13 October 2006
Anganwadi Divas Update The idea to celebrate Anganwadi Divas / Bal Adhikar Yatra germinated in the Hyderabad Convention (April 2006) and has evolved in the following months. Preparations to organize such an activity are underway by different organizations and networks in many states such as Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kerala and Assam. These activities will be concentrated from November 14th to November 21st 2006. Planned activities include surveys and fact-findings of ICDS (anganwadi) centres, public meeting to explain provisions of ICDS, cultural programmes at anganwadis, special meals for children on that day, district level meetings with district collector, CDPOs, health officer and other officials. Apart from activities spread over the week, in some places special activiries are being planned for 21st November 2006 (child rights day). Annual Convention of the Right to Food Campaign. The first preparatory meeting for the Annual Convention was held on 7th October 2006 in Delhi. The dates for the convention have been decided as 6th - 8th April 2007. The tentative venue is Gaya (Bihar). Some broad themes for inclusion in the convention were also discussed, such as Poverty Estimation, social exclusion, tribal and dalit rights, land and livelihood issues, globalization, urban poor etc. The Convention will also be an opportunity for sharing from different regions and a review of past achievements among others. The themes stated above are not final and your suggestions are sought. More details on the same will follow in the future updates. The minutes will be placed on the website shortly. www.righttofoodindia.org Rozgar Adhikar Yatra, Madhya Pradesh Conceived and initiated by the National Conference of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR), and supported by Wada Na Todo Abhiyan, Samarthan, Poorest Areas Civil Society (PACS) and several other national and regional networks, a Rozgar Adhikar Yatra has been launched from three places in Madhya Pradesh: Rewa, Tikamgarh and Balaghat. This Rozgar Adhikar Yatra will travel through all the 18 districts notified under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in Madhya Pradesh and will culminate into a Rozgar Adhikar Rally in Bhopal on 31st October. A state level tribunal is also planned in Bhopal on 1 November. This Rozgar Adhikar Yatra aims at generating public consciousness on the rights of poor under the NREGA and to sensitise state machinery to implement this scheme in its sprit and intentions with utmost seriousness. The Rozgar Adhikar Yatra is also undertaking social audit of implementation of NREGA in MP and would prepare a Charter of Demands, which would be submitted to the state and the central governments for immediate action. Public hearings and social audit exercises will also be undertaken in course of Yatras. Ekta Parishad Update (contributed by Rajgopal P.V., Ekta Parishad) a) This report is from Kawardha district, Chhattisgarh. The forest department has destroyed crops of 600 tribal families living in 8 villages of Kawardha district. This is an ongoing battle between forest department and tribals of India. Here the tribals will cultivate land during the Monsoon and the forest department would destroy everything. This happens among a particular primitive tribal community, called the Baigas. b) Apart from this an investigation team has been constituted by Government of India, Ministry of Panchayati Raj to look into the various violations prevailing in the tribal areas (Mr. Rajgopal P.V., President Ekta Parishad is also part of this team). He reports that across the country one can see a total violation of economic and human rights of the tribal communities by the industrial houses and mining companies. For instance in village Barpali, situated about 25 K.M. away from Rourkela, there are two iron factories on both sides of the village resulting in high levels of pollution. Thus many residents are migrating and others are getting sick in such villages. Another disheartening news is that recently 12 Adivasis (tribals) were shot dead in Orissa; their crime was that they did not agree to give their land to industrial houses in order to build a steel factory. Nonetheless there is some good news. The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has recommended that the claims of Adivasis on forest land should be settled. There is a lot of opposition to this recommendation and we are hoping that the Parliament will pass an Act to settle these long standing claims. The second good news is that the Sub-committee on Land Reforms, set up by the Planning Commission of India has formulated some very good recommendations on the land reform agenda. Ekta Parishad and National Campaign Committee on Land (NCCL) are working together on these issues. During Chetawni yatra in October 2006, we are planning to popularize the Planning Commission Report and create public opinion around these issues. c) In Bihar too the new Government setup a Land Commission to look at the land reform agenda. Ekta Parishad organized a state level consultation to create a common platform in order to generate pressure on government and also on the Land Commission. In Bihar, a Ghero Dalo Dhera Dalo (Indefinite Sit-in Programme) is to be organized in Patna from September 24 onwards. About ten thousand landless people and activists will protest for three days and will demand resolutions of the land and livelihoods problems. They will also demand for progressive land reforms policies in the state. Tamil Nadu government has also announced two acres of land to the landless. In this context, Ekta Parishad has recently organized a Padyatra and a National Convention on Land and Livelihood Rights to create a climate as a support to this program. Across the country, especially in states where is Ekta Parishad is active for many years, many programs are taking place like Cycle Yatra, Foot march, Rallies, Sit-in and protest. Presently everything is focused on Chetawni Yatra and Janadesh 2007. EGA is Proving to be Otherwise for Tribals, Betul district (contributed by Anurag Mody, Samajwadi Jan Parishad & Shramik Adivasi Sanghatan) The much publicized National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) is proving otherwise for tribals of Betul District in M P as tribals are losing their resources of survival in lieu of employment. Thousands of tribals are losing their land and pasture to the scheme as the M P government has found a good opportunity and money at their disposal to evict so called tribal encroachers from government land. The Chief Minister of M P Shivrajsingh Chouhan has announced plantation of crores of saplings under the Hariyali Mahotsav. To implement the program the M P government has issued instructions to each Panchayat through district administration to plant trees on government land. This is being done under the NREGA scheme. In Betul district alone this year 1460000 saplings are to be planted over 4669.55 hectors of government land. All most all the land selected under the scheme is occupied by tribals either for cultivation or as a pasture. In village Tadhar of Chicholi block of Betul district alone, tribals have lost 58.88 hectors of land. Pits are being dug up in standing crops. Surendra singh s/o Bhaiyalal said the land is being occupied by his family for four generations. Even in 1998 they were issued pattas for the land. He said they were neither issued any notices nor consulted before work started and they don't have any other land to survive. The Shramik Adivasi Sanghathan (SAS), an organization of tribals, and Samajwadi Jan Parishad had a demonstration at Chicholi Block office on 12th September and Shahpur on 13th September to oppose the move. According to SAS the government plan's to evict the tribals from government land, disguised as plantation before it is given to companies. Recently on 22 August MP Cabinet had taken a decision to lease out 1000000 hectares of non forest waste land mainly to private parties in the denomination of 100 and 250 hectors. Maharashtra Right to Food Cases (contributed by Priyanka Josson, India Centre For Human Rights and Law) Tribal Malnutrition Case: On 20th Sept, 2006 the tribal malnutrition (right to food) case hearing took place in Mumbai High Court. With regard to this a compliance report (i.e report stating whether the order has been implemented and to what extent) is due to be filed on 19th October 2006. For the order please write to righttofood@gmail.com Urban Malnutrition Case: The 2nd hearing of the urban malnutrition petition took place on 27th Sept, 2006. In light of this, the urban malnutrition PIL No.118/2006 (BHA and others v/s State Of Maharashtra and Others) has been clubbed with the tribal malnutrition petition. Both of them would be heard together on 19th October 2006. The Respondents (State of Maharashtra and others) will file their replies before 19th October 2006. PDS-SHG Case: On 16th August 2006, the last hearing of the case of PDS-SHG was held. In this case the ration shop owners had filed petitions against the state on the Government Resolution that ration shops should be handed over to SHGs. During this hearing the Supreme Court Commissioners report was presented to the court. This report was sent to Nagpur bench via the Women and Child Development Department. Since then the court case hearing has been listed on board a number of times but it has not come for hearing as yet. People's Tribunal on Right to Food, Varanasi Uttar Pradesh (contributed by Dr. Lenin, People's Vigilance Committee for Human Rights) The People's Tribunal on Right to Food was initiated by the People's Vigilance Committee for Human Rights (PVCHR), which is based in Varanasi, in cooperation with the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), a regional human rights organisation based in Hong Kong. The tribunal was held on 30 September 2005 and, on October 1 2006 some of the tribunal members also visited affected villages. People's Tribunal on Food sought to analyze and record the nature of problems and situation of the targeted communities (Musahar, Nut, Kanjar, Ghasia, Kol, Weaver & Migrant worker community). For this a public hearing was organized. The tribunal directly heard 25 detailed complaints of starvation from persons of various communities. It learnt that within the last three months, four starvation deaths had been reported in Shankarpur village of Vanarasi and Tanda village of Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh; and that the victims' families are not receiving proper attention from the government authorities. Food-for-Work schemes too are not being properly implemented. Apart from that the prevailing wage rate has not changed since 20 years and the use of power looms has completely ravaged the lives of weavers as no alternatives are available. It also heard comments from many other persons who gathered for the hearing. The tribunal noted that the state government of Uttar Pradesh was failing in its obligations not only by international standards but also relative to many other parts of India. For instance, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu both provide for a verbal autopsy in cases of malnutrition deaths, whereupon if children under five die then everybody is called in for the autopsy-including family and community members-and it is found out whether it was a hunger death or not. This is not done in Uttar Pradesh. The state also has very high child malnutrition, estimated at 51-55 per cent, but it spends just Rs 30-50 on nutrition programmes per child, while other states like Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana spend Rs 90-100, and northeastern states spend more than Rs 500 per child. The members of the tribunal included Justice Rambhoosan Malhotra (Retd. Judge of Allahabad High Court), Bijo Francis (South Asia Desk Officer of the Asian Human Rights Commission), Professor Deepak Malik (Director of Gandhian Institute for Studies), Dr Arvind Kumar Singh (State Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Indian Medical Association), Dr. Ms. Rolee Singh (Chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee, Varanasi range), Mr. K K Roy (State General Secretary of the People's Union for Civil Liberties, UP) and Mr. Ashok Kumar Sinha (former Programme Officer, Action Aid International, Lucknow). Special Announcements
The secretariat of the `Right to Food Campaign' has prepared a series of PRIMERS (easy-to-read booklets) on various aspects of the right to food, like the National Employment Guarantee Act, Mid-day Meals, ICDS, and the Supreme Court Orders on the Right to Food writ petition (196/2001). These primers are written in simple language and are ideal for training workshops, awareness generation campaigns etc.; and are nominally priced. To buy these primers please contact us at the email address given below. The National Book Trust is also printing these primers in all Indian languages. [NOTE: These Updates are prepared by the secretariat of the right to food campaign (tel. 011-435 01335, e-mail righttofood@gmail.com), based on communications received. If you'd like to send any material for inclusion in the next Update, please send a line to righttofood@gmail.com. See also the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org) for the full list of earlier Updates, and plenty of information on various aspects of the right to food.] Last updated: 28 October 2006 27th September 2006
