Dharna for a just and comprehensive National Food Security Act

From RTF updates:

Announcement

Dharna at Jantar Mantar, outside Parliament on 25th and 26th November 2010, 10am onwards

Be there to raise your voice in support of a just and comprehensive National Food Security Act!

After an agonising four months of discussions, the final recommendations of the NAC for the National Food Security Bill are extremely disappointing. The enactment of the NFSA could have helped the country overcome the gravest problem facing us today – that of declining food availability and an agrarian crisis. The recommendations however essentially deal only with a cereal-based targeted PDS and are a far cry from the comprehensive approach required to truly ensure food security for all. While the proposed child and maternal entitlements are minimalistic, social security pensions for the destitute have been kept out of the Bill.

We are shocked that the expansion of food entitlements for all is not even being considered. Arguments of lack of resources cannot be accepted where on the other hand the same government provides tax exemptions and rebates of over Rs. 5 lakh crores (in 2009-2010) majorly to the corporate sector.

The working group on food security of the NAC will now be drafting the National Food Security Bill based on these final recommendations and the bill will then be tabled in the Parliament. Hence, it's immensely important that we all get our hands together and raise our voice asking for a just and comprehensive food security act.

A dharna has been planned outside Parliament at Jantar Mantar on 25th and 26th November. We request all of you to be there to extend your full support.

Summary of our demands:

· An overarching obligation to protect everyone from hunger;

· Promotion of sustainable and equitable food production ensuring adequate food availability in all locations at all times;

· Protection against forcible diversion of land, water and forests from food production;

· Protection of food sovereignty and elimination of the entry of corporate interests and private contractors in food production, distribution and governance;

· Promotion of decentralized food production, procurement and distribution systems;

· Protection of interests of small farmers especially ensuring that farmers are given remunerative prices for food items.

· A Universal Public Distribution System providing at least 14 kgs of grain per adult per month as well as 1.5 kgs of pulses and 800 gms of oil, with comparable quantities for children;

· Special food and cash entitlements for households (including an expanded Antyodaya programme for single women, old, dalits, Tribals, Disabled, Transgender, landless and marginal farmers, daily wagers, slum dwellers, migrants etc.);

· No use of technology for identification purpose which can violate the civil liberties and human rights of the people.

· Consolidation of all entitlements created by recent Supreme Court orders (e.g. cooked mid-day meals in primary schools and universalization of ICDS);

· Support for effective breastfeeding (including skilled counselling, maternity entitlements and crèches);

· Immediate moratorium on genetically modified (GM) seeds, GM food imports, and use of GM food in government food schemes.

· Universalisation with quality of the ICDS, crèches for young children, universal and unconditional maternity entitlements and cooked mid day meals for school children.

· Elimination of all social discrimination in food–related matters;

· Safeguards against cash transfers replacing food transfers under any nutrition-related scheme;

· Provisioning of Ration cards in the name of women.

· Strong accountability and grievance redressal provisions, including mandatory penalties for any violation of the Act and compensation for those whose entitlements have been denied.

There will be dharnas at Jantar Mantar on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th of November as well regarding the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Act, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bill, Special Economic Zone Act, Forest Rights Act, Coastal Regulation Zone etc.

We are,

The Steering group of the Right to Food Campaign,

Anjali Bhardwaj, Nikhil Dey, Ankita Anand (National Campaign for People’s Right to Information), Annie Raja (National Federation for Indian Women), Anuradha Talwar, Gautam Modi and Madhuri Krishnaswamy (New Trade Union Initiative), Arun Gupta and Radha Holla (Breast Feeding Promotion Network of India), Arundhati Dhuru and Ulka Mahajan (National People’s Movement of India), Asha Mishra and Vinod Raina (Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti), Ashok Bharti and Anup Srivastava (National Conference of Dalit Organizations), Colin Gonsalves (Human Rights Law Network), G V Ramanjaneyulu (Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture), Kavita Srivastava and Binayak Sen (People’s Union for Civil Liberties), Lali Dhakar and Meera Paliwal (Ekal Nari Shakti Sangathan), Mira Shiva and Vandana Prasad (Jan Swasthya Abhiyan), Paul Divakar and Asha Kowtal (National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights), Prahlad Ray and Anand Malakar (Rashtriya Viklang Manch), Subhash Bhatnagar (National Campaign Committee for Unorganized Sector workers)

Secretariat - Right to Food Campaign

C/o PHRN, 5 A, Jungi House, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi 110049. India

Email: righttofood@gmail.com

Phone - 91 -11 -2649 9563

Website: http://www.righttofoodindia.org/

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Some photos from dharna

JalSamvaad's photo exhibition opposing Delhi govt. for poor flood management and 'beautifying' city for CWGs by evicting the 'ugly looking' poor

Happy 12th Birthday CHILDLINE Delhi!

Volunteers paint children's hands for printing on canvas as part of birthday celebration activities. Yes, there were birthday balloons and lots of cake for everyone to feast on too!

Childline directors shake a leg while children let their hair down 

There were smiles everywhere as the DJ played popular dance numbers in Don Bosco School's playground. In my view, this was a big-time 'mainstreaming' exercise for children, who dialed 1098 and were subsequently rescued from dangerous situations.

 Their excitement in front of camera was tangible and infectious :)

For more photos, click here.

Pahar Ganj main bazaar

The photo was clicked during participation in the City Walk programme organised by Salaam Baalak Trust, Delhi. For more photos, click here.

'Happy' Diwali

Have been exchanging Diwali wishes since the last few days. But that day has arrived where one can think of hiding under the bed in a room, whose doors and windows have been tightly latched from the inside. This is a strategy of saving myself from inhaling tonnes of smoke released by Diwali crackers without even knowing 'how much' actually went inside. Earlier it was only the birds, asthmatics, or the old and ailing who couldn't bear smoke and noise from crackers. I am neither a harmless bird, nor an asthmatic or an ailing person (not in any way that I know of), but I cannot seem to tolerate the warm, yet poisonous, blanket of smoke that'll gradually wrap me up from the inside tonight, especially gripping the lungs to reduce their oxygen breathing capacity...

Was chatting with a friend from Maharashtra who said that her state had just witnessed a string of 'festivals of pollution' like Ganapati, Navaratri and Dussehra, where the river bodies choked. But, one can conveniently close ones eyes to that and pretend that those are 'just far-away rivers'. However, aquatic plants and animals would disagree as rivers comprise their complete life source so they cannot take their own gagging lightly. Maybe if living creatures of water could speak with living creatures of the land, and in a language they understood, maybe the latter could have considered finding ecologically healthier ways of appeasing-Gods-at-any-cost. I don't think any 'real' Gods would appreciate so much killing to boost their own ego annually, i.e. just once a year.

   

Anyway, between the two realities i.e. river choking and subsequent dying of aquatic life in Maharashtra and direct, almost inevitable, human-lung-choking during Diwali in Delhi, the latter seemed like a much more immediate concern for me. Just when I was convinced about the importance of what I was thinking, Aruna Roy's group Diwali message beeped on the mobile phone. It said: "Join us on 5th November at 5pm at Statue Circle, Jaipur, with unlit diyas to celebrate kali diwali and demand payment of minimum wages in MNREGA."

(Source: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/diya-collage-card.htm)