Sixth National Convention | NFSA Survey 2016 | NFSA Review | Swaraj Abhiyan PIL | 7th Pay Commission | Maternity Entitlement
Secretariat RTF Campaign
Dear Friends,
As the preparations for the sixth national convention of the Right to Food Campaign gather pace, here is a special RTF update.
1. Announcements
Sixth National Convention: The next convention is scheduled from 23-25th September 2016 in Ranchi. Previous national conventions have been held in Sanand (2014), Rourkela (2010), Bodhgaya (2007), Badu (2005) and Bhopal (2004). While three years have elapsed since the passage of the National Food Security Act, despite improvements in the PDS, large implementation gaps remain. To know more about the agenda of this convention, please see the invite here. Please book your tickets and kindly intimate us of the number of confirmed participants at righttof...@gmail.com and rtfconv...@gmail.com
State Conventions: Different states are also organising their respective conventions prior to the national one. Maharashtra’s is scheduled for 7th August. For more details, please write to Mukta Srivastava at muktali...@gmail.com
NFSA Survey 2016: From 1-10 June 2016, a survey of NFSA in 6 of India's poorest states in Eastern India was conducted by student volunteers, with valuable support from friends from the RTF campaign and Supreme Court advisors in these states [Press Release: English | Hindi]. Early results indicate that 4 of the 6 states have made good progress in food security [Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh], but 2 lag behind without essential PDS reforms [Jharkhand, Bihar]. The survey ended with local public hearings in most of the survey states. More detailed findings will be released soon.
NFSA Review Meeting: On 26-27 July an NFSA review meeting will be held at Gandhi Peace Foundation in Delhi. Here are a draft set of questions which state campaigns will deliberate on during the discussions. More than 100 participants are expected from across the country. See here for detailed state-specific pages and information on the NFSA eligibility criteria, official helplines and more. To confirm your participation, please drop a line to righttof...@gmail.com
Swaraj Abhiyan Judgement: The Supreme Court in May delivered a historic judgment in the Swaraj Abhiyan case (full judgement) for universal PDS coverage in drought-hit areas, eggs and milk in mid-day meals and timely MGNREGA. But its implementation has been tardy. The campaign has issued letters to the ministries (Food, HRD) and a coalition has issued a comprehensive statement. 500 volunteers from across the country have also reported for drought duty. A public hearing may be planned in July/August in Delhi. For more details, please contact Dipa Sinha at dipa...@gmail.com
7th Pay Commission: The 7th Pay Commission has a 25% increase in salary for government officials. In contrast MGNREGA workers have received a measly 3% this year. In protest, the Right to Food Campaign has released a statement demanding that the pay commission increase be withheld. For more details, please contact Ashok Khandelwal at ash...@rediffmail.com
Maternity Entitlement: Under the NFSA, every pregnant and lactating mother is entitled to Rs 6000 as maternity entitlements. But so far neither has the centre released these sums nor have the states taken the initiative to implement. So, on 3rd May, the campaign organised Jan Sunwai in Delhi to highlight the issue [Invite | Background Documents | Case Studies | Press Releases]. Now a national consultation is being planned with the government commissions for women and children’s rights. For more details, please contact Sejal Dand at seja...@gmail.com
Global Nutrition: In mid-June, The Global Nutrition Report (GNR) was released. India ranks 114 out of 132 countries for under-5 stunting and 170 out of 185 countries on anaemia.
Jawab Dehi Yatra: In Rajasthan, activists of the SR Abhiyan embarked on a ‘Jawab Do’ dharna after a 100 day Jawab Dehi (Accountability) Yatra. During the yatra, more than 10,000 grievances were recorded and uploaded on the government portal for redress. For more details, please see this comprehensive website. For more details, please contact Nikhil Dey at nikh...@gmail.com
2. Events
Date | Theme | Venue | Location | Organisors | Reports |
2016 | |||||
23-25th September | 6th National Convention of the Right to Food Campaign | Ranchi | Jharkhand | Right to Food Campaign | |
26-27 July | NFSA Review Meeting | Gandhi Peace Foundation | New Delhi | Right to Food Campaign | |
1 - 10 June | NFSA Survey 2016 | 10 states | Eastern India | Student Volunteers [Research and Action Team] | |
3rd May | Maternity Entitlement Jan Sunwai | Constitution Club | New Delhi | Right to Food Campaign | |
From 1st December 2015 | Jawab Dehi (Accountability) Yatra | 33 districts | Rajasthan | Soochana Evam Rozgar Adhikar Abhiyan |
In solidarity,
Secretariat, Right to Food Campaign
B - 5, (Basement) Nizamuddin West, New Delhi 110013, India
Email: righttof...@gmail.com | Phone - 91 -11 - 41613468
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