Ekta Parishad: Chetavni Yatra Ekta Parishad is a people's organization that is committed towards attaining livelihood rights over natural resources such as land, water and forest for the land deprived communities of tribals and dalits. This organization has been active for the past 18 years in U.P., undivided Bihar and M.P., Orissa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. To further their commitment and strengthen their efforts, they organized people at the grassroots level through adivasi sammelans, public hearings, padyatras etc. Discussions have also been held with the respective state governments over land rights issues. Achievements of Ekta Parishad include land distribution among 3 � lakh odd tribals and dalits in Madhya Pradesh. Apart from this efforts have also been made to set up taskforces by 4 state governments to look into the problems of land reforms and distribution. However despite these consistent efforts there still remain lakhs of people who are land deprived and are living in penury. To highlight their cause a chetavni yatra is being conducted from October 2, 2006 (Gwalior to Delhi). This yatra also aims at building a janadesh or people's verdict for rights over land, water and forests by the dispossessed communities. For the details of the chetavni yatra please write to: Gandhi Bhawan, Shyamla Hills, Bhopal 462002, Madhya Pradesh, India. Tel: +91 755 4223821 Telefax: +91 755 4223821. ektaparishad@yahoo.com, info@ektaparishad.org, www.ektaparishad.org NACDOR's `March Against Poverty' National Conference of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR) launched its Long March Against Poverty in Madhya Pradesh on 20th September 2006 from Rewa. NACDOR has been successful in ensuring possession of 1200 acres of land by Dalits and Adivasis. This `March' is envisioned to continue these efforts at ensuring access to ecologically sustainable livelihoods and assets for Dalits and Adivasis. All this will lead up to the STANDUP event on 15th and 16th October 2006 on the occasion of International Day for Eradication of Poverty. In a meeting held in Nagpur for discussing measures for realising rights to sustainable livelihoods and employment, it was decided to organize a Rozgar Adhikar Yatra in Madhya Pradesh. A planning meeting will be held on 1 October 2006. The yatra aims to generate awareness on NREGA and collect cases studies for the state Tribunal on NREGS to be held on the conclusion of the MP Rozgar Adhikar Yatra. NREGA Implementation Status in Giridih (Jharkhand) A Report contributed by Mazdoor Kisan Samiti & Nari Shakti Sangathan. An NREGA survey was organized by Mazdoor Kisan Samiti and Nari Shakti Sanghatan in Bengabad block of Giridih district, Jharkhand. 36 sample villages from 8 Panchayats were identified and the survey was conducted during the Padyatra, from 11th September to 16th the September'06. Many lacunae were found in the implementation of the programme. For example the Act encourages formation of Gram Sabhas to monitor and plan the works, whereas it was found that the Gram Sabha was formed in only 8 out of the 36 sampled villages. Awareness amongst the people was very low and no efforts had been made on the part of the administration to spread awareness about the NREGA and its provisions. Furthermore the block administration also discouraged disabled, and APL cardholders from applying, apart from fixing a time-period for registration, where none is implied in the Act. The villagers were charged for their photographs, when it has been specified that all such costs (job cards, photographs etc.) will be borne by the administration. Adding to their woes is the attitude of the administration. It was discovered that government officials lack knowledge as regards the Act and were non-cooperative in providing any kind of data to the public. Moreover they cause great confusion amongst the villagers and take the support of middlemen in getting implementing work at the village level, leading to corruption. MP Employment Guarantee Scheme: Inclusion of the Differently Abled contributed by Tanushree Sood, Commissioner's Secretariat A state-wide consultation on inclusion of the differently-abled in NREGA was organized by Ashagram Trust in Bhopal on September 15, 2006. The workshop was attended by NGO representatives from 15 (out of 18) EGS districts of Madhya Pradesh. Discussions were centered around NREGA with focus on provisions under the Act for the people with disabilities. Some crucial tools (under NREGA) that were discussed to protect the rights of the disabled, minorities, SC/STs and OBCs were:
The consultation was briefly attended by Mr. Wasim Akhtar, Secretary, Panchayat and Rural Development Department, MP. He stated that the state is providing work to about 17-18 lakh people each day. A monitoring format will soon be developed, by the state, to ascertain the number of days of employment gained by (i) the SC/STs, (ii) the differently-abled. He also stated that Annupur district will be added in the EGS district list of the state soon (perhaps this year). It was heartening to note that Ashagram Trust has achieved some level of success towards securing jobs for the differently abled in the NREGA. They were able to achieve this through the following process:
Political economy of pre-launch preparedness of NREGA in Kerala by J. Chathukulam and K. Gireesan (a summary) Wage Employment Programs (WEPs) have been implemented in Kerala since the 1980s, starting with the National Rural Employment Program, Employment Assurance Scheme, Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojna to now the NREGA. However it has been noticed that the problems which plagued the earlier WEPs are also manifest in the NREGA. An interesting problem which the authors point towards is, is that an impression has been created in the Kerala society and administrative circles that such programs are designed keeping in view the interests and requirements of North Indian states and are hence unsuitable to Kerala. The NREGA has come into force in 2 rural districts of Kerala: Palakkad and Wayanad. In preparation for this scheme many training programs have been held for various levels. However since these sessions were conducted on an ad-hoc basis they did not prove fruitful or enlightening to the elected members and officials. The implementation of the program is also hampered by inadequate staff- support. Additional staff has not been appointed in many places contributing to the slow pace. Moreover the authors indicate a lack of ownership by the elected representatives, government and officials of the program. This attitude is compounded by the nature of the Panchayati Raj system in Kerala. Inhere each tier of PRI has its independent status, position and responsibility often disregarding the other two tiers. Nonetheless there are positive developments. For instance increased registration by the marginalized sections has been noticed: 32.21% of SC population and 64.88% of ST population. The full report is available here Special Announcements
Recent Writings of Interest The secretariat of the `Right to Food Campaign' has prepared a series of PRIMERS (easy-to-read booklets) on various aspects of the right to food, like the National Employment Guarantee Act, Mid-day Meals, ICDS, and the Supreme Court Orders on the Right to Food writ petition (196/2001). These primers are written in simple language and are ideal for training workshops, awareness generation campaigns etc.; and are nominally priced. To buy these primers please contact us at the email address given below. The National Book Trust is also printing these primers in all Indian languages. [NOTE: These Updates are prepared by the secretariat of the right to food campaign (tel. 011-435 01335, e-mail righttofood@gmail.com), based on communications received. If you'd like to send any material for inclusion in the next Update, please send a line to righttofood@gmail.com. See also the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org) for the full list of earlier Updates, and plenty of information on various aspects of the right to food.] Last updated: 2 October 2006 31st August 2006
NREGA Worker's Union The Gujarat Labour Commissioner has accepted the formation of NREGA Workers union- Gujarat. This is probably the first registered trade union under NREGA. This union will provide a voice to workers employed under NREGA to seek and secure their entitlements to the 100 days employment guarantee. This union will be registered under the Labour Act (trade union) of Gujarat and the constitution of the union will be similar to the labour unions for Gujarat. The annual fee for all the members is fixed at Rs 6. Initiatives by Disha (Gujarat) DISHA (Developing Initiatives for Social and Human Action) is a mass based and membership based organization formed in 1985, working towards improvement of socio-economic conditions of marginalized communities, mainly the tribal societies and other landless labourers in Gujarat. In different villages, the community members, Gram Panchayat members approached Eklavya Sangathan (an umbrella group for DISHA's work) during beginning of February 2006 to clarify their doubts and concerns regarding the scheme. It was soon realized that there were widespread misconceptions and generalizations, which prevailed in all the tribal districts. With an objective of bridging this information gap at the grassroots level, Eklavya Sangathan of DISHA compiled all the important information in the concise form of a pamphlet in the local language- Gujarati to initiate an awareness campaign. To ensure clarity of the scheme for Gram Panchayats, Eklavya Sangathan organized joint information distribution along with Taluka Development Officers. These exercises ensured synchronization in the understanding of the governmental officers, DISHA and Gram Panchayat members. These exercises were conducted during March 1st to 20th 2006. Some discrepancies in the implementation of NREGA:-
Incidentally Disha organized support for the formation of a statewide union (in Gujarat), an effort that has succeeded. This statewide union will work for effective implementation of the Act, payment of minimum wages for the guaranteed works and representation of different work related issues. A general meeting of the people working under the Act and forestland tillers was organized at Bagh Tekri (Godhara), under the aegis of Eklavya Sangathan. Around 5000 workers from 6 districts of Gujarat and representatives of different Non-Governmental Organisations attended the meeting and supported formation of the union. Local Initiatives in Bengal by Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Sangathan (PBKMS) [Translations from Poura O Grameen Sambad by Shyamsree Dasgupta] The PBKMS has been organizing agricultural labourers in the state of West Bengal to demand work under the NREGA. In this regard the agricultural labourers of five villages in Vikrampur (Nakshipara block, Nadia) had issued a charter of demand to the local panchayat on 17th May. In the charter they have demanded the job for both men and women workers in their family. One hundred and seventy labourers in this region have already applied for the job cards two months ago but are yet to receive it. However the administration remained completely silent in this matter despite the panchayat pradhan's promise for speedy distribution of job- cards. This willful delay by the panchayat has evoked discontent among the labourers. They had mentioned it very clearly in their charter that there is basically no provision for employment in the village. As a result they have had to emigrate. According to the female family members of the workers' family if the jobs are not available everybody will definitely die out of hunger in the near future. However the pradhan tried to bypass all the allegations raised by the laborers regarding the negligence with the pretext of being extremely busy with the works to be done for the forthcoming election. The West Bengal Agricultural Labour Association and Women's Labour Association motivated more than 500 workers in different blocks in 24 Parganas (s) to gherao the BDO offices in the issue of 100-day employment and the distribution of the job cards on July 7th. Both the association and the gheraokaries complained that even after the job cards were distributed the BDOs and the panchayat pradhans were taking just no initiatives to assign the job. The gherao was withdrawn only after an executive magistrate listened to them and assured them that the job cards would be distributed soon. On the 6th of July more than 400 applicants gheraoed the Kakdeep BDO office. They complained that despite being informed earlier, the BDO was not present in the office. In a similar mobilization in Sagar block, more than 500 workers of West Bengal Agricultural Labour Association and Women's Labour Association gheraoed the BDO. The allegation was the same. In Namkhana, on the other hand, the BDO office had been gheraoed on 11th of July as the authority failed to distribute the cards within the due date of 30th June. Almost 500 male and female villagers participated in the gherao. The spontaneous participation of the women was remarkable. Children's RTF updates The Right to Food Campaign, secretariat has created an e-group (childrensrighttofood@googlegroups.com) to discuss issues specifically related to children's rights to food. On behalf of the Secretariat, we will send regular updates bringing you interesting reports of activities and studies, from around the country. The first such update has already been circulated. To view this you can visit the homepage of childrenstighttofood@googlegroups.com . If you wish to be a member of this group, please write to us at righttofood@gmail.com. For other news on current activities, please visit our website www.righttofoodindia.org. Brief Announcements
Recent Writings of Interest
The secretariat of the `Right to Food Campaign' has prepared a series of PRIMERS (easy-to-read booklets) on various aspects of the right to food, like the National Employment Guarantee Act, Mid-day Meals, ICDS, and the Supreme Court Orders on the Right to Food writ petition (196/2001). These primers are written in simple language and are ideal for training workshops, awareness generation campaigns etc.; and are nominally priced. To buy these primers please contact us at the email address given below. The National Book Trust is also printing these primers in all Indian languages. [NOTE: These Updates are prepared by the secretariat of the right to food campaign (tel. 011-435 01335, e-mail righttofood@gmail.com), based on communications received. If you'd like to send any material for inclusion in the next Update, please send a line to righttofood@gmail.com. See also the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org) for the full list of earlier Updates, and plenty of information on various aspects of the right to food.] Last updated: 2 October 2006 5 August 2006 These updates are prepared on a fortnightly basis to circulate information on activities around the country relating to the right to food. This and past updates are available on our website: www.righttofoodindia.org. The website also contains a wealth of information regarding different aspects of the campaign, from government legislations to campaign activities, and much more. If you would like to send us any information to be included in future updates, kindly write to us at righttofood@gmail.com.
