{RTF Updates}, Call for immediate action - Send fax of protest to members of EGoM on food security

[Secretariat-Right To Food Campaign.New Delhi]

Call for Immediate Action
 
Dear friends,

This is an appeal to you to fax letters of protest to members of the Empowered Group of Ministers(EGoM) on food security. As you are aware, the Government of India is now in the process of drafting the forthcoming National Food Security Act. The first draft approved by the Empowered Group of Ministers(EGoM) in early April was sent back to them for reconsideration by the Prime Minister’s Office. The Planning Commission was given the responsibility of suggesting the number of people who should be included in the BPL list. On 17th April 2010, the Planning Commission accepted the Suresh Tendulkar Committee on estimation of poverty, making the percentage of people below the poverty line a mere 37%.
The Campaign has rejected this report, taking the stand that food is a basic and universal right. Hence we are demanding universal coverage of all residents of India under the new Act.
The  EGoM is to meet on 23rd April to consider the Tendulkar Committee report . We think this must be an occasion when we should protest aaagainst this deliberate attempt by the Government to   avoid its responsibility of providing food for all the people of our country.
The Campaign’s secretariat will be sending faxes protesting this action to all the EGoM members. We request you to do the same on the letter head of your organisation or in your individual capacity. Please try and do this before the 23rd. If not, please do continue to write to the EGoM members.

A sample letter is given below along with numbers of the concerned ministers.
Please also find attached a table that shows state wise poverty ratios of the Tendulkar committee, as compared to the percentage we are already getting through the Supreme Court. If your state is one of the 18 states that are losing out please do ensure that this is a part of your letter to the EGoM and of your campaign in your state.
We hope you will respond to this call for action.

 

[Fax numbers of EGoM members are attached with this e-mail]

 

With regards
 
Sejal
Right to Food Secretariat

 

 

Note :-

The Campaign successfully concluded its Dharna for 5 days in Delhi from 15th to 19th April 2010 with a meeting at Constitution Club, which was attended by 6 political parties. All of them have endorsed the Campaign’s stand on food security. Members of the Campaign also met various political party leaders, some EgoM members and the Planning commission during this period. We shall be sending a report on this shortly.

 

SAMPLE FAX

To Shri/Smt
 
 

Dear Sir/ Madam,
We have learnt from news reports that the EGoM will be meeting on the 23rd of April 2010 to consider the revised poverty estimates of the Tendulkar Committee which have been recently vetted by the Planning Commission.

 We reject these estimates and reiterate that using the poverty estimates given by the Tendulkar Committee to determine the number of poor in our country who will receive subsidised food under the forthcoming National Food Security Act is an insult to our current situation of hunger, starvation and malnutrition.

The Campaign believes that basic services such as food, education, health, work and social security must be universally available for all. ALL residents of the country must be covered  by the National Food Security Act. While arguing for universal services, we also accept that further affirmative action is required for those who are socially excluded.

We would also like to draw your attention to the fact that Tendulkar Committee is just one committee that has deliberated on poverty estimates. Others that have submitted their reports in the past two years are the National Committee for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS) set up by the Government of India, that estimates that 77% of our population, have an income of less than Rs.20 per day in 2004-05;  the Saxena Committee set up by the Ministry of Rural Development that says that 50% of our population should be considered below poverty line; and, the Wadhwa Committee set up by the Supreme Court which places 72% below the poverty line. We believe a preference has been given to the Tendulkar Committee estimates to minimise  the Government’s expenditure on this very basic need of our people.

As per Supreme Court directions in Writ 196/2001, 36% of our population is already being covered by BPL quotas under the Targeted Public Distribution System. The Tendulkar Committee poverty estimates therefore do not significantly expand this number. In fact, it has reduced the percentage of BPL population in 18 states (e.g. Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and all north east states)

Average calorie consumption at the Tendulkar Committee poverty line is 1766 calories for urban areas and 1999 for rural areas, much below the widely accepted ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) norms for the average healthy person in India (i.e. 2400 Kcal in rural areas and 2100 calories in urban areas). This line is therefore bound to lead to the exclusion of many who are hungry if it is used to set ‘caps’ for food schemes.

We are sure that you are also aware that caps set by the Planning Commission are not a reflection of the ground reality. They force state governments to cut down on the number of people on the BPL list, leaving room for manipulation and corruption of all sorts when making the BPL list. Most often state governments have had to go beyond the BPL list from their own resources, putting a totally avoidable burden on them. There are also huge exclusion and inclusion errors in every BPL survey.

Today, the people of India live in the second fastest growing economy of the world, yet after 62 years of independence, we have some of the world’s highest levels of hunger and malnutrition. Paucity of resources can no longer be an excuse for keeping our people hungry.
 
For an all encompassing food and nutritional security, such legislation must have the following

·         Provide everyone subsidised food, with each adult ‘s monthly entitlements being 14 kgs of cereals, 1.5 kgs of pulses and 800 gms of oil
·         Expand procurement without a dependence on imports, using the public distribution system to revitalise agriculture
·         Make procurement and distribution local and decentralised
·         Children’s right to food must be ensured, with special support for breast feeding
·         Special rights must be given to vulnerable and socially excluded groups
·         There should be no dilution of the Supreme Court orders on the right to food
·         Cash transfers instead of food are unacceptable
·         Food entitlement cards must be in the name of women
·         Transparency, public accountability and effective grievance redressal mechanisms must be established, with punishments, penalties for wrong doers and compensation for the aggrieved
·         Affirmative action for Dalits, Adivasis and other socially discriminated groups must be taken

 
We demand visible action on our demands.
 
Yours sincerely
 

--
Secretariat - Right to Food Campaign
C/o PHRN
5 A, Jungi House,
Shahpur Jat, New Delhi 110049.
India
website: www.righttofoodindia.org
Email: right...@gmail.com
Phone - 91 -11 -2649 9563

Read all the developments towards Right to Food Act, 2009  here : http://www.righttofoodindia.org/right_to_food_act.html

Would you like to read more:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/special-news-report/hungerproject.aspx

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[Secretariat-Right To Food Campaign.New Delhi]

Hi All,

Please fax/e-mail the attached two documents in addition to the main note. 

Some of the e-mail address are mentioned with the fax numbers.

Regards
Sejal

[Secretariat-Right To Food Campaign.New Delhi]

FYI (As anuradha couldn't send it to all)

Pls, do not send the other two documents as fax.

Sorry for the multiple e-mails.

Thanks
Sejal

On 22 April 2010 16:01, paschim banga khet majoor samity <pbk...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear friends,

Sorry for all the confusion and all the repeat emails. We are in a flux in the secretariat as Trilochan is not there and Sejal is valiantly trying to keep up. 

The documents that have been attached and sent in the last mail by Sejal are for your information and not for faxing or emailing.

Regards Anuradha