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

[Rakesh Iyer]

Dear all

This particular articles is being taken up from the Right to Food campaign.
You can go to this site as well to check the relevant articles if you wish.
But of course, I will continue to post these as and when I can. It's
basically a campaign which was organized to fight for the Right to Food.
This can also help us in understanding the campaign as it went. And give us
a better understanding of the problems as well.

Regards

Rakesh

Do go through these if possible.

Regards

Rakesh

Link: http://www.righttofoodindia.org/links/updates/update1.html

*UPDATE 1
*

*Date: *August 2002

Dear friends,

Plans are afoot to step up the Right to Food campaign, as widespread drought
presents us with new challenges. From now on we will be sending you regular
"updates" (say 2-3 times a month), with news from the campaign around the
country. IF YOUR ORGANISATION HAS A NEWSLETTER, PLEASE CONSIDER REPRINTING
PORTIONS OF THESE UPDATES IN THE NEWSLETTER, TO HELP SPREAD AWARENESS ABOUT
THE CAMPAIGN.

If you are an active member of the campaign, please send us information from
to time about your activities, for inclusion in future Updates.
Contributions to the Right to Food Update may be sent to
right2food at yahoo.co.in

To facilitate reading, each Update will begin with a list of "headlines", as
a guide to the content of the main text. Here are today's headlines:

1. The right to food campaign's foundation "statement".
2. Survey of Anna Antyodaya Yojana completed.
3. A proposal to end starvation.
4. Supreme Court hearing to resume soon.
5. Commissioners appointed by the Supreme Court.
6. Setting up a monitoring process.
7. Meetings with Food Minister, Finance Minister, etc.
8. Progress of mid-day meal programmes.
9. Campaign website.
10. Writ petitions in High Courts.
11. Public hearing on right to food in Palamau.
12. Jharkhand: campaign stepped up at all levels.
13. Special issue of "Combat Law" on the right to food

*1. THE RIGHT TO FOOD CAMPAIGN'S "FOUNDING STATEMENT"*

The Right to Food Campaign is an informal, decentralised network of
individuals and organisations committed to the right to food. It is based on
voluntary cooperation between like-minded people. To ensure some coherence
in this network, it was felt that a common "statement" is needed, spelling
out what unites us. After much discussion, the following was adopted as the
campaign's "founding statement":

THE "RIGHT TO FOOD CAMPAIGN" IS AN INFORMAL NETWORK OF ORGANISATIONS AND
INDIVIDUALS COMMITTED TO THE REALISATION OF THE RIGHT TO FOOD IN INDIA. WE
CONSIDER THAT EVERYONE HAS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO BE FREE FROM HUNGER AND
UNDERNUTRITION. REALISING THIS RIGHT REQUIRES NOT
ONLY EQUITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS, BUT ALSO ENTITLEMENTS RELATING
TO LIVELIHOOD SECURITY SUCH AS THE RIGHT TO WORK, LAND REFORM AND SOCIAL
SECURITY. WE CONSIDER THAT THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR GUARANTEEING THESE
ENTITLEMENTS RESTS WITH THE STATE. LACK OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES CANNOT BE
ACCEPTED AS AN EXCUSE FOR ABDICATING THIS RESPONSIBILITY. IN THE PRESENT
CONTEXT, WHERE PEOPLE'S BASIC NEEDS ARE NOT A POLITICAL PRIORITY, STATE
INTERVENTION ITSELF DEPENDS ON EFFECTIVE POPULAR ORGANISATION. WE ARE
COMMITTED TO FOSTERING THIS PROCESS THROUGH ALL DEMOCRATIC MEANS.

*2. SURVEY OF ANTYODAYA ANNA YOJANA COMPLETED*

A survey of Antyodaya Anna Yojana was conducted in June 2002 by a team of
researchers based at the Centre for Development Economic and the Centre for
Equity Studies. The survey covers 46 villages in five states: Andhra
Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Preliminary
results indicate that the scheme is doing quite
well, in contrast with most other food-based welfare programmes. Most of the
households included in the Antyodaya programme are very poor, suggesting
that the "selection" procedure is working reasonably well. Further, the
sample households obtained about 70 per cent of their official entitlements
(currently 35 kgs of grain per month) since the programme was introduced.
This compares favourably with the public distribution system and school-meal
programmes in the same areas. Further, corruption in the Antyodaya programme
appears to be relatively low. The programme is particularly effective in
Andhra Pradesh, and very defective in Jharkhand. A detailed report is in
progress.

*3. A PROPOSAL TO END STARVATION*

Based on the findings of the above-mentioned survey, a proposal for a
large-scale, long-term programme of food-based social security for destitute
households has been prepared. This proposal has been filed in the Supreme
Court as an interim application. We encourage you to take up this proposal
for discussion in your own organisation. Any comments or suggestions should
be sent to right2food at yahoo.co.in

*4. SUPREME COURT HEARING TO RESUME ON 2ND SEPTEMBER*

The Supreme Court hearing on the right to food (PUCL vs Union of India and
other, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 196 of 2001) will resume on 2nd September,
after a long gap (the last hearing was held on 8 May). We are hoping that
the hearing will focus on the proposal to end food insecurity among
destitute households (see item 3). After that, we hope to take up the issue
of "employment guarantee".