1. HUNGER DEATHS [Information Sent in by Vidya Bhushan Rawat, Prashant, Right To Food Campaign M.P. Support group, and Karoo ji] Reports of hunger and malnutrition deaths of both children and adults are coming in from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. The alarming fact is that these deaths have occurred in villages and districts which have witnessed similar deaths in the past 2 - 3 years. The situation in Sheopur district ( Madhya Pradesh) is by far the worst with 16 deaths. Villages of Karahal Block, Sheopur District, Madhya Pradesh have witnessed deaths of as many as 16 children due to malnutrition and hunger in the months starting April 2006. There were 8 deaths in Patalgarh village alone where the administration had stepped in last year after 13 children lost their lives. More recently 7 children have died in Karrai village of the same block in the past month. All the children are aged between 1 month and 7 years. These deaths are occurring despite the presence of an anganwadi in the village. Some districts of Bihar have witnessed 6 hunger deaths of adults aged between 35 years - 60 years. The most distressing of all is the news that 2 of these adults committed suicide as they could see their children hungry no more. One cannot help but repeatedly notice that these hunger deaths are occurring amongst the extremely deprived communities, who have been targeted by the government in various welfare schemes. All the deceased children from Sheopur belonged to the Saheriya community. The nine-month- old girl who died in Belwa village of Varanasi distt., belonged to the Musahar tribe. In such a situation the degree of commitment and effectiveness of the administration is questionable. 2. TRIBALS FIGHTING A BATTLE OF POVERTY LINE Tribals of Betul district, Madhya Pradesh, under the banner of Shramik Adivasi Sanghathan and Samajwadi Jan Parishad tribals have staged a 4 days long dharna, (at Shahpur Tahsil office), protesting the removal of their names from the new BPL list. In this regard they are conducting a BPL survey, whose results they wish to compare with the official survey to expose the irregularities. They allege that the government is dividing them by only adding few names in the list when all the tribals in the village are of equal economical status. As a part of their struggle a demonstration is to be held on 20th July 15, 2006 at the Betul Collector's office, to demand joint resurvey of BPL in all the villages of the district. 3. PADYATRA IN SANT RAVIDAS NAGAR BHADOHI (UTTAR PRADESH): Bhadohi better known as a 'Carpet Hub' internationally is one of the most backward and politically neglected districts of Uttar Pradesh. A recent research conducted by PAHARUA found 80% of children belonging to Dalit communities to be malnourished and denied of their basic rights of protection, survival and development. The situation of other marginalized communities like Nuts, Mushars and Banjaras is similar. In this backdrop PAHARUA plans to organize a Mass Campaign to bring to the fore the situation of mass violation of Human Rights, in particular the right to food. The Campaign in the form of a PAD YATRA will commence from Village Rampur Ghat, known for its backwardness and caste based atrocities on 1st August 2006 and ends [pic]on 7th August 2006 at the District Head Quarters after covering various Development Blocks of District Bhadohi. During the PAD YATRA activists will perform street plays and inform people about their various rights under the Right to Food. They will also collect actual evidences and case studies through process of social audit. To address the claims and queries of community members a Public Hearing is being organized on 17 August 2006 at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Park, Gyanpur, Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi. The public hearing will be attended by Retired Justice, Food Commissioners appointed by Honorable Supreme Court and eminent Social Activists. 4. A SIGNIFICANT VICTORY FOR RTI IN ORISSA: [Contributed By Chitta Behera And Pradip Pradhan, Orissa ] Some activist groups have informally come together to launch a State-wide campaign for ensuring a proper operationalisation of the RTI Act 2005 soon after it was notified on the Gazette of India in June 2005 last. The specific objectives of the campaign were (a) to contribute to the advocacy efforts then going on at national level for pressing the Central Government to frame citizen-friendly rules as mandated by the Central Act; and more importantly (b) to effectively lobby with the State Government of Orissa to make the State rules under the Act as much pro-poor as possible keeping in view the interest of the overwhelming bulk of State's population. However, the Campaign faced a formidable challenge to its mission when the Government of Orissa announced on 7th October 05 a set of Rules that ran diametrically counter to the very basic mandate of the Act. Not only were the various fees prescribed by it exorbitantly high, so to say the highest in India, but also its entire corpus of provisions were found to be in violation of the mother law and out and out anti-people. Further, the Orissa Rules contained some draconian provisions too, like Rule-13, which said that if an applicant failed to pay any dues within 30 days of the notice to that effect, it would be realized by way of recovery of arrears of land revenue. This means that his/her property may be confiscated and auctioned off for the purpose, or alternatively he/she may have to undergo civil imprisonment ranging from 6 weeks to 6 months. Recognising the role of legislators in influencing the process of rule-making by the Government, the Campaign convened a Consultation with MLAs to convince them of the illegitimate and anti-poor nature of the Orissa RTI Rules and also approached them individually for the purpose. As a result 11 MLAs, all belonging to ruling BJD-BJP coalition (none from opposition was present then due to the boycott of Assembly by them on other grounds), rose in one voice on the floor of Assembly on 3rd April 06 to demand a thoroughgoing amendment of the notified Rules. Following this effort revisions were made in the state RTI rules. To carry the message of our campaign further across to other States and networks at national level, a website was also launched at www.orissarti.com and the events and memoranda of the campaign were displayed there for perusal by all. Apart from this the following bunch of bilingual publications (both in English and Oriya) were also prepared: RTI Act 2005, Central Rules and Central Appeal Rules, The Template for Information Handbook under Section 4(1b) of the Act, The RTI Act from the civil society perspective, Orissa RTI Rules 2005, Why Absurd and Illegitimate? 5. DISABILITY AND NREGS IN BADHWANI, M.P. (Contributed by Sachin Jain) It is heartening to note that in Badhwani district of Madhya Pradesh the disabled are being given employment under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Here, 84 handicapped persons from 26 villages are not only successfully engaged in physical labour, but are also getting employment in other assignments under the Scheme. The role played by voluntary organizations such as, Asha Gram Trust and SANGATI, is commendable in fighting for the inclusion of the disabled in the scheme. Right from arranging for the official recognition certificates as 'handicapped persons', to identifying works that can be done by variously handicapped persons, under the Madhya Pradesh Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, these organizations have worked to break the social barriers facing the disabled. 6. RECENT WRITINGS OF INTEREST
The secretariat of the 'Right to Food Campaign' has prepared a series of PRIMERS (easy-to-read booklets) on various aspects of the right to food, like the National Employment Guarantee Act, Mid-day Meals, ICDS, and the Supreme Court Orders on the Right to Food writ petition (196/2001). These primers are written in simple language and are ideal for training workshops, awareness generation campaigns etc.; and are nominally priced. To buy these primers please contact us at the email address given below. The National Book Trust is also printing these primers in all Indian languages. [NOTE: These Updates are prepared by volunteers on behalf of the secretariat of the right to food campaign (tel. 011-435 01335, e-mail righttofood@gmail.com), based on communications from individuals and organizations involved in the campaign. If you'd like to send any material for inclusion in the next Update, please send a line to righttofood@gmail.com. See also the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org) for the full list of earlier Updates, and plenty of information on various aspects of the right to food.] Last updated: 25 August 2006 15 July 2006 We are resuming the Right to Food Update which covers news from the ‘field’ about various activities surrounding the NREGA, PDS, ICDS and other food schemes. The present update carries information about the consultations taking place for the 11 th Plan, updates on the recent Supreme Court hearings regarding PDS and Supplementary Nutrition Scheme, from the Commissioner’s Office and the Forest Right’s Bill. If you have any information that can be included in the updates (on these and children’s issues) please write to us at righttofood@gmail.com .
1. RIGHT TO FOOD CAMPAIGN SECRETARIAT: The campaign has been doing quite well recently, with a whole range of activities related to children’s right to food, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the public distribution system, and related issues. An attempt is also being made to strengthen the secretariat of the campaign. The secretariat has recently moved to new premises (see address below), and two full-time workers, Gurminder Singh and Spurthi Reddy have joined, in addition to Navjyoti J. We are hoping to play a more active role in facilitating various activities of the campaign. Address: RTFC Secretariat, Q-21-B Top Floor, Jangpura Extension, New Delhi 110014. Ph. No: 011- 43501335 2. HYDERABAD CONVENTION REPORT A Convention on Children’s Right to Food was held in Hyderabad on 7-9 April 2006. The main purpose of this convention was to bring together individuals and organizations with a special commitment to children’s right to food, to share experiences and plan future action. About 400 participants from 15 different states, who are working on this issue in various ways, took part in the Convention. One of the main themes of the Convention was the role of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in protecting the rights of children under the age of six, including their right to food, nutrition, health and pre-school education. For the full report please visit:http://www.righttofoodindia.org/icds/icds_convention.html 3. SUPREME COURT UPDATE 9 th June Hearing: On June 9 th 2006 the Supreme Court cleared the decks for the implementation of the supplementary nutrition scheme by training the self helf groups (SHGs) with an aim to take over the anganwadis from the NGOs in the national capital.
The Committee has been asked to, within four months, file a report on: 1. The mode of appointment of PDS dealers 2. The commission that should be payable to PDS dealers 3. The functioning of vigilance committees on a regular basis (I.e. civil society vigilance committees) 4. Transparency in allotment of food stock to be sold at PDS shops.
