RTFC Update (Nov-December 2021)
Secretariat Right to Food Campaign
Dear Friends,
In this update, we are sharing important letters, statements along with news related to important issues and engagements of other organisations and networks across the country who are part of the Right to Food Campaign.
We will try to keep you updated regularly about news and events around the right to food. We request you to participate in campaign activities in your states and share with us at (rtfc...@gmail.com) details of activities and other news on the right to food.
Raj Shekhar
Zindabad,
Secretariat Right to Food Campaign
RTF Update (November-December 2021)
Letters and Statements issued by Right to Food Campaign and other networks.
DRRA writes to Delhi CM over no ration to those without cards
A Survey conducted by Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan says that 106 schools in Delhi, which are designated as ration distribution points for providing foodgrains to people without ration cards, were not distributing foodgrains as they had no stock of rations. Out of 282 schools 106 are functioning as designated distribution points which is a clear non-compliance with directions of the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court.
Right to Food Campaign sent a letter to the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (November 8, 2021)
The letter focussed on raising the demand of Pradhanmantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana extension and the universalisation of the Public Distribution System.
People’s Action for Employment Guarantee (PAEG) and LibTech India jointly hosted a press conference on 29 October, 2021. Prof. Jayati Ghosh, Nikhil Dey and Dr. Rajendran Narayanan were the panellists at the Press Conference. This tracker is in continuation of the series of trackers that the PAEG has been releasing since 2020.
The study is based on 18 lakh wage transactions from 1 April, 2021 to 30 September, 2021. In addition to analysing the overall situation of NREGA wage payment delays, the study also shows (a) the impact of the Central government’s recent circular (issued in March, 2021) to segregate wage payments by the caste category of workers and (b) the impact of wage payments based on what type of payment it is i.e., Aadhaar-based payments and Account based payments.
The letter demanded that the NREGA planning process being undertaken over the coming weeks should focus on planning a sufficient shelf of works, taking steps to include workers from minority categories and to reduce payment rejections and delays.
In case of Schedule Caste workers, 46% of payments were completed within a seven-day period by the Central government and payment for 80% of payments to SCs was done in 15 days. This was 37% and 63% for workers from Schedule Tribes.
71% of MGNREGA wages were delayed beyond the mandated seven days, 44 per cent of the transactions beyond the mandated 15 days and 14 percent of the transactions beyond the mandated 30 days.
The Centre stands in contravention of the Act and Supreme Court orders by not paying the delay compensation payable to workers due to Stage 2 delays
As on October 29, the total expenditure including payments due had already reached ₹79,810 crore, pushing the scheme into the red. Already, 21 States show a negative net balance, with Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal faring the worst. Additionally, MGNREGA data shows that 13% of households who demanded work under the scheme were not provided work.
Odisha, engagement of women, SC and differently-abled people in MGNREGA is low
Only 32.2% of the registered Scheduled Caste households participated in NREGA while the national average stands at 38.5%. Similarly, women’s toiling out in the center’s flagship programme stands at 46% against the national average of 54%.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik writes to PM Narendra Modi requesting him to enhance the labour budget of the State under MGNREGS, to 25 Crore person days for the year 2021-22.
After being denied their rightful work under MGNREGA, hundreds of rural labourers from different villages across Kalaburagi district staged a demonstration outside the zilla panchayat office in Kalaburagi on November 15.
The government of Karnataka notified a provision for additional employment of 50 days over and above 100 days per household under MGNREGA in notified flood affected 99 blocks of 17 districts of Karnataka in FY 2021-22.
NREGA Sangharsh Morcha network released a press note on 17th November, 2021 regarding the demands for ensuring payment of pending wages and more fund allocation in NREGA.
NSM network in various states like West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand sent deputation to CMs.
Andhra Pradesh has already overspent the budget, when there is still four and a half months to continue the MGNREGA programme.