*5. COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED BY THE SUPREME COURT*

In its order of 8 May 2002, the Supreme Court has appointed Dr. N.C. Saxena
and Mr. S.R. Sankaran as "commissioners" for the purpose of monitoring the
orders issued in the context of this hearing. The Commissioners are
empowered to enquire about any violations of these orders and to demand
redressal, with the full authority of the Supreme Court. They are also
expected to report to the court from time to time. This is an important tool
of action: any breach of the orders can be questioned by the Commissioners
with the full authority of the Supreme Court. One qualification: in
principle, complaints are to be sent to the Commissioners only after the
"lower level" redressal mechanisms (e.g. complaints to the BDO, District
Collector, etc.) have been exhausted. However, this clause can be flexibly
interpreted.

*6. SETTING UP A MONITORING PROCESS*

Following on this, the process of setting up a broad- based "monitoring and
redressal system", making full use of the powers of the commissioners, has
been initiated. An "adviser" will be designated in each of the major states
to liaise with the Commissioners and bring to their attention any breaches
of the orders that may have been committed in the state. The advisers will
themselves be helped by a team of members of the Right to Food Campaign. A
meeting to discuss this entire process was held on 9-10 August at the Indian
Social Institute, Delhi. We shall report on this meeting in the next Update.

*7. MEETINGS WITH THE FOOD MINISTER AND FINANCE MINISTER*

Three members of the right to food "support group" (Colin Gonsalvez, Harsh
Mander and Jean Drèze) met the new Food Minister, Shri Sharad Yadav, in
early July. The Minister conveyed his full support for the campaign,
including the public interest litigation. He said that this campaign would
strengthen his own bargaining power within the government. The proposal to
"end starvation" was presented to him and he promised to follow this up. A
request has also been made for a meeting with the Finance Minister. Indeed,
the hidden hand of the Finance Ministry looms large over all these issues.
In his first public statement as new Finance Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh
said that his priority would be to ensure that every family is protected
from hunger. Media reports also suggest that he is planning to introduce a
"new Antyodaya Anna Yojana". This is a good opportunity to get the Finance
Ministry on board, in so far as this can be done.


*8. PROGRESS OF SCHOOL MEAL PROGRAMMES*

State governments have begun implementing the school meal (or "mid-day
meal") programme, in response to the Supreme Court's interim order of 28
November, 2001. Some state governments, such as those of Bihar, Jharkhand
and Uttar Pradesh, have still not shown any sign of introducing cooked
mid-day meals in primary schools. But many other states have made steps in
that direction. Rajasthan stands out for having introduced cooked mid-day
meals as per Supreme Court orders within the stipulated deadline (1 March,
2002), partly due to sustained pressure from the Right to Food campaign in
that state. There is still plenty to do on this front, not only in ensuring
that the "laggard" states implement the order, but also in ensuring that the
mid-day meal scheme does not become token or even counter- productive
programme. A helper is needed to cook the food, since teachers (or pupils
for that matter) cannot and should not be expected to do it. Safeguards are
needed to ensure the quality of the food and its hygienic preparation.
Adequate provisions are also required for utensils, fuel, transport, and so
on. Most state governments are trying to get away with the minimum.
Maharashtra, for instance, is apparently expecting mid-day meals to be
financed through local "contributions" from parents, with the state just
providing uncooked grain as before (see item 14 below). These attempts to
derail or dilute the mid-day meal programme must be resisted.

*10. WRIT PETITIONS IN HIGH COURTS*

A petition has been submitted in the Ranchi High Court, demanding the
immediate implementation of Supreme Court orders on the right to food,
especially the interim order of 28 November, 2001. The petition has been
submitted by PUCL (Ranchi) and Gram Swaraj Abhiyan.

A similar petition is being prepared for submission to the Allahabad High
Court, with special focus on mid-day meals (which are nowhere to be seen in
Uttar Pradesh).

*11. PUBLIC HEARING ON RIGHT TO FOOD IN PALAMAU*

A lively "public hearing" on hunger and the right to food took place on 9
July in Manatu (Palamau district, Jharkhand). This public hearing, held in
the thick of one of India's most deprived and troubled areas, took place in
response to the critical situation that had developed there (three
starvation deaths were recently reported in village Kusumatand, Manatu
panchayat). The hearing was convened by members of Gram Swaraj Abhiyan and
the Right to Food Campaign. It was preceded by a detailed survey of 36
villages of Manatu, which brought to light the disastrous state of public
services and welfare programmes in the area. The hearing was attended by
thousand of hunger-affected people from the surrounding villages, and paved
the way for further action in the area. For a first-hand account of this
public hearing, see the current issue of Frontline (also available at
www.flonnet.com).

*12. JHARKHAND: CAMPAIGN STEPPED UP*

Following on the public hearing in Manatu, efforts are being made to step up
the Right to Food Campaign in Jharkhand. A petition has been submitted in
the Ranchi High Court (see item 10 above). On 11 July, another day of
agitation on mid-day meals took place in Ranchi. Ignoring Section 144,
hundreds of children "invaded" the Chief Minister's residence and handed him
a petition for mid-day meals. The CM was sympathetic and promised to look
into the matter. On 15 July, a meeting was held with opposition MLAs, who
decided to send a team to Manatu shortly. Another fact-finding team,
consisting of eminent scholars from Ranchi University and others, went to
Manatu later in the month.

*13. SPECIAL ISSUE OF "COMBAT LAW" ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD*

The third issue (August-September) of Combat Law, a new human rights
magazine, focuses on the right to food. It includes details of recent
Supreme Court orders, and two accounts of the Right to Food campaign. This
will be of particular interest to those who are not familiar with the
campaign.