenges many countries in the world face go beyond addressing hunger and food security to tackling the triple burden of malnutrition—calorie inadequacy, micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity (Masters et al 2022). Target 2.2 of Goal 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) duly emphasises the need to eradicate all forms of malnutrition by 2030. While many factors influence the prevalence of malnutrition, the quality and quantity of food intake are the key underlying and immediate determinants of nutrition outcomes (UNICEF 2021).
Will increasing minimum wages ease the employment problem and help the economy (Himunshu, 22nd August 2024)
Even the odd jobs: On the Karnataka gig workers bill
For India’s gig workers, who are increasing in numbers but are perched precariously on the edge of the unregulated labour pool, the Karnataka Platform-based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2024, offers a welcome reprieve but still stops short of providing them with the security of being employees.
Maharashtra sets 50cr budget to get eggs on mid-day meal’s menu
पिछले एक महीने में आज़मगढ़ जनपद में डिफ्थेरिया से हुई 7 मासूम बच्चों की मौत
उत्तर प्रदेश के आज़मगढ़ जनपद में पिछले एक महीने में डिफ्थीरिया बीमारी सात बच्चों की मौत हो चुकी है। गंदगी और कुपोषण के कारण फैलने वाली इस बीमारी की चपेट में घुमन्तु जनजाति के बच्चे आ रहे हैं जिन्हे समाज और सरकारों ने बिल्कुल अलग किया हुआ है।
India continues to be intolerant of food choices! Increase in hate crimes and mob lynchings over the last few months
Elderly man slapped, abused on train over suspicion of carrying beef in Maharashtra
A group of men assaulted a 72-year-old man named, Haji Ashraf Munyar in Dhule-CSMT Express after accusing him of carrying beef. A preliminary probe in the case has revealed that the elderly person was carrying buffalo meat which is not banned in the State.
Haryana CM says migrant worker's murder over suspicion of eating beef not 'mob lynching': ‘Who can stop them?’
DPS Gautam Buddh Nagar implements no non-veg rule, parents call move ‘discriminatory’
Delhi Public School - Gautam Buddh Nagar (DPS GBN) on Wednesday asked students’ parents to refrain from sending non-vegetarian food with them to school in an attempt to ensure that “all students feel respected”.
Uttar Pradesh govt. order for food shops on Kanwar Yatra routes to display the name of owner
The Uttar Pradesh Government on July 19 made it mandatory for food and beverage shops along Kanwar routes to display the name and identity of the operator/owner of their establishments. The decision came amid outrage over the Muzaffarnagar police order asking hotels, dhabas and eateries on the route of the Kanwar Yatra to display the names of the proprietors and shopkeepers; the condition was later made “voluntary”
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