The recommendations of the Committee are to apply initially to Delhi and then to the rest of the country. The remedies recommended by the committee will be available in addition to legal remedies already available.The Committee has been asked to seek the opinions of civil society groups. 4. COMMISSIONER’S UPDATE (CONTRIBUTED BY BIRAJ PATNAIK- COMMISSIONERS SECRETARIAT) : The Office of the Commissioners assisted the legal team and the
5. PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM Pro-active steps in Barabanki: Under the banner of Rozi Roti Samiti and Aim, Lucknow some organizations filed a complaint against PDS dealer of Dadera village, (Nindura block), Barabanki district, U.P. with the support of villagers. After investigation by the investigative officer the dealership was cancelled. Upon receiving a complaint the Chief Development Officer, Barabanki ordered for allotment of PDS shops through open Gram Sabha Meetings. However vested interests in the village disrupted the meeting by stone-pelting and firing in the air. All this was done to threaten the dalit groups of the village. After this incident the community groups with Rozi Roti Samiti mebers met the District Magistrate who assured them that he will immediately resolve the issue and continue the allotment of PDS shops through Gram Sabha meetings. PDS Capacity building workshop: A capacity building workshop is being planned for August 2006. This is in continuation of the discussion started in the Hyderabad Convention, April 7-9 2006. This workshop will invite 2-3 persons from each state who will be trained in investigation and monitoring measures of PDS shops and transactions, through a questionnaire. The participants are then required to conduct similar exercises in their respective states and disseminate the training. A PDS Primer is also in preparation for this workshop. 6. 11 th PLAN
In the context of preparing the 11 th Plan the Planning Commission has formed a "Working Group on Food and Nutrition Security". Kavita Srivastava, Vandana Prasad and Jean Dreze are members of this Group. The Working Group is expected to submit its report by end September. The Hyderabad Statement with a short covering letter were circulated, which helped put the spotlight on "universalization with quality". For the full concluding statement of the Hyderabad Convention please visit: http://www.righttofoodindia.org/data/hyd06concludingstmt.doc
Another group called “Steering Committee on Nutrition” (chaired by Sayeed Hameed) has also been formulated. They have released a “background note” which can be accessed athttp://www.righttofoodindia.org/data/11plan/conceptnote.doc . 7. NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT The last few months have witnessed heightened activity around the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Organizations across the country have conducted dharnas,padyatras, and audits to assess the effectiveness of the implementation and practices of corruption. The general picture which emerges from their reports is far from satisfactory. The implementation of the scheme is riddled with common problems. The most worrisome of which is that in many states NREGA works have not been started at all with the existing works under the National Food for Work Programme being converted to NREGA works. Some state governments have also issued circulars stating that no work will be provided in the months of monsoon and harvesting. Other recurrent problems include non-issuing of job cards, non-payment of unemployment allowance, delayed and incomplete wage payments, false entries in muster rolls etc. However these endeavours have had many a positive effect, the most important of which is spreading awareness. Apart from encouraging the villagers to demand accountability, it spurred the district administration in many places to start registration, issue job cards etc. For detailed news on NREGA please refer to the Rozgar Updates available on the website. http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/rozgarupdates.html 8.VIOLENCE AGAINST JAGRIT ADIVASI DALIT SANGHATAN, BARWANI (MADHYA PRADESH): The Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan (JADS) has been very active in the campaign for the law, and has, since its passage, been systematically spreading awareness regarding its provisions and mobilizing adivasis for its successful implementation. Recently at a meeting called by the Badwani Collector on 16 th June 2006 (on the insistence of about 2000 adivasis who had gathered for a prior ‘jan sunwai’ that the Collector failed to attend, despite committment), the gathered assembly were stopped from entering the Block office by a local political leader, a few sarpanchs and secretaries. The said political leader, Sildar Patel, assaulted Madhuri Krishnaswami ( member, coordination committee JADS) and a few more. The SDM and SDOP who, along with a police force were present at the spot did not intervene. The Collector and SP too did nothing till half an hour after their arrival, during which Madhuri was repeatedly assaulted. When the “jan sunwai” was begun, the assailants were also present and every time a JADS member raised an issue regarding implementation of NREGA they were shouted down, with the active encouragement of the Collector. To read the full text of the letter written by JADS to Dr. N. C. Saxena visit: http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ega_news.html.) 9. FOREST RIGHTS BILL (CONTRIBUTED BY SHANKAR GOPALKRISHNAN –CAMPAIGN FOR SURVIVAL AND DIGNITY) India's forests today have tens of millions of inhabitants, many of whom The Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill, 10. WEBSITE UPDATE: Much work is taking place on the website with new additions. The new material includes: a) A background note by the Steering Committee on Nutrition for the Eleventh Five- Year Plan, http://www.righttofoodindia.org/data/11plan/conceptnote.doc b) A report on the mass social audit conducted in Dungarpur, and the Hyderabad Convention Report (www.righttofoodindia.org ). c) A document detailing the tools and guidelines for verification of muster rolls is also available (http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/ega_keydocs.html ). d) A comparitive chart of state EGA schemes. (http://www.righttofoodindia.org/data/2006jun_state_ega_comparision.xls ) e) The latest Rozgar update and Right to Food Updates are regularly made available on the website. Moreover the latest news stories are also available in the “News Stories” section. 11. RECENT WRITINGS OF INTEREST: “Employment guarantee and migration” by Reetika Khera [The Hindu 13/7/2006] http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/13/stories/2006071303360900.htm “DM orders frequent raids on fair price shops” [Lucknow Newsline 13/7/2006] http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=192534 “ SC Directs For PDS Monitoring Committee to Check Corruption” [12/7/2006] http://www.indlawnews.com/141DBBD38D7F6D84B2121A63F29060A1 “ Anganwadi workers seek better honorarium” [Pune Newsline 10/7/2006] http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=192271 “Malnutrition is a serious problem in Mumbai, admits government” [The Financial Express, Mumbai 10/7/2006] http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=133368 [NOTE: These Updates are prepared by volunteers on behalf of the secretariat of the right to food campaign (tel. 011-435 01335, e-mail righttofood@gmail.com), based on communications from individuals and organizations involved in the campaign. If you'd like to send any material for inclusion in the next Update, please send a line to righttofood@gmail.com. See also the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org) for the full list of earlier Updates, and plenty of information on various aspects of the right to food.] UPDATE 43: Convention Follow-up Dear friends, Happy New Year. Much is happening in the wake of the "second national convention on the right to food and work", held in Kolkata on 18-20 November. We shall try to keep track of the follow-up activities around the country. Here is a starter:
1. KOLKATA CONVENTION ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD AND WORK The second "national convention on the right to food and work" was held at Badu (near Kolkata) on 18-20 November 2005. About 600 activists from all over India participated in the convention. The inaugural address was given by P. Sainath, who took stock of the food and employment situation in the country. In the same session, Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta assured the audience that the Government of West Bengal was "fully prepared" to implement the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Parallel workshops were held on the public distribution system, children's right to food, the protection of existing livelihoods, forest and land rights, and social security for unorganised workers. Two series of training workshops were also conducted: one on use of the Right to Information Act, and one on the Employment Guarantee Act. Other activities included cultural programmes, a plenary lecture by Dr. Debal Deb on the WTO, a presentation on the struggles of sex workers in Kolkata, spirited testimonies from two South African delegates, and an impromptu bonfire. The last session of the convention, on 20 November, focused on organisational issues. Many interesting views were presented on the possible structure of the campaign. The debate continues and it was resolved that a follow-up meeting on organisational issues would be convened soon. Meanwhile it was agreed that the annual convention would be the backbone of the campaign, that the secretariat would continue, and that an "advisory group" would be formed to guide the work of the secretariat. A more detailed report on the convention is under preparation. Meanwhile, feel free to contact the secretariat of the right to food campaign (righttofood@gmail.com) for further information. 2. PRIMERS AND OTHER CAMPAIGN MATERIAL The Kolkata convention was an opportunity to prepare new "campaign material", including a set of four "Primers" (introductory booklets) on various aspects of the right to food: (1) Supreme Court orders; (2) the Employment Guarantee Act; (3) mid-day meals; and (4) ICDS (a fifth Primer, on the right to information, is on the anvil). These Primers are written in simple language and addressed to a wide audience. They are ideal for training workshops, awareness generation campaigns and related activities. For instance, in the Primer on Supreme Court orders you can find a convenient summary of all the orders on a specific issue (e.g. PDS, mid-day meals or ICDS). Similarly, the Primer on the Employment Guarantee Act discusses the key provisions of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005, in a simple question-answer format. Each Primer ends with a section on "What We Can Do", with ideas of possible campaign activities. Printed copies, with simple illustrations and a nice colour cover, can be ordered from the secretariat (righttofood@gmail.com). The Primers are quite cheap (Rs 10 to Rs. 15 per copy). Soft copies are also available on the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org). As of now, the Primers are available in English and Hindi - translations in other languages are awaited. Also available from the secretariat is a new CD on the right to food, with hundreds of key documents including the full text of all Supreme Court orders, the Commissioners' reports, the Right to Information Act, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, soft copies of the Primers, survey questionnaires, a long list of articles, and more. All this for Rs 50 only! 3. FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES Many useful ideas of future campaign activities were discussed at the Kolkata convention (more on this in the forthcoming convention report). The "coordinators" of parallel workshops held at the Kolkata convention are expected to facilitate the launch of follow-up activities on the respective workshop themes. Contact details of the workshop coordinators are as follows: "Children's right to food": Jean Dreze (jaandaraz@gmail.com) and Vandana Prasad (chaukhat@yahoo.com). "Public distribution system": Annie Raja (nfiwdelhi@yahoo.com). "Land and forest rights": Paul Divakar (pdivakar@satyam.net.in) and Soumen Roy (rsoumen@rediffmail.com). "Social security for unorganised workers": Subhash Bhatnagar (nmpsdelhi@sify.com). "Protection of Existing livelihoods": Ilina Sen (ilina@senonline.com). The training sessions on RTI and EGA were coordinated by the National Campaign for the People's Right to Information (NCPRI) and People's Action for Employment Guarantee (PAEG). They can be contacted at mkssrajasthan@gmail.com and rozgar@gmail.com, respectively. And of course you can always contact the campaign secretariat (righttofood@gmail.com) for information and guidance. 4. CHILDREN'S RIGHT TO FOOD A lively workshop on "children's right to food" was held at the Kolkata convention, on 18 November. There were nearly 200 participants, many of whom also took part in two follow-up meetings on 19 and 20 November. Many interesting ideas of follow-up activities came up at the workshop, especially in connection with the universalization of ICDS (or rather, "universalization with quality"). A small team was formed to take this forward. The team consists of Dipa Sinha (Children's Rights Protection Forum), Gurjeet (Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti), Geeta Mahajan (National Federation of Indian Women), Hemlata (Mobile Crèches), Nandini Nayak (Centre for equity studies), Sachin Jain (Vikas Samvad, MP), Samir Garg (Koriya district, Chattisgarh), Vandana Prasad (Jan Swasthya Abhiyaan). A "preparatory meeting" will be held on 6 January 2006 in Delhi to discuss the possibility of a special convention on "children's right to food". If you are interested in participating in this meeting please write to righttofood@gmail.com or Dipa (dipasinha@gmail.com). 5. SUPREME COURT UPDATE Supreme Court hearings in the "right to food case" (PUCL vs Union of Indian & Others, Writ Petition [Civil] 196 of 2001) continue at regular intervals but there have been no major orders in recent months. Recent hearings have focused on PDS-related issues including the "BPL list" as well as the level of food allocations from the Central Government to the state governments. No agreement has been reached so far. The next hearing will take place on 14 February 2006. For further details of recent orders, and other aspects of the case, please write to Anup Srivastava at the Human Rights Law Network (righttofoodsccase@hrln.org). 