[Reader-list] RTF (Right to Food) Articles - 7

[Rakesh Iyer]

 *Right to Food Campaign*
Introduction<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaign/campaign.html>
Foundation Statement <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/foundation.html>
Collective Statement <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaign/charter.html>
About the Secretariat<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaign/secretariat.html>
Disclaimer <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaign/disclaimer.html>
Contact Addresses <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/contactus.html>
Campaign Updates <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/links/updates.html>
Finance and Accounts <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/fin/fin_intro.html>
Useful Links <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/links/links.html>
Introduction <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ega_intro.html>
Current Highlights<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ega_latest_activities.html>
Key Documents <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ega_keydocs.html>
Tools for Action and
Research<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ega-tools-for-action-and-research.html>
Events <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ega_events.html>
Rozgar Updates<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ega_rozgarupdates.html>
Articles <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ega_articles.html>
News Feeds <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ega_news.html>
Campaign Materials<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ega-campaign-materials.html>
Archives <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ega_archives.html>
Introduction <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/mdm/mdm_intro.html>
Supreme Court Orders <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/mdm/mdm_scorders.html>
Commissioners' Interventions<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/mdm/mdm_comrs.html>
Events <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/mdm/mdm_events.html>
Mid-day Meal Guidelines<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/mdm/mdm_glines.html>
Field Surveys <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/mdm/mdm_surveys.html>
Articles <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/mdm/mdm_articles.html>
Campaign Materials<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/mdm/mdm_campaignmaterials.html>
News Feeds <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/mdm/mdm_news.html>
Introduction <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/icds/icds_index.html>
Supreme Court orders <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/icds/icds_orders.html>
Commissioners' Interventions<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/icds/icds_comrs_interventions.html>
Commissioners' Reports<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/icds/icds_comrs_reports.html>
National Advisory Council<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/icds/icds_nac.html>
Official Documents <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/icds/icds_glines.html>
Field Surveys <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/icds/icds_surveys.html>
Articles <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/icds/icds_articles.html>
Events <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/icds/icds_events.html>
News Feeds <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/icds/icds_news.html>
Introduction <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/pds/pds_intro.html>
Articles <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/pds/pds_articles.html>
The 'Right to Food' case <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/case/case.html>
Supreme Court Orders<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/orders/interimorders.html>
Supreme Court Commissioners<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/comrs/comrs_intro.html>
Primers <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaign/camp_primers.html>
Posters and Plays<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaign/camp_postersplays.html>
Pamphlets <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaign/camp_pamphlets.html>
Background Material<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaign/camp_background.html>
Download - Hindi Font <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/hindi/krdv010.zip>
About the Campaign <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/hindi/campaign.html>
Legal Action <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/hindi/legal.html>
Children's Right to Food <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/hindi/child.html>
Employment Guarantee <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/hindi/ega.html>
Public Distribution System <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/hindi/pds.html>
Primers & Posters <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/hindi/primers.html>
Articles <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/links/articles_intro.html>
Field Reports <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/links/field_reports.html>
Field Surveys <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/research/research.html>
EGA in News <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ega_news.html>
MDM in News <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/mdm/mdm_news.html>
ICDS in News <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/icds/icds_news.html>
Right to information
campaign<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaigns/rti.html>
Forest Rights <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaigns/forestrights.html>
Unorganised Workers <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaigns/usw.html>
Bodhgaya Convention on the Right to Food and
Work<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/events/bodhgayaconvention.html>
Kolkata Convention on the Right to Food and
Work<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/events/kolkataconvention.html>
Rozgar Adhikar Yatra<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ray-intro.html>
Banner project <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/banner.html>
19 September 2004 Convention on Right to
Work<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/egaconvention.html>
Bhopal Convention<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/events/bhopalconvention/bhopalmeeting.html>
Action day on Mid-day Meals April
2002<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/mdm/action.html>
*Home* <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/index.html> *Latest
additions*<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/latest.html>
*About the Campaign*<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaign/campaign.html>
*Employment Guarantee
Act*<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ega_intro.html>
*Mid-day Meals* <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/mdm/mdm_intro.html> *Right
to Food Act* <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/right_to_food_act.html>
*ICDS*<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/icds/icds_index.html>
*PDS* *Legal Action* <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/case/case.html> *Campaign
Material* <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaign/camp_primers.html> *Hindi
section* <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/hindi/hindi_main.html> *Research
and Writings* <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/links/articles_intro.html> *News
Stories* *Related
Campaigns*<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaigns/related-campaigns.html>
*Archives* *Site Map* <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/map.html>
*Search*<http://www.righttofoodindia.org/search.html>
*Contact Us* <http://www.righttofoodindia.org/feedback.html>



*UPDATE 3*

Dear friends,

The main recent development is a long hearing in the Supreme Court on 3rd
September. A range of issues were discussed in the hearing, including
mid-day meals, social security and the right to work. The first three items
in the "headlines" below relate to this hearing.

