RTF Update (Aug-September 2022)
Secretariat Right to Food Campaign
Dear Friends,
In this update, we are sharing important information and activities conducted by the campaign and networks across the country along with the news, activities and statements issued by the Right to Food Campaign and other organisations, and networks.
RTF UPDATE
Actions conducted by the campaign, various organisations and across the country
Right to Food Campaign’s response to the New Education Policy report in Karnataka
The report by NEP has once again opened up the debate on the merits of giving eggs to children in schools as part of the mid-day meal programme. In arguing for a ‘satvik’ diet for children, this report is not only completely unscientific and baseless but also casteist in denying people food choices. We condemn such reports trying to divert attention away from solving the grave problem of malnutrition by strengthening local food systems and ensuring diverse and healthy diets for everyone. Such reports only serve to perpetuate caste and religious biases, while denying the most marginalised their basic right to food.
The Right to Food Campaign is very concerned over media reports coming from different parts of the country regarding the denial of rations to people if they do not purchase the tiranga (national flag) under the Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan initiated by the Union Government on the occasion of 75th year of Independence. We are alarmed that this reported denial is coming at a time when people are in any case facing extreme economic hardships.
Food is a fundamental right of every individual in this country and must not be distorted or denied under any circumstances. The government must immediately order an inquiry into these reports of denial of rations and if any such orders have been given making the purchase of flag necessary to receive rations, they must be withdrawn with immediate effect.
Right to Food Campaign mourns the demise of Prof. Abhijit Sen
Right to Food campaign mourns the demise of Prof. Abhijit Sen, economist and ex-Planning Commission member. Prof. Sen was a friend and adviser of the campaign who stood by us in many of our struggles, including a universal public distribution system, de-linking the identification of BPL households with the poverty line, arguing for decentralised procurement and storage of grains, and so on.
We will miss his wisdom and sensitivity as we continue our battle for a right to food for all in an increasingly challenging world.
Right to Food Campaign Statement on the demand for the proper functioning of MGNREGA
The Right to Food Campaign stands in solidarity with the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha’s national call for action across the country to revive the proper functioning of MGNREGA. The Right to Food Campaign is extremely concerned and anguished with the continued violation of MGNREGA across the country. MGNREGA is being implemented in a manner that is contrary to its spirit.
Fact-finding report on the starvation death of Sanjay Sardar- Right to Food and Work Campaing, West Bengal
The report was released in Jhargram after giving it to the administration. Also given is the case of a leprosy patient who was not given any rations and forced to beg despite having an AAY card. Sanjay Sardar only had few fingers and therefore no fingerprints for biometric identification, which has now become compulsory by the Union government to receive ration.
State and Central govt should give immediate drought relief in Jharkhand
In this very specific situation, as the poor are still battling poverty and unemployment arising out of the pandemic, the crop-failure has become a crisis of existence for them. Central government should concentrate on providing relief in these drought-affected areas rather than spend energy, time and crores in trying to bring down elected state governments. Jharkhand govt. should also now prioritise drought relief.
अभियान द्वारा की गई कार्रवाई
रोज़ी रोटी अधिकार अभियान राष्ट्रीय ध्वज नहीं खरीदने पर लोगों को राशन से वंचित किए जाने की कथित घटनाओं की निंदा करता है
रोज़ी रोटी अधिकार अभियान देश के विभिन्न हिस्सों से आने वाली मीडिया रिपोर्टों से बहुत चितिंत है, जहाँ यह पाया जा रहा है की यदि लोग स्वतंत्रता के 75वें वर्ष केअवसर पर केंद्र सरकार द्वारा शरूु किए गए हर घर तिरंगा अभियान के तहत तिरंगा (राष्ट्रीय ध्वज) नहीं खरीदते हैं, तो उन्हें राशन से वंचित कर दिया जा रहा है। राशन देने से मना करना संविधान द्वारा गारंटीकृत भोजन के मौलिक अधिकार का उल्लंघन है जिसे सर्वोच्च न्यायालय द्वारा भी कई बार दोहराया गया है और यह राष्ट्रीय खाद्य सुरक्षा अधिनियम के प्रावधानों का भी उल्लंघन है। हम चितिंत हैं कि इस प्रकार की कथित मनाही ऐसे समय में आ रही है जब लोग हर स्तर पर अत्यधिक आर्थिक कठिनाइयों का सामना कर रहे हैं।
राज्य व केंद्र सरकार झारखंड में भयंकर सुखाड़ के लिए दे तुरंत राहत- झारखंड जनाधिकार महासभा
इस अति विशिष्ट परिस्थिति में, जब ग़रीब जनता कोरोना महामारी से उत्पन्न बेरोज़गारी और अवसरहीनता से अभी तक जूझ रही है, इस वर्ष फसल का न होना इनके लिए अस्तित्व का संकट बन गया है. केंद्र सरकार जनता द्वारा चुने राज्य सरकारों को तोड़ने और गिराने में ध्यान लगाने के बजाए जनता के प्रति अपनी मूल जिम्मेवारी निभाए. झारखंड सरकार भी सुखाड़ में राहत को अब प्राथमिकता दे.