6. COMMISSIONERS' ADVISORS WAKE UP The state "advisors" of the Commissioners gathered at Jamia Hamdard (New Delhi) on 24-26 October for a three-day workshop aimed at reviving this important means of keeping the state governments on their toes. The state advisors essentially act as a link between the Commissioners, the state governments, and activist organisations. In some states the Commissioners' advisors have been quite active, and their work has helped to ensure the implementation of Supreme Court orders, or even to influence government policy beyond the Supreme Court orders. Many states, however, did not have an active advisor so far. The workshop greatly helped to reactivate and strengthen the advisors' network. For further details of the activities of the advisors please write to commissioners@vsnl.net 7. SIXTH REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS Meanwhile the Sixth Report of the Commissioners has been submitted to the Supreme Court. This is a jumbo report, with a mass of useful information on the food-related schemes (mid-day meals, ICDS, PDS, etc.) covered by recent Supreme Court orders. The report is available on the campaign website (at http://www.righttofoodindia.org/comrs/comrs_reports.html). 8. LEGAL ACTION IN HIGH COURTS One of the issues discussed at the recent workshop of Commissioners' advisors is the possibility of legal action in the High Courts. This has already happened in Chhattisgarh, to ensure the "de-privatization" of the public distribution system (PDS). More recently, Sachin Jain (Vikas Samvad, Madhya Pradesh) filed a petition in the High Court at Jabalpur, MP. This petition relates to the Government of Madhya Pradesh's announcement inviting contractors to supply nutritional supplements under the ICDS programme. The Supreme Court order of 7 October 2004 mentions that contractors should not be used for this purpose, and that ICDS funds should be used to involve village communities, Self-Help Groups and Mahila Mandals in the purchase of food and preparation of meals for children at the Anganwadis. Further legal action in the High Courts is expected during the next few months. For further details please contact Anup Srivastava at the Human Rights Law Network (righttofoodsccase@hrln.org). 9. CASTE DISCRIMINATION IN MID-DAY MEALS Following media reports of discrimination against Dalit children in the provision of midday meals in Bhokludih village of Chhattisgarh, a fact-finding team of the Dalit Study Circle and Dalit Mukti Morcha visited the village in October 2005. This village has two Dalit families; all the other families are OBCs or Adivasis. Two Dalit boys in Class 5 in the government school complained that they were given meagre helpings of food, and that this was not served to them but contemptuously hurled into their plates. They were also forced to sit separately, and not allowed to mix with the other children. When the boys tried to demand more food and enter the kitchen, they were rudely reminded of their caste status, and told that they should not touch the food, or it would become polluted, and the others would not be able to eat it. A girl student was told that since she was from a Chamar family, she should be careful not to touch the water, for her touch would pollute it. When the Dalits complained, they were told that they should remember their caste status, and not overstep the bounds of such barriers. When a local teacher (Kamala Chauhan) took up their cause, she was transferred. The local police station also refused to register a complaint, on the grounds that such matters are dealt with by the special police station dealing with SC/ST issues. Deepanjali Sahu, the Sarpanch, and her husband, Shankar Sahu, also refused to address the issue, claiming that no such incident had occurred. The children, understandably, are not too keen on attending a school that does not treat them like the other children, and will only serve them small quantities of food, after humiliating them. Dalits live in fear, as hostility between castes is now palpable. Instead of acting to quell such practices, the official machinery has endorsed untouchability. On a more positive note, this incident received wide publicity and helped to raise public awareness of the need to deal sternly with any incident of caste discrimination at school. 10. FOREST RIGHTS BILL As you know, many organisations have been campaigning for a new law on "forest rights". The aim of this law is to redress the historical injustice done to millions of Adivasis and other forest-dwelling communities, by giving them titles to forest land and giving legal recognition to traditional forest rights (e.g. the right to collect minor forest produce). The Forest Rights Bill was tabled in Parliament on 13 December 2005. However, this Bill has many flaws and the campaign for a more effective law continues. Organisations that have been active on this issue include the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (forestcampaignnews@gmail.com), Jan Sangharsh Morcha (sasbetul@yahoo.com) and Punarvasan Sangharsh Samiti (loksamanway@yahoo.co.uk), among others. A new section on "forest rights" has been added on the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org), to support this movement. Among recent demonstrations related to the Forest Rights Bill was a rally and dharna held at Jantar Mantar on 7 December. Expending meagre resources and travelling long distances, hundreds of Adivasis gathered there to protest against forced evictions and demand land rights for all forest-dwelling Adivasis, even within sanctuaries and national parks. The dharna received the support of Left political parties such as the CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) and RPI(A). A ten-point memorandum was handed over to the Minister of Tribal Affairs. The demands included guarantees against evictions, adequate rehabilitation of those already displaced, legal titles to forest land, and an end to the marginalisation of Adivasis. This rally and dharna were initiated by Punarvasan Sangharsh Samiti and Lok Sangarsh Morcha. 11. WEBSITE UPDATE The website manager has been working hard, and there is a lot of new material on the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org). Please visit the "Latest Additions" page (www.righttofoodindia.org/latest.html) from time to time for a list of the new documents. For instance, reports from a range of field-based studies on mid-day meals are now available through the homepage and the mid-day meals page. On the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) too there are some important and useful documents including the draft Guidelines (from the Ministry of Rural Development), the list of the 200 districts where the Act is expected to come into force soon, a power point presentation on the NREGA, etc. Other recent website additions include: - Survey tools designed for field investigations of the National Food for Work Programme (NFFWP), along with reports from a pilot survey conducted in 7 districts in May-June 2005 (http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/nffwp.html). - The Sixth Report of the Commissioners (http://www.righttofoodindia.org/comrs/comrs_reports.html), submitted to the Supreme Court in December 2005 - including a massive review of all the food-related schemes covered by recent Supreme Court orders. - A new section on the Forest Rights (http://www.righttofoodindia.org/campaigns/forestrights.html), added in collaboration with the Campaign for Survival and Dignity. Their "updates" and other key documents are also available through the right to food campaign website. [NOTE: These Updates are prepared by volunteers on behalf of the secretariat of the right to food campaign (tel 011-2351 0042 or 9350530150, e-mail righttofood@gmail.com), based on communications from individuals and organizations involved in the campaign. If you'd like to send any material for inclusion in the next Update, please send a line to righttofood@gmail.com. See also the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org) for the full list of earlier Updates, and plenty of information on various aspects of the right to food.] Last updated: 7 February 2005 Dear friends, This is a special Update in anticipation of the Second National Convention on the Right to Food and Work, to be held in Badu (near Kolkata) on 18-20 November 2005. We hope to see you at the convention. The headlines:
1. FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT (please circulate widely) The second “national convention on the right to food and work” will be held in Badu (near Kolkata) on 18-20 November 2005. About 400 participants, representing a wide range of organisations working on these issues, are expected from all over India. Some participation is also expected from Bangladesh, South Africa, Sri Lanka and possibly Brazil. The convention is an opportunity to share experiences of struggle for the right to food and work, and to plan further activities. The main themes include the public distribution system, children's right to food, the Employment Guarantee Act, the Right to Information Act, legal action for the right to food, land rights, and forest rights, among others. This will be an action-oriented event, structured around a series of parallel workshops, plenary meetings, training sessions, cultural activities, and more. If you are planning to participate, please inform the secretariat of the “right to food campaign” (contact details below) in advance. All participants are expected to make their own travel arrangements, and to contribute Rs 100 to the cost of lodging and subsistence for three days. You are welcome to bring your own ideas, songs, plays, posters, pamphlets and other resources. For further info, including the programme of the convention and details of the venue, see www.righttofoodindia.org or contact the secretariat of the “right to food campaign” (righttofood@gmail.com, tel 011-2351 0042 or 09350530150). 2. CONVENTION PROGRAMME The convention programme is given below. Some details are yet to be finalised. Updated versions of the programme will be posted from time to time on the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org). DAY 1 (18 November) MORNING SESSION (10 am to 1 pm) Inaugural plenary: - Introduction [Anuradha Talwar] - Welcome address [Ashim Dasgupta (to be confirmed)] - Keynote address [P. Sainath] - Brief interventions by invited speakers [to be announced] Chair: Gopal Gandhi (to be confirmed) AFTERNOON SESSION (2.30 to 6.30p.m) Parallel workshops: - Public distribution system [coordinated by Annie Raja] - Children's right to food [coordinated by Jean Dreze and Vandana Prasad] - Protection of existing livelihood [coordinated by Ilina Sen] - Land rights and forest rights [coordinated by Vincent Manoharan] - Social security [coordinated by Harsh Mander and Subhash Bhatnagar] - Emergencies and food security [coordinated by Vinod Raina] DAY 2 (19 November) Morning Session MORNING SESSION (9 to 10.45) 9 to 10.45: Legal action for the right to food and work (plenary, coordinated by Colin Gonsalvez and Harsh Mander) 11.00 to 1 pm: Use of the Employment Guarantee Act (parallel training sessions, coordinated by People’s Action for Employment Guarantee) AFTERNOON SESSION 2.30 to 4 pm: Use of the Right to Information Act (parallel training sessions, coordinated by Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan) 4.30 to 6 p.m.: Reports from workshops and discussion (plenary) 6.00 to 7 pm: Lecture on WTO by Dr. Debal Deb (plenary) DAY 3 (20 November) 9 to 11.30: Organisational issues (plenary, coordinated by Anuradha Talwar and Navjyoti) 12 to 2 pm: Concluding plenary - Future activities - Resolution - Concluding address by Aruna Roy 3. VENUE AND HOW TO REACH The venue of the convention is: Badu Collective, c/o JSK Training Centre (Nutan Ashram), 1, Shibtola Road, Village Maheswarpur, P.O. Badu, Kolkata 700 128 (tel: 033-2526 0386, 09433002064, e-mail Jsk@cal2.vsnl.net.in) To reach the venue: 1. From Howrah station take L 238 bus to Madhyamgram Chowmatha OR, from Sealdah Station take a local train to Madhyamgram Station and then walk down to Madhyamgram Chowmatha. 2. From Madhyamgram Chowmatha, take an auto or bus to Badu IthKhola. 3. From Badu Ithkhola take a van rickshaw to JSK Training Centre (also known as Nutan Ashram locally or as the Mahila Samity). 4. STAYING ARRANGEMENTS Staying arrangements are in dormitory type places at the JSK Training centre or in club houses, schools and houses that have are being lent by the local people for the convention. We shall be able to provide mats or dhurries on the floor to sleep on, so please carry any other bedding that you need. Please also carry the following: a light blanket; a light sweater or shawl; mosquito repellent; a torch. 5. LOCAL PREPARATIONS FOR THE CONVENTION In West Bengal, active preparations for the convention have begun. A press conference was held in Kolkata on 26 October, addressed by Kamal Mitra Chenoy (People’s Action for Employment Guarantee), Kavita Srivastava (People’s Union for Civil Liberties), and members of the Right to Food and Work West Bengal Network. On 28 October, members of the Network flagged off a jeep colourfully done up with festoons, posters and flags. The jeep carrying 4-5 volunteers who have traveled through 9 districts so far, covering a distance of 1800 kilometres. Street corners and meetings with local organisations were held in many villages. The group visited areas near the Ganges where erosion has led to the disappearance of homes, land and livelihood of people. It has also visited closed tea gardens and chronically hungry areas of Birbhum and Purulia districts. It has been publicizing the fact that the second National Convention is to be held from 18 to 20 November 2005. It is also creating awareness about the Supreme Court orders on the right to food, and about the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the Right to Information Act. The jeep is expected to reach Kolkata on 9 November after completing its journey. From 7 November to 9 November, there is a 72 hours “Awasthan” in Kolkata where about 1000 people from rural areas of West Bengal will be joined by people and intellectuals from Kolkata. For three days, these people are sitting in front of Metro at Kolkata in order to draw public attention to the non-implementation of the Supreme Court orders and to tell people in Kolkata about the forthcoming National Convention. In addition on 16 and 17 November, Professor Kamal Mitra Chenoy shall be meeting students and teachers of the National University of Juridicial Sciences and other educational institutions like the Jadavpur University, Kolkata University and the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences to inform them about the Right to Food Campaign, its relevance in today’s context and the National Convention. [NOTE: These Updates are prepared by volunteers on behalf of the secretariat of the right to food campaign (tel 011-2351 0042, e-mail righttofood@gmail.com), based on communications from individuals and organizations involved in the Right to Food Campaign. If you’d like to send any material for inclusion in the next Update, please send a line to righttofood@gmail.com. See also the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org) for the full list of earlier Updates, and plenty of information on various aspects of the right to food.] Last updated: 17 November 2004