Today's headlines:

1. Mid-day meals: supreme court pulls up "delinquent states"
2. Further progress with the proposal for "ending destitution"
3. West bengal: workshop on the right to food and work
4. Pondichery breakfast scheme runs into trouble
5. Starvation deaths in karnataka and orissa
6. Reminders


*1. MID-DAY MEALS: SUPREME COURT PULLS UP "DELINQUANT STATES"*

On 28 November 2001, the Supreme Court directed all States and UTs to
introduce cooked mid-day meals in all government and government- assisted
primary schools within six months. Nine months later, many (in fact most)
states are yet to introduce mid-day meals. They complain of lack of funds
for the purpose. Taking a serious view of the situation, the Supreme Court
stated on 3rd September that it cannot entertain this excuse for not
implementing the order. It put the states on "verbal notice" that they have
to decide by Monday 9th September to implement the scheme. Failing that, the
court may allot
money for the scheme directly from the centre and deduct this from central
grants to the states. These statements, prominently reported the next day in
front-page articles published in Times of India and Dainik Bhaskar,
apparently sent shock waves in the Planning Commission and Finance Ministry.
(Update: The hearing on Monday 9th September has been adjourned.)

*2. FURTHER PROGRESS WITH THE PROPOSAL FOR "ENDING DESTITUTION"*

At the 3rd September hearing, the GoI agreed in principle to the application
on destitution, which puts forward a proposal for a major programme of
food-based social security for destitute households. The government has
asked
for 4 months to frame the details of the programme. On 9 September, an
inter-ministerial meeting was held for further discussion of this proposed
programme. Despite some opposition from a representative of the Finance
Ministry, the proposal was positively received (further details of the
outcome of this meeting are awaited). We expect further rapid progress on
this front during the next few weeks.

*3. WEST BENGAL: WORKSHOP ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD AND WORK*

In West Bengal, the "network for the right to food and work" proposes to
conduct a workshop on 25-26 September. The programme includes a situation
analysis relating to the right to food, the right to work, government
schemes, and the status of the case in the Supreme Court. Also on the agenda
are the strategies for the campaign, the campaign
structure, and other issues. Specifically, the workshop hopes to develop a
plan of action for the Action Day being planned under the banner "Godam
Kholo, Kam Do".

*4. PONDICHERY BREAKFAST SCHEME RUNS INTO TROUBLE*

On 14th August 2002, the Government of Pondichery introduced a Breakfast
scheme with some fanfare. The scheme covers all children in government
schools up to class 10, and involves the provision of bread and milk as
breakfast. This pioneering scheme ran into some trouble last week when
children in a school fell ill with food poisoning. This turned out to be due
to the bad quality of the milk. The programme was suspended for a couple of
days, but is now
back on track. This experience underlines the importance of the quality
aspects of mid-day meal programmes, which have been a major concern of the
Right to Food campaign.

*5. STARVATION DEATHS IN KARNATAKA AND ORISSA*

There were media reports this week of starvation deaths in Karnataka and
Orissa. The governments rushed teams to "investigate" these deaths. It is
safe to expect that they will return with the news that the deaths were not
due to starvation. The Karnataka team is planning to get the help of doctors
in the area to investigate and document the death.

Starvation deaths are complicated to document since the immediate cause of
death is generally some disease due to weakening of the body and loosing the
power of resistance. Dr. Abhay Shukla of CEHAT has worked on developing a
method of documenting starvation deaths, looking not just at the immediate
cause of a death but also at the long-term events that have an effect on the
body. It may become important for the campaign to document starvation deaths
systematically, if we are to debunk official claims of deaths being due to
diseases and other immediate causes.

*6. REMINDERS*

Please remember to help spread awareness of the campaign by
reprinting items from these "Updates" in your organisation's
newsletter, if possible. Our thanks to Dr. Shabhunath Singh Research
Foundation and www.humanrightskerala.com for deciding to publish items from
earlier updates in the bimonthly newsletter "Paharua", and in the "Children"
and "This India" columns of the website. Thanks to VANI also for venturing
to print news about the two Supreme Court
applications in its newsletter.