मनरेगा के समुचित संचालन की मांग पर रोज़ी रोटी अधिकार अभियान का वक्तव्य
रोज़ी रोटी अधिकार अभियान मनरेगा के उचित कामकाज को पुनर्जीवित करने के लिए देश भर में कार्रवाई के लिए नरेगा संघर्ष मोर्चा के राष्ट्रीय आह्वान के साथ एकजुटता से खड़ा है। रोज़ी रोटी अधिकार अभियान देश भर में मनरेगा के निरंतर उल्लंघन से बेहद चिंतित और व्यथित है। मनरेगा को इस तरह से लागू किया जा रहा है जो उसकी भावना के विपरीत है। लाखों श्रमिकों को उनके द्वारा कई महीनों से किए गए काम का भुगतान नहीं किया गया है, जिससे एक सरकारी कार्यक्रम के तहत बंधुआ मज़दूरी की स्थिति पैदा हो गई है।
दिनांक 27 सितम्बर को पश्चिमी सिंहभूम ज़िला के विभिन्न प्रखंडों से आए सैंकड़ों राशन कार्डधारियों ने राशन चोरी और प्रशासनिक उदासीनता के विरुद्ध चाईबासा पुराना उपायुक्त कार्यालय के समक्ष धरना दिया. धरना का आयोजन खाद्य सुरक्षा जन अधिकार मंच, पश्चिमी सिंहभूम द्वारा किया गया था. धरने में सदर, टोंटो, खूंटपानी, तांतनगर, चक्रधरपुर, सोनुआ, हाटगम्हरिया, कुमारडुंगी, मनोहरपुर समेत अन्य प्रखंडों से ग्रामीण भाग लिए. पूरा क्षेत्र उनके नारों से गूँज रहा था जैसे “कौन खाया गरीबों का राशन, डीलर या प्रशासन”, “राशन चोरो को जेल करो”, “गोदामों में सड़े अनाज, फिर भी बच्चे भूखे आज” आदि.
As we mark #75thIndependenceDay & #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav, thousands of people who have been evicted from their homes in slums, Jhuggies, settlement colonies and informal sector workers who have been denied their livelihood without any rehabilitation have gathered at Jantar Mantar to raise their voice against the “Bulldozer Raj”. The government is forcibly snatching the land of poor Dalits and tribals from across the country and selling them to a handful of capitalists and continues to vandalize the settlements with bulldozers like a storm.
राज्य में मुख्य विपक्षी एवं सत्ताधारी दल जनता के मुद्दों से दूर तब सामाजिक संगठन उठा रहे हैं जवाबदेही की बहुत ही जायज मांग -प्रशांत पाटनी
सहरियो की जमीनों पर आज भी दूसरों का कब्जा जिसे प्रशासन तुरंत हटाए - यसोदा बाई सहरिया
Rice Fortification in food schemes
New Delhi, August 22, 2022: An RTI response by the Ministry of Women and Child Development reveals knee-jerk and self-protecting measures in the form of a few circulars issued by the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution as well as the Ministry of Women and Child Development with regard to Fortified Rice being distributed in the country under government schemes. These Circulars, which are a desperate attempt by the Government of India, to cover up on an unscientific one-size-fits-all approach to anaemia in the country, are apparently in response to grave irregularities in the government’s fortification program highlighted by Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) and the Right to Food Campaign (RTFC). The government of India has started scaling up its rice fortification intervention even before the so-called pilots were completed, or evaluation lessons culled out, ignoring numerous scientific, holistic and community-controlled approaches to tackling malnutrition. Reports of fact-finding visits to various districts in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have been put out by these collective platforms in the months of April and May 2022, that highlight grave issues.