The LibTech India analysts found that, if the person-days generated from November 2020 to March 2021 is considered, an additional expenditure of Rs 1782.09 crore is required. If 100 workdays per household, as assured in the MGNREGA programme, is to be provided at the same Rs 387.21 average cost per day, then a whopping Rs 9203.26 crores budget is required.
Cabinet approved extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) for another four months December 2021-March 2022.
A group of 80 economists and other academics has written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to immediately release adequate funds for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
As employment and wage levels struggle to return to pre-pandemic levels and workers are already owed pending dues to the tune of over Rs 1,121 crore.
Amid demands for additional funds for MGNREGA to meet the rising work demand, the rural development ministry claimed that the finance ministry has allocated an extra Rs 10,000 crore in this financial year over the Budget Estimate and further allocation will be made based on the demand at the Revised Estimate stage for FY22.
The Union Budget had allocated Rs 73,000 crore for MGNREGA in FY22. The fact that the government has allocated just about 10,000 crore against a minimum requirement of 25,000 crore shows that it was just doing crisis management and not looking at emerging demand at all.
On December 3rd, the Right to Food Campaign issued a statement on the Central Government’s decision to extend PMGKAY, reiterating the demands for increasing quota and universalisation of PDS.
The Right to Food Campaign demands that the government of Karnataka as well as other states of the country must ensure nutritional interventions for all children on sound scientific premise rather than religion, caste or ideology.
News and articles related to food and other issues
India slips to 101st spot in the Global Hunger Index 2021 report.
The data for the GHI report was assessed for 135 countries out of which there was sufficient data to calculate 2021 GHI scores and rank 116 countries.
A reminder that India still trails in the hunger fight.
The government's objection to the methodology of the Global Hunger Index is not based on facts. Over the years India is ranking at the lower end below a number of other countries that are poorer in terms of per capita incomes which is a cause of concern. (Dipa Sinha The Hindu, October 26 2021).
Towards Food Sovereignty: Dismantling the Capitalistic Brahminic-Patriarchal Food Farming Regime
Country-specific national pathways to sustainable food systems, reinforce how the ‘transformation’ of food systems envisaged by the United Nations Food Systems Summit is about endorsing hegemonic agribusiness capitalist markets control of global food systems. Using India as the site of analysis, This is foremost a project of liberation from systemic structures of enslavement, and in the case of India these are capitalism, Brahminism and Brahminical patriarchy. (Sagari R. Ramdas, Springer).
Regular intake of millets helps tackle anaemia as per a study.
A new study says regular consumption of millets can improve haemoglobin and serum ferritin levels and reduce iron deficiency anaemia. “The study concluded that millets can provide most of the daily dietary iron requirements of an average person,” said S Anitha, the study’s lead author and Senior Nutritionist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).
Malnourished children from vulnerable communities suffer from obesity as per ISEC study.
A total of 277 children aged between less than 1 year and 5 years participated in the study which measured their health parametres against the standard set by the World Health Organisation.
A new app is failing India's fight against child malnutrition
Anganwadi staff need funds for infrastructure and supplies. Instead, the government gave them a new app that is riddled with problems.
Experts said that India should make it mandatory for manufacturers to put WHO-standard food labels on harmful ingredients to tackle the exponential rise in childhood obesity, early onset of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
The malady of malnutrition (R. Padmini, 25th October, 2021)
The widely accepted concept of the First thousand days tells us that the crucial stage in a child’s development is from the day of conception up to the child’s second birthday, as this is the period when the child is being formed and rapidly develops.
An unhealthy nutrition policy (Veena Shatrugna & Vandana Prasad, Business Standard, 26th October 2021)
The prime minister made an announcement that iron fortified rice will be supplied through all state food schemes by 2024. Staples like rice, wheat, edible oil, milk and salt are all slated for mandatory fortification. Widespread nutritional deficiencies are being cited as the key reason behind such a move, especially iron deficiency or anaemia, which is being used as the peg to justify such a drastic and expensive overhaul of our food programmes, markets, and food cultures.