Dear friends, This is the first of a new series of "right to food updates". The Updates are prepared by volunteers on behalf of the secretariat of the right to food campaign, based on communications from individuals and organizations working on the right to food and related issues all over the country. If you'd like to send any material for inclusion in the next Update, please send a line to righttofood@gmail.com. See also the campaign website www.righttofoodindia.org for the full list of earlier Updates, and plenty of information on various aspects of the right to food. This Update begins with an invitation to the "second national convention on the right to food and work", to be held in Kolkata on 18-20 November 2005. Please mark these dates in your diary, and don't postpone train bookings for too long as this is peak season for the Indian Railways. Today's headlines:
1. NATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD AND WORK The second "national convention on the right to food and work" will be held in Kolkata on 18-20 November 2005. This is a follow-up to the first national convention, held in Bhopal on 11-13 June 2004, and also to the convention on "Employment Guarantee the Right to Work" held in Ranchi on 17-19 June 2005 as part of the Rozgar Adhikar Yatra. We expect a good turn-out from all over the country, and also a few participants from afar - South Africa, Bangladesh and (hopefully) Brazil. Among the main issues to be discussed at the convention are: the public distribution system; children's right to food; the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act; the Right to Information Act; land rights; gender aspects of the right to food; legal action for the right to food; organisational aspects of the right to food campaign. This will be an action-oriented event, structured around a series of parallel workshops, plenary sessions, cultural activities, and more. For further information, including the tentative programme and details of the venue, please check the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org ) or contact the secretariat of the right to food campaign (righttofood@gmail.com, tel 011-23510042 or 09350530150). 2. "EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT" - RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was passed by the Indian Parliament on 23 August 2005. Under this Act, any adult who is willing to do unskilled manual labour is entitled to being employed on public works within 15 days, subject to an initial limit of "100 days per household per year". If work is not provided, an unemployment allowance has to be paid. Work on the "Rules" of the NREGA has been initiated by the Ministry of Rural Development. A new section on this has just been added (under "Employment Guarantee Act") on the campaign website ( http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/egarules.html). This section includes draft guidelines prepared by the Ministry for a consultation held on 15 September, various responses and comments, and related documents. The draft Rules will also be posted there as soon as they are available. If you have any comments or suggestions on the Rules, please send a line torozgar@gmail.com Under the Act, each state government is supposed to put in place an "Employment Guarantee Scheme" (EGS) within six months, to give effect to the employment guarantee. Some state governments have started framing an EGS or holding consultations on this issue. We shall try to monitor this process as it unfolds, but local organisations are best placed to find out what is happening in their own state. 3. NEW PRIMER ON THE EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT A "Primer" on employment guarantee was prepared last year, to facilitate public discussion of this issue. The Primer is written in an accessible style, using a simple question-answer format, and costs only a few rupees per copy. It is highly suitable for training workshops and related activities. A new version of the EGA Primer is being prepared, based on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (NREGA). The draft of this new Primer is available atwww.righttofoodindia.org (on the Home Page - see box called "Primers on the Right to Food"). Feel free to adapt the draft for your own purposes and to translate it in local languages. Comments on the draft are welcome, please send them to rozgar@gmail.com. 4. DRAFT PRIMERS ON MID-DAY MEALS AND ICDS Primers are also being prepared on "mid-day meals" and ICDS. The Primer on mid-day meals explains in simple words why mid-day meals in primary schools are important and what grassroots organisations can do to ensure that all children get a nutritious meal at school. The Primer on ICDS makes a case for "universalization with quality", presents the Supreme Court orders on ICDS, and discusses various possibilities of action. Drafts of these Primers are also available in the box "Primers on the Right to Food", on the Home Page of the campaign website ( www.righttofoodindia.org). They are due to be finalised in advance of the Kolkata convention in November. If you have any comments on the draft Primers, please send a line to righttofood@gmail.com 5. NEW STUDIES ON MID-DAY MEALS A new study of mid-day meals in Madhya Pradesh has just been completed by Samaj Pragati Sahyog. The study covers 70 schools spread over 7 districts. On the positive side, the study found that mid-day meals are in place in all the villages and that they have had dramatic effects on school attendance: pupil enrolment in Class 1 rose by 35 per cent within one year, after mid-day meals were introduced. A vast majority of parents and teachers want the mid-day meal scheme to continue. On a less cheerful note, the infrastructure (cooking sheds, utensils, etc.) is highly inadequate and the quality of mid-day meals leaves much to be desired. Also, because the management of mid-day meals has been handed over to "parent-teacher associations" (PTAs), which are often inactive, teachers end up spending a lot of time organising the meals. For the full report please write to Samaj Pragati Sahyog (samprag@sify.com) Two other insightful studies of mid-day meals have recently been completed, one by Farzana Afridi on mid-day meals in Madhya Pradesh, and one by Julia Blue on mid-day meals in Udaipur (Rajasthan). For further details, see the "mid-day meals" section of the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org). 6. MASSIVE "JAMIN ADHIKAR" RALLY IN SURAT, 20th SEPTEMBER Punarvasan Sangharsh Samiti, an organisation working for the democratic rights of Adivasis and Dalits, recently conducted a series of grassroots meetings in Nandurbar district, Maharashtra. This culminated in a huge rally at the District headquarters on 16 August, 2005. Two rallies were also held in Surat and Rajpipla, in the Narmada district of Gujarat. Surat witnessed perhaps the largest mobilization of tribal and working people on issues relating to their livelihood: 15,000 Adivasis, Dalits and landless people converged at Ambedkar Statue, Surat. Prominent trade union leaders and comrades addressed the gathering. The resolution passed at the rally demanded a halt to the transfer of natural resources and public sector companies to multinational companies; it took note of the Gujarat government's move to lease more than 47 lakh hectares of land to corporate houses at a pittance for 20 years; it demanded a common school system; it condemned the displacement of tribal people in Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh; it demanded the ownership rights of tribal groups to lands they have cultivated over generations. The rally also demanded that the draft Tribal Bill 2005 be passed in the Winter Session of Parliament, after necessary modification. For further info please write to Pratibha Shinde at loksamanway@yahoo.co.uk 7. RECENT REPORTS ON HUNGER DEATHS There has been a series of recent reports on hunger deaths in various places, including Nandurbar (Maharashtra), Sonebhadra (UP), Shivpuri (Madhya Pradesh), and Baran (Rajasthan). The full reports are available on the campaign website (http://www.righttofoodindia.org/links/field_reports.html). Short summaries follow below:
8. WORKSHOP ON COURT ORDERS (NAGPUR, 16-18 SEPTEMBER) A workshop was convened in Nagpur on 16-18 September at Nagpur by the Right to Food Campaign, Maharashtra. The programme included presentations on food security, the public distribution system, ICDS, mid-day meals, pension and maternity benefits, the state of primary health centres, and the Employment Guarantee Act. The aim was to work out a mechanism for monitoring the implementation of various Supreme Court orders. For further info please contact priyankajosson@yahoo.com 9. NEW STUDY ON CASTE DISCRIMINATION IN FOOD PROGRAMMES The latest issue of Economic and Political Weekly includes an article by Sukheo Thorat and Joel Lee on caste discrimination in food security programmes. The abstract of the paper reads: "The findings of a survey in select states conducted in 2003 expose the patterns of exclusion and caste discrimination that afflict the government's mid-day meal scheme and public distribution system. This article investigates dalit participation in these programmes and also measures aspects of physical access, participatory empowerment and community-level access." The full article is available on the website of Economic and Political Weekly. 10. RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT COMES INTO FORCE The Right to Information Act came into force on 13 October 2005. The Government was supposed to appoint State Commissioners for RTI by 23 September 2005, and to name Public Information Officers for each department by 13 October 2005. However, this had not happened until 8 October. In response to this, Shankar Singh of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) has issued an appeal to observe the week from 13-20 October as "Suchna ka adhikar arji saptaah" (RTI Applications Week), urging people to file applications for RTI in large numbers in their areas. He says, "our struggle will continue until such time that ordinary citizens use RTI to ensure an accountable and transparent government". A "Right to Information Primer" (prepared by the National Campaign for the People's Right to Information) is available at (http://www.righttoinformation.info/rti_primer04.doc). For those based in Delhi, information on how to apply is available online at http://www.snsindia.org/rti.htm. For further information, please write to mkssrajasthan@gmail.com. [NOTE: These Updates are prepared by volunteers on behalf of the secretariat of the right to food campaign (tel 011-2351 0042, e-mail righttofood@gmail.com), based on communications from individuals and organizations involved in the Right to Food Campaign. If you'd like to send any material for inclusion in the next Update, please send a line to righttofood@gmail.com. See also the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org ) for the full list of earlier Updates, and plenty of information on various aspects of the right to food.]
UPDATE 39: ROZGAR YATRA TO BEGIN ON 13 MAY Dear friends, This Update begins with an important announcement, regarding the "rozgar adhikar yatra" to be launched from Delhi on 13 May (the last day of the Budget Session of Parliament). The main objective of this yatra is to consolidate the campaign for a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act. Please note that a transition is about to be made to a new system whereby updates are sent from a "Googlegroup". Sometime duringthe next few weeks you will be receiving a greeting message signalling your inclusion in the list. Please don't "unsubscribe", unless you are fed up with these Updates. This Googlegroup is not a "discussion group", it is just a new device to continue sending the same Updates more efficiently. We are planning to send Updates about once a month from now on. Today's headlines:
1. ROZGAR ADHIKAR YATRA (May-June 2005) A country-wide "rozgar adhikar yatra" (right to work convoy) will be launched from Delhi on 13 May 2005. The main objective of this yatra is to consolidate the campaign for a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act (EGA). The yatra is a follow-up to the "display of banners" of 21 December 2005, when thousands of banners from all over the country, bearing about 10 lakh signatures demanding a full-fledged EGA, were displayed in Parliament Street (New Delhi). The banners will travel with the yatra and be displayed in various places on the way. The yatra will go through ten states (Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh) before returning to Delhi at the end of June. Public meetings, cultural activities, training workshops, press conferences, etc., will be taking place on the way. All organizations committed to the right to work are invited to take part in these activities. They are also welcome to the next preparatory meeting, to be held on 21 April (10 am to 2 pm) at the office of the National Federation of Indian Women in New Delhi (1002 Ansal Bhawan, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, tel 2331 9541). For further information, please send a line to rozgar@gmail.com, contact "People's Action for Employment Guarantee" (9811553633 [Annie], 9810810365 [Subhash] or 9811087811 [Navjyoti]), or check the Employment Guarantee section at www.righttofoodindia.org. The proposed itinerary of the yatra is also available on this website. 2. REPORT FROM UDAIPUR TRAINING A training workshop for activists working in "Food-For-Work" districts took place in Udaipur on 13-17 March. The workshop was a great success and generated much new energy, ideas, material, etc. About 100 activists participated, not only from Rajasthan but also from other states including Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Among other activities, the participants studied the "Guidelines" of the National Food-For-Work Programme (NFFWP). These turned out to be highly defective, e.g. there is no attempt to assess the demand for work (let alone respond to it), the transparency provisions are very weak, and the institutions of local democracy (e.g. Gram Panchayats and Gram Sabhas) have been sidelined. A critique of the Guidelines was prepared and is available in the EGA section at www.righttofoodindia.org. Another useful product of the workshop is a "Primer" for activists working in the Food-For-Work districts. This includes a presentation and critique of the Guidelines in simple question-answer form, plenty of ideas for action, and a detailed section on "social audits". This Primer was written in Hindi and is in the process of being translated in English. If you are interested in a copy of the Hindi version, pleasesend a line to rozgar@gmail.com. The English version will be posted at www.righttofoodindia.org as soon as possible. 3. MID-DAY MEALS: NEW STUDIES GALORE There is an epidemic of new studies on mid-day meals, including recent field surveys in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal. Most of these are available in the Mid-Day Meal section at www.righttofoodindia.org (see also Farzana Afridi's article on MDMs in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka in the latest issue of Economic and Political Weekly). In Jharkhand, a survey was recently conducted by Gram Swaraj Abhiyan in 22 randomly-selected schools and the results are reasonably encouraging. For instance, mid-day meals were being provided every day in 95% of these schools. Further, the quality of food was found to be generally good. In all schools a cook had been employed to cook the food and all teachers except one wanted mid-day meals to continue. Almost all of them reported a substantial increase in enrolment and attendance after mid-day meals were initiated. This was verified on the basis of attendance and enrolment data. The percentage increase in enrolment was larger for girls than for boys, and particularly large among disadvantaged households (e.g. SC and ST households). In contrast, the findings from the Bihar survey are dismal. Among 52 schools from 13 districts surveyed in February 2005, only 4 were found to have functioning Mid-Day Meals. However this survey was done within a month of the introduction of the mid-day meal scheme and hopefully the situation will improve over time. Turning to West Bengal, the Pratichi Trust recently conducted a field study in Birbhum District. Attendance records showed a much higher impact of mid-day meals on the attendance of SC, ST and Muslim children. A majority of wage earners and small cultivators felt that the MDMs had a strong impact, whereas relatively affluent households felt that the programme had little impact. About 73 percent of teachers found some positive impact of the programme, especially in terms of increased attendance of children. Some of the problems identified in the Pratichi Trust study are poor quality of food, boring menu, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient budget allocation, caste and religious bias, and limited scope for participation of parents in the programme. 4. MID-DAY MEAL HANDBOOK MAKES HEADWAY There have been periodic efforts to prepare a "Mid-Day Meal Handbook" for village-level workers (teachers, cooks, sarpanchs, activists, etc.). An outline was prepared a year ago and some intermittent work has been done on different chapters. A breakthrough was achieved recently in Bhopal, at a workshop convened for this purpose by Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti. An attempt is being made to finalise the draft of the Handbook within a month or so. If you are interested in this Handbook please write to Vivek at vivekdse@gmail.com. The outline is available inthe mid-day meal section of the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org) and the draft Handbook will be posted there as soon as possible. 5. IMS ACT SAVED In an earlier update we mentioned the campaign to prevent the repeal of the Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1992 (or "IMS Act" for short). You will be glad to know that the IMS Act has been saved. Hats off to the Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI) and its partners. For further info see bpni@bpni.org. 6. CHILD RIGHTS AND THE UNION BUDGET 2005-6 HAQ, Centre for Child Rights has prepared a critical note on the Union Budget 2005-6 from a child rights perspective. The note "uncovers the myth of increased allocations for Elementary Education, Mid Day Meal and ICDS." This note is available in the "ICDS" section of the campaign website (see http://www.righttofoodindia.org/data/haq-report.pdf). We take this opportunity to draw your attention to this new sectionof the website. As of now it is a little thin but we expect it to grow fast in the near future. 7. DELHI: BREAKTHROUGH IN PDS ACCOUNTABILITY In Delhi, Parivartan's struggle (see earlier Updates) has led the Government to agree to some systemic changes in the public distribution system (PDS). The shops were economically unviable due to very low commissions for the PDS dealers. The government recently announced that they would raise the commissions to make the PDS shops viable. Following dramatic improvements in the PDS in Sundernagari (a resettlement colony), the government has agreed to throw open the records of all the PDS shops in Delhi for public inspection every Saturday from 1.00 pm to 4.00 pm. People will be able to go to any office of the Food Department in Delhi and inspect the records of any shop falling in the jurisdiction of that office, without paying any fee and without giving any prior intimation. This is to be implemented in phases, starting on 1 April in two districts (East and North East). In the coming months, the rest of Delhi will also be covered. If any discrepancy is found in the records during public inspection, the shop will be suspended immediately and criminal proceedings will be initiated. 8. NEW CAMPAIGN SECRETARIAT The Secretariat of the Right to Food Campaign is moving to new premises, located in Siddiqui Building, Bara Hindu Rao, 6122, Bahadurgarh Road, Delhi 110 006 (tel 2351 0042). The premises are shared with two related campaigns: the National Campaign Committee for Unorganised Sector Workers (NCC-USW) and People's Action for Employment Guarantee. The secretariat is currently coordinated by Navjyoti (tel 9811087811). The new Secretariat badly needs furniture and equipment such as computers, printers, shelves etc. If you are able to help please send a line to righttofood@gmail.com or call Navjyoti. The Secretariat is funded entirely from individual donations in rupees with no strings attached. 9. FORTHCOMING EVENTS
10. REMINDERS We end with a few reminders:
UPDATE 39: ROZGAR YATRA TO BEGIN ON 13 MAY Dear friends, This Update begins with an important announcement, regarding the "rozgar adhikar yatra" to be launched from Delhi on 13 May (the last day of the Budget Session of Parliament). The main objective of this yatra is to consolidate the campaign for a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act. Please note that a transition is about to be made to a new system whereby updates are sent from a "Googlegroup". Sometime duringthe next few weeks you will be receiving a greeting message signalling your inclusion in the list. Please don't "unsubscribe", unless you are fed up with these Updates. This Googlegroup is not a "discussion group", it is just a new device to continue sending the same Updates more efficiently. We are planning to send Updates about once a month from now on. Today's headlines:
1. ROZGAR ADHIKAR YATRA (May-June 2005) A country-wide "rozgar adhikar yatra" (right to work convoy) will be launched from Delhi on 13 May 2005. The main objective of this yatra is to consolidate the campaign for a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act (EGA). The yatra is a follow-up to the "display of banners" of 21 December 2005, when thousands of banners from all over the country, bearing about 10 lakh signatures demanding a full-fledged EGA, were displayed in Parliament Street (New Delhi). The banners will travel with the yatra and be displayed in various places on the way. The yatra will go through ten states (Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh) before returning to Delhi at the end of June. Public meetings, cultural activities, training workshops, press conferences, etc., will be taking place on the way. All organizations committed to the right to work are invited to take part in these activities. They are also welcome to the next preparatory meeting, to be held on 21 April (10 am to 2 pm) at the office of the National Federation of Indian Women in New Delhi (1002 Ansal Bhawan, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, tel 2331 9541). For further information, please send a line to rozgar@gmail.com, contact "People's Action for Employment Guarantee" (9811553633 [Annie], 9810810365 [Subhash] or 9811087811 [Navjyoti]), or check the Employment Guarantee section at www.righttofoodindia.org. The proposed itinerary of the yatra is also available on this website. 2. REPORT FROM UDAIPUR TRAINING A training workshop for activists working in "Food-For-Work" districts took place in Udaipur on 13-17 March. The workshop was a great success and generated much new energy, ideas, material, etc. About 100 activists participated, not only from Rajasthan but also from other states including Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Among other activities, the participants studied the "Guidelines" of the National Food-For-Work Programme (NFFWP). These turned out to be highly defective, e.g. there is no attempt to assess the demand for work (let alone respond to it), the transparency provisions are very weak, and the institutions of local democracy (e.g. Gram Panchayats and Gram Sabhas) have been sidelined. A critique of the Guidelines was prepared and is available in the EGA section at www.righttofoodindia.org. Another useful product of the workshop is a "Primer" for activists working in the Food-For-Work districts. This includes a presentation and critique of the Guidelines in simple question-answer form, plenty of ideas for action, and a detailed section on "social audits". This Primer was written in Hindi and is in the process of being translated in English. If you are interested in a copy of the Hindi version, pleasesend a line to rozgar@gmail.com. The English version will be posted at www.righttofoodindia.org as soon as possible. 3. MID-DAY MEALS: NEW STUDIES GALORE There is an epidemic of new studies on mid-day meals, including recent field surveys in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal. Most of these are available in the Mid-Day Meal section at www.righttofoodindia.org (see also Farzana Afridi's article on MDMs in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka in the latest issue of Economic and Political Weekly). In Jharkhand, a survey was recently conducted by Gram Swaraj Abhiyan in 22 randomly-selected schools and the results are reasonably encouraging. For instance, mid-day meals were being provided every day in 95% of these schools. Further, the quality of food was found to be generally good. In all schools a cook had been employed to cook the food and all teachers except one wanted mid-day meals to continue. Almost all of them reported a substantial increase in enrolment and attendance after mid-day meals were initiated. This was verified on the basis of attendance and enrolment data. The percentage increase in enrolment was larger for girls than for boys, and particularly large among disadvantaged households (e.g. SC and ST households). In contrast, the findings from the Bihar survey are dismal. Among 52 schools from 13 districts surveyed in February 2005, only 4 were found to have functioning Mid-Day Meals. However this survey was done within a month of the introduction of the mid-day meal scheme and hopefully the situation will improve over time. Turning to West Bengal, the Pratichi Trust recently conducted a field study in Birbhum District. Attendance records showed a much higher impact of mid-day meals on the attendance of SC, ST and Muslim children. A majority of wage earners and small cultivators felt that the MDMs had a strong impact, whereas relatively affluent households felt that the programme had little impact. About 73 percent of teachers found some positive impact of the programme, especially in terms of increased attendance of children. Some of the problems identified in the Pratichi Trust study are poor quality of food, boring menu, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient budget allocation, caste and religious bias, and limited scope for participation of parents in the programme. 4. MID-DAY MEAL HANDBOOK MAKES HEADWAY There have been periodic efforts to prepare a "Mid-Day Meal Handbook" for village-level workers (teachers, cooks, sarpanchs, activists, etc.). An outline was prepared a year ago and some intermittent work has been done on different chapters. A breakthrough was achieved recently in Bhopal, at a workshop convened for this purpose by Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti. An attempt is being made to finalise the draft of the Handbook within a month or so. If you are interested in this Handbook please write to Vivek at vivekdse@gmail.com. The outline is available inthe mid-day meal section of the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org) and the draft Handbook will be posted there as soon as possible. 5. IMS ACT SAVED In an earlier update we mentioned the campaign to prevent the repeal of the Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1992 (or "IMS Act" for short). You will be glad to know that the IMS Act has been saved. Hats off to the Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI) and its partners. For further info see bpni@bpni.org. 6. CHILD RIGHTS AND THE UNION BUDGET 2005-6 HAQ, Centre for Child Rights has prepared a critical note on the Union Budget 2005-6 from a child rights perspective. The note "uncovers the myth of increased allocations for Elementary Education, Mid Day Meal and ICDS." This note is available in the "ICDS" section of the campaign website (see http://www.righttofoodindia.org/data/haq-report.pdf). We take this opportunity to draw your attention to this new sectionof the website. As of now it is a little thin but we expect it to grow fast in the near future. 7. DELHI: BREAKTHROUGH IN PDS ACCOUNTABILITY In Delhi, Parivartan's struggle (see earlier Updates) has led the Government to agree to some systemic changes in the public distribution system (PDS). The shops were economically unviable due to very low commissions for the PDS dealers. The government recently announced that they would raise the commissions to make the PDS shops viable. Following dramatic improvements in the PDS in Sundernagari (a resettlement colony), the government has agreed to throw open the records of all the PDS shops in Delhi for public inspection every Saturday from 1.00 pm to 4.00 pm. People will be able to go to any office of the Food Department in Delhi and inspect the records of any shop falling in the jurisdiction of that office, without paying any fee and without giving any prior intimation. This is to be implemented in phases, starting on 1 April in two districts (East and North East). In the coming months, the rest of Delhi will also be covered. If any discrepancy is found in the records during public inspection, the shop will be suspended immediately and criminal proceedings will be initiated. 8. NEW CAMPAIGN SECRETARIAT The Secretariat of the Right to Food Campaign is moving to new premises, located in Siddiqui Building, Bara Hindu Rao, 6122, Bahadurgarh Road, Delhi 110 006 (tel 2351 0042). The premises are shared with two related campaigns: the National Campaign Committee for Unorganised Sector Workers (NCC-USW) and People's Action for Employment Guarantee. The secretariat is currently coordinated by Navjyoti (tel 9811087811). The new Secretariat badly needs furniture and equipment such as computers, printers, shelves etc. If you are able to help please send a line to righttofood@gmail.com or call Navjyoti. The Secretariat is funded entirely from individual donations in rupees with no strings attached. 9. FORTHCOMING EVENTS