To deal with malnutrition and anaemia among women and children in the state, the Jharkhand government is all set to launch a programme to distribute fortified rice through PDS across 24 districts, officials said on Sunday.
In a bid to find out the impact of fortified rice on people in the blocks, where the pilot project was implemented, two civil society organisations — Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA-Kisan Swaraj) and Right to Food Campaign — carried out a study and found “violation of government guidelines for distribution of fortified rice as the programme did not include officials of health department”, rights activists claimed.
Baiga tribal community in Chhattisgarh are facing difficulties in consuming fortified rice and is now rejecting it with the demand to stop these acts.
Govt. stops the supply of fortified rice to sickle cell anemia, thalassemia patients in Wayanad
A meeting of MLAs from Wayanad district, called by Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil in Thiruvananthapuram, decided to direct the civil Supplies Commissioner to collect details of such patients from the Health department and stop the distribution of fortified rice to them. Moreover, concern over the distribution of fortified rice to pre-primary and primary schoolchildren suffering from sickle cell anaemia and thalassemia through the mid-day meal scheme will be conveyed to the departments concerned.
Kerala excludes people with bloodborne diseases from the scheme to distribute fortified rice
The state government will ensure the supply of fortified rice through public distribution systems after excluding a selected group of people from the scheme.
What’s fortified rice, why is the Modi govt pushing it & why some experts aren’t excited?
The Right to Food Campaign and policy advocacy group Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture have warned that a major concern relating to mass fortification is that it puts patients suffering from thalassemia and sickle cell disease at risk of an iron overload, which can cause damage to the heart, the liver and the endocrine system. Anura V. Kurpad, former head of the department of physiology at St John’s Medical College, Bengaluru, and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London, told ThePrint, “Ideally, India should implement targeted programmes [such as providing iron tablets to pregnant and lactating mothers], to give iron to those who need it…But the entire population, or even half of them, do not need it.”
Seminar/Workshop conducted by the DSO Office, East Singhbhum on the Rice fortification distribution
For DSO Seminar/Workshop on Fortified Rice, East Singhbhum, Jamshedpur on behalf of the Right to Food Campaign Dr. Vandana Prasad joined the online form. Along with her, Balram, James Herenj, Rohin and Raj Shekhar were present in this session at Jamshedpur as civil society organizations representatives.
Action Day on the call of NREGA Sangharsh Morcha
From 21 - 23 September, NREGA workers across the country are mobilising to raise their issues and to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister. This is being done as part of the National Action Days called by the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a collective of groups that work with NREGA labourers across the country.
Press Release 21, September 2022
● NREGA Sangharsh Morcha’s call for Action across the country to revive proper
functioning of MGNREGA
● Petition to Prime Minister of India and Minister of Rural Development to revive the proper functioning of MGNREGA
प्रेस विज्ञप्ति 21 सितंबर 2022
● मनरेगा के उचित कार्यान्वयन को पुनर्जीवित करने के लिए नरेगा सघंर्ष मोर्चा का देश भर में एक व्यापक कार्रवाई का आह्वान किया गया
● भारत के प्रधानमंत्री और ग्रामीण वि कास मंत्री को याचिका सौंपी गई
Press Release 22, September, 2022
NREGA Sangharsh Morcha’s call for Action across the country to revive the proper functioning of MGNREGA
Petition to Prime Minister of India and Minister of Rural Development to revive proper functioning of MGNREGA
प्रेस विज्ञप्ति 22, सितंबर, 2022
मनरेगा के उचित कार्यान्वयन को पुनर्जीवित करने के लिए नरेगा संघर्ष मोर्चा का देश भर में एक व्यापक कार्रवाई का आह्वान किया गया
भारत के प्रधानमंत्री और ग्रामीण विकास मंत्री को याचिका सौंपी गई
Vimal Bhai lives on! In our Hearts! In our Andolans for Azadi and Justice!
Salutes to the Rainbow of Resistance: Vimalbhai (1962 to 2022)
Vimal Bhai indeed represented the true rainbow of resistance in his work of struggle and solidarity.
Gouri Choudhury (12 Dec 1938- 9 Sept 2022). A doyen of the Feminist Movement, a stellar social activist, an inspiration and a soul sister to so many women and men across generations, is deeply mourned by thousands whose lives and hearts she touched.