A for-profit market for breast milk is emerging around the globe (including India). Selling milk poses risk among infants and adults both which can transmit virus and bacteria with a risk of getting contaminated. (Sarah, Stelle, Scroll.in. October 27 2021)
Supreme Court agrees to hear plea seeking setting up of community kitchens in India.
The apex court, on February 17 last year, had imposed an additional cost of ₹5 lakh each on six States for not complying with its directions to file their affidavits on the PIL, which sought formulation of the scheme to set up community kitchens for the poor.
The Supreme Court directs the Centre to come up with policy on the Community Kitchens Scheme after interacting with states. (Live Law, 27th October 2021)
एनीमिया से लड़ने के लिए सरकार अब राशन के चावल में आयरन मिलाएगी। (Reetika Khera, Dainik Bhaskar, 11th November 2021).
Hunger isn’t about biology. It’s about politics. (Shah Alam, Indian Express 12th November 2021).
The centre in September expanded the flagship Mid-day meal programme into PM Poshan with an outlay of Rs. 1.31 trillion including states share for five years.
States plan to provide soya chikki, peanut chikki, chaulai ke laddu, bananas, millet soups, millet laddu, eggs, sprouts with jaggery, etc as part of supplementary nutrition to school students in aspirational districts under the PM Poshan (Poshan Shakti Nirman) scheme. Karnataka is among the states that earlier said they will provide supplementary food from December.
बिहार के मुजफ्फरपुर में काम की मांग को लेकर मनरेगा मजदूर द्वारा एक दिन का धरना दिया गया। आयुक्त और डीएम ने 15 दिन का समय लिया है मनरेगा मज़दूरों को काम उपलब्ध कराने के लिए।(30th November 2021).
Farm laws repeal bill was passed in both the houses of the parliament against the controversial three farm laws which were passed last year in the monsoon session of the parliament.
Over one year long Farmers protest against the three farm laws led to the repeal. Meanwhile, protesting farmers continue to wait for a solid addressal of pending demands, said the press release note by Samyukta Kisan Morcha.
National Family Benefit Scheme is in urgent need of revival. (5th December, Jean Dreze and Jasmin Naur Hafiz).
The revamping would not be possible without a major increase in the NFBS budget.
Do not insist on Ration Cards for distributing Dry ration to sex workers: Supreme Court (3rd December, 2021)
While reiterating that it is difficult for sex workers to produce proof of identity, the Supreme Court of India on Monday directed all States and Union territories to distribute dry ration to sex workers without insisting on ration cards.
Right to Food Campaign in NCERT textbooks. (English/Hindi)
India 'very unequal', top 10% hold 57% of national income: Inequality report.
The report has flagged a drop in global income during 2020 with half of the dip in rich countries and the rest in low-income and emerging nations. India stands out as a “poor and very unequal country, with an affluent elite”, where the top 10 per cent holds 57 per cent of the total national income while the bottom 50 per cent’s share is just 13 per cent in 2021, according to the latest World Inequality Report 2022.
Sudha Bhardwaj Bail: How SC spelt out limitation of sessions court (3rd December, 2021).
In granting bail to lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case, the Bombay High Court affirmed that her detention under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) was extended by a sessions court that had no power to do so. A Bench of Justices N J Jamadar and S S Shinde held that when a special court designated under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008 existed in Pune, the sessions judge had no jurisdiction to extend the detention beyond the stipulated 90 days.
Eggs must for midday meal scheme, award contract to women's groups: Right to Food Campaign (20th December, 2021)
The incidence of stunting and underweight are common among children even before they start school especially for those from vulnerable communities.
Karnataka introduces eggs in mid day meals in seven districts, health activists demands all 31 districts covered (20th December, 2021)
Karnataka has been the only South Indian state that has not provided eggs as part of mid day meal in spite of the fact that 94 per cent of students in the government and aided schools belong to communities that eat eggs,” pointed out the Right to Food Campaign experts.
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