News, Reports and articles
The UN Food Summit was held last Sept. It's proven useless to tackle the food crisis as predicted. Michael Fakhri's latest piece focuses on the meat debate.
Making sense of the ‘Freebies issue’-
Most welfare schemes contribute to improving human development outcomes, also resulting in higher growth. The fact that small amounts given to the poor by a system that has mostly failed them are called ‘freebies’, while the freebies that the rich get all the time through low tax rates and exemptions are ‘incentives’ is nothing but a reflection of the nature of democracy in our country.
Adding digital layers of indignity
Dehumanisation is the likely outcome when humane aspects of governance get outsourced to technologies. Democratic dictum suggests that people should be able to ‘see’ the state clearly, not the other way around. It is the dignity and trust of people at stake otherwise.
The global food crisis is likely to threaten food security in India
While ensuring adequate food supply and improving efficiency in distribution is likely to help poor, who suffer the worst impact of inflation, what is also needed are proactive steps to increase the income of farmers in our drought and disease-affected states. The best way to do so would be to prepare for higher procurement during the Kharif season. Ensuring food security for the poor is not only essential to protect them from another impending global food crisis, but also important for alleviating distress in our rural economy.
Food security for all: Time to think long-term
While this is a welcome decision given that the poor of the country are reeling under the twin impacts of unemployment and inflation, it would be more meaningful if it is also accompanied by more long-term strategies to ensure that the public distribution system (PDS) continues to provide support towards ensuring food security.
Govt to buy more pulses in the push for food security
According to a CCEA notification, the Centre can now procure up to 40% of pigeon pea (tur), black gram (urad) and plain lentil (masur) grown by farmers, up from 25% earlier, under its price support scheme (PSS) if market rates of these commonly consumed items fall below minimum support prices (MSP). According to a CCEA notification, the Centre can now procure up to 40% of pigeon pea (tur), black gram (urad) and plain lentil (masur) grown by farmers, up from 25% earlier, under its price support scheme (PSS) if market rates of these commonly consumed items fall below minimum support prices (MSP). MSPs are floor rates fixed by the Centre aimed at ensuring farmers do not sell at a loss.
The Union government will also offer up to 1.5 million tonnes of chickpea, another essential pulses variety, from a federally held stockpile to states and Union territories at a discount of ₹8 over the issue price, or the subsidised rate at which each state sells to beneficiaries of the public distribution system (PDS).
Centre sets target for rice stocks in food security review meet
The meet was aimed at ensuring the Centre is able to buy sufficient rice stocks for the country’s public distribution system. Securing food supplies is critical this year as domestic cereal prices have risen and the world battles one of the gravest food crises in decades. The Union food ministry had recently asked major rice-growing states to come up with projections of production, the person said. The Centre sought the estimates so that it could correctly determine how much of the staple will be available for procurement, which refers to the government’s purchase of grains from farmers for state-held reserves.
Massive Scam On Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister's Watch, Finds Auditor
From ration transport trucks that were found to be motorcycles to wild exaggeration of the number of beneficiaries, the Madhya Pradesh government's nutrition programme for children has been nobbled by eye-popping levels of corruption, at the risk of leaving them malnourished and costing taxpayers crores of rupees, the state's own auditor has found. A confidential 36-page report by the Madhya Pradesh Accountant General, accessed exclusively by NDTV, has found large-scale fraud, and irregularities in the identification of beneficiaries, production, distribution and quality control of the ambitious free food scheme for schoolchildren.
More than half the funds for POSHAN Abhiyaan unutilised: NITI Aayog report
Less than half the funds set aside for the POSHAN Abhiyaan have been utilised by India’s states, according to the fourth progress report released by the NITI Aayog on September 1, 2022. States and Union territories (UTs) with poor distribution of mobile phones and growth monitoring devices emerged as those with low fund utilisation. The report noted that more than half the funds (60 percent) remained unutilised until March 31, 2020. The scheme has an earmarked three-year budget of Rs 9,046.17 crore from 2017-18. The Union government’s flagship scheme was launched in 2018 and aimed to improve the nutritional status of children, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescents. Only three states had used more than 50 percent of their POSHAN Abhiyaan funds between 2017-2018 and 2018-2019. This improved marginally to 12 between 2017-2019 and FY 2019-2020.
Centre extends Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) for another three months (October 2022-December 2022)
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