10. REMINDERS We end with a few reminders:
UPDATE 38: Budget 2005-6 and other issues Dear friends, This update covers a sample of recent activities in different places, and some forthcoming events. A separate update on "employment guarantee" (the hot issue in the last few months) will follow as soon as possible. Meanwhile, if you are interested in regular updates on employment guarantee, please send a line to rozgar@gmail.com or take a look at the "employment guarantee" section of the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org) from time to time. Today's headlines: 1. THE 2005-6 BUDGET 2. MID-DAY MEALS APPROACH UNIVERSAL COVERAGE 3. RECENT SUPREME COURT HEARINGS 4. SAVING THE "IMS ACT" 5. GUJARAT: RIGHT TO FOOD CONVENTION (6-7 DECEMBER, 2004) 6. DELHI: BRUTAL ATTACK ON PARIVARTAN ACTIVIST 7. MADHYA PRADESH: HUNGER-RELATED DEATHS IN SHEOPUR 8. KARNATAKA: NEWS FROM JAGRUTHA MAHILA SANGHATAN 9. CYCLE YATRA (MAHAD TO DELHI) TO BEGIN ON 20 MARCH 10. REMINDER: MEETINGS ON 9 MARCH AND 10 MARCH IN DELHI 11. OTHER FORTHCOMING EVENTS
The Union Budget 2005-6, presented on 28 February 2005, includes big increases for a range of food-related programmes. The central allocation for Mid-Day Meals has increased from Rs. 1,675 crores to Rs. 3,010 crores and the allocation for ICDS has increased from Rs. 1,645 crores to Rs. 3,142 crores. In his Budget speech, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said: "It is my intention to ensure that, in every settlement, there is a functional anganwadi that provides full coverage for all children" - a clear endorsement of recent Supreme Court orders on ICDS. However the financial allocations remain much below what is required for "universalization with quality", both for mid-day meals and for ICDS. As far as the Employment Guarantee Act is concerned, the Finance Minister stated in his speech, "I promise to find the money for the programme" (we are saving this one-liner for future reference). Meanwhile allocations for Food-For-Work and SGRY (the "precursors" of the Employment Guarantee Act) have been boosted. The figures are not entirely transparent, because the "food component" of SGRY and FFW allocations does not appear in the Budget Papers. A note on this is available on request from rozgar@gmail.com. The bottom line is that allocations for SGRY and FFW are likely to rise by about 50% in 2005-6, compared with 2004-5, e.g. the cash component is due to increase from Rs 6,400 crores to Rs, 9000 crores. The anticipated grand total for 2005-6, if the food component is valued at the so-called "economic cost" of Rs 11/kg (the established practice), comes close to Rs 20,000 crores. If the food component is valued at market price or BPL price (a more sensible idea), the anticipated grand total is around Rs 15,000 crores. In spite of these substantial increases, the allocations fall far short of what is required to implement an Employment Guarantee Act in the initial 150 districts and continue SGRY in the other districts. 2. MID-DAY MEALS APPROACH UNIVERSAL COVERAGE Further progress has been made towards universal mid-day meals in primary schools. The Supreme Court cracked the whip again on 17 October 2004 and directed all the "laggard" states to ensure that mid-day meals are introduced by January 2005. To the best of our knowledge, very few states if any are yet to initiate mid-day meals. However, the coverage remains incomplete in some states and of course the quality of MDMs leaves much to be desired in many places. Since 1 September 2004, the central government has been providing financial assistance for mid-day meals to the tune of one rupee per child per day (in addition to free grain). State governments are expected to reciprocate by providing another rupee, so that the minimum national norm of "two rupees per child per day" (suggested by the Commissioners of the Supreme Court) is achieved everywhere. It is very important to ensure that state governments don't react to this enhanced central assistance by reducing their own contribution. If you suspect that this is happening in your state, please send a line to the Commissioners at commissioners@vsnl.net A recent article in Frontline ("Noon Meal: A Progress Report" by Annie Zaidi) gives a useful overview of the mid-day meal situation in different parts of the country. 3. RECENT SUPREME COURT HEARINGS Things have been rather quiet in the Supreme Court in recent months. The last hearing in the "right to food" case (PUCL vs Union of India and Others, Writ Petition [Civil] 196 of 2001) took place on 17 October 2004. Recent orders deal mainly with ICDS, mid-day meals, the Antyodaya programme, and related matters. The orders area available in the "Legal Action" section of the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org). Meetings have also been held with the Ministry of Rural Development regarding the "BPL list", at the initiative of the Commissioners. The new BPL list, based on the 2002 BPL Census, has been "stayed" by the Supreme Court for nearly two years. The Ministry wants to go ahead with the new list but has agreed to put in place an effective appeal procedure for those who feel that they have been unfairly excluded from the list. The details of the proposed appeal procedure are awaited. 4. SAVING THE "IMS ACT" A lively campaign is on to save the IMS Act from being repealed. "IMS Act" stands for the Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1992 as amended in 2003. The aim of the IMS Act is to protect babies from harmful infant feeding practices promoted by commercial interests. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries is proposing to repeal the IMS Act through the "Food Safety and Standards Bill 2005" (see www.mofpi.nic.in). The aim of this Bill is to bring about a single statute relating to food, with an emphasis on food safety. However, repealing the IMS Act would not contribute towards this aim. On 8 February 2005, a meeting ("Coming together to save the IMS Act") was convened in Delhi by four leading national networks and organizations: Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI), Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), India Alliance for Child Rights (IACR), and Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI). Twenty-seven organizations representing public interest groups, public health groups, women's' groups, economists, health professionals, and several prominent individuals in the field of economics and health, came together to oppose the repeal of the IMS Act. "Peoples Petition: Save Babies by saving the IMS Act" was prepared and signed by all participants, for submission to the President, Prime Minister and other concerned Ministers. For further information please send a line to Arun Gupta (arun@ibfan-asiapacific.org) or Vandana Prasad (chaukhat@yahoo.com). 5. GUJARAT: RIGHT TO FOOD CONVENTION (6-7 DECEMBER, 2004) Devgadh Mahila Sangathan (DMS), Panam Mahila Sangathan (PMS) and ANANDI organized a two-day convention in early December to discuss food insecurity in the adivasi belt of eastern Gujarat and to launch a state-level campaign for people's right to food (Anna Suraksha Adhikar Abhiyan). Participants came from eleven districts of Gujarat. The first day's discussion centred on the PDS, ICDS and SGRY. The faulty identification of BPL beneficiaries, irregular opening hours/days of the ration shop, wrong entries in ration cards, obstructive behaviour of dealers, etc., were some of the PDS-related problems that came up. DMS described how they had been able to improve the functioning of the PDS in their area by constant monitoring of the PDS and by pressurizing the administration. In relation to SGRY, corruption in payment of wages and the use of contractors were the two main issues. Poor quality of food provided through the ICDS, discrimination against tribal children in anganwadis and mid-day meals, irregularity of supplies were some of the problems in the food security schemes for children. On the second day of the convention, a jan sunwai (public hearing) on food security was organized. The convention ended with a plan to continue to work on these issues and to generate greater awareness of food security issues, especially the Supreme Court's orders. Pressure on district authorities has been kept up after the convention by DMS, PMS and ANANDI to ensure that they do not forget the matter. This has included submitting written complaints, holding rallies, alerting authorities to instances of corruption, etc. 6. DELHI: BRUTAL ATTACK ON PARIVARTAN ACTIVIST Earlier "updates" have often covered Parivartan's struggle to eradicate corruption from the public distribution system (PDS) in Delhi. Parivartan activists have been regularly harassed and threatened by local henchmen. In December, Santosh of Parivartan was brutally attacked and her throat was slashed with a knife (it is a miracle that she is still alive). Repeated attempts to obtain justice did not get beyond vague assurances from the authorities. Recently the Chief Secretary was asked to address 21 common grievances within a prescribed time limit. A suggestion regarding a penalty for violating prescribed time limits was made. A draft of a legislation (People's Grievance Commission) to look into such matters was presented to the Chief Secretary. The draft can be obtained from parivartan@parivartan.com. On 26 January, residents of Sundernagari decided to forego their rations unless they were given these with honesty, dignity and peacefully. Following this protest, we have received the following news from Parivartan: "Since 1st February, almost unbelievable things are happening in Sundernagari. The Delhi Government is keeping a strict vigil on each of the shops. The Food Inspector is moving around with a video camera to record the movement in each shop. The Assistant Commissioner and the Food Officer of the area are moving around in the area to ensure that the shops are open and there is sufficient stock. The shops which used to open for just a few days in a month are opening daily (even during the lunch hours!)." A forum for whisteblowers, "Citizen's Forum Against Corruption" has also been formed. For further details please contact Naveen at tk.naveen@gmail.com. 7. MADHYA PRADESH: HUNGER-RELATED DEATHS IN SHEOPUR In Sheopur district (MP), 13 children died in early February 2005 due to measles and related complications. These deaths are also due to the failure of basic food- and health-related services. According to the report of a medical team (dated 11 February, 2005), some of the complications arose because of the high levels of undernutrition among the children. In this Sahariya dominated area, recent Supreme Court orders have been brazenly violated. For instance, funds allocated for ICDS have not been fully utilized; many people are unable to lift their rations from the PDS because they do not have cards or because the shops remain closed. The Adviser to the Commissioners in Madhya Pradesh, Dr. Mihir Shah, has asked the district Collector to investigate these deaths and ensure that the Supreme Court's orders are implemented. A public meeting is likely to be held in Sheopur later this month - further details from Sachin Jain (rtfmp@rediffmail.com). 8. KARNATAKA: NEWS FROM JAGRUTHA MAHILA SANGHATAN (received from jms_chiguru@rediffmail.com) "Jagrutha Mahila Sanghatan (JMS) is a collective of women agricultural labourers in Raichur (Karnataka), fighting for their socio-political and economic rights since the past five years. It has engaged in struggles for gender rights, campaigns against violence against women, caste atrocities and more importantly for political and economic rights through the serious drought from 2001-03 (minimum wages, drought relief, food for work, PDS and against mechanisation of harvesting) to ensure livelihood. The Sanghatan had a protest rally on 10th November, 2004 with the demands of right to food and livelihood with the recent supreme court order as a strong tool. We are also planning to continue this struggle forward and also be a part of right to food campaign." 9. CYCLE YATRA (MAHAD TO DELHI) TO BEGIN ON 20 MARCH A cycle yatra for the rights of unorganised workers is due to start from Mahad in Maharashtra on 20 March, and to reach Delhi on 1 May after going through Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana. Key demands include a comprehensive legislation for unorganised workers and an immediate, full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act. This is an initiative of Asurakshit Kashtkari Sangharsh Samiti Maharashtra. For further info please contact Baba Adhav (tel 020-2421 0685 (h) and 2645 7307 (o)) or Subhash Lomte (09325212936, subhashlomte@rediffmail). 10. REMINDER: MEETINGS ON 9 MARCH AND 10 MARCH IN DELHI A workshop on the public distribution system will be held at the Indian Social Institute, Lodhi Institutional Area (New Delhi) on Wednesday 9 March. The main purpose of the workshop is to guide legal intervention on the PDS, in the context of the public interest litigation initiated by PUCL-Rajasthan. For details, background material, etc. please send a line to Kumaran (kumran@gmail.com) or call Anoop (tel 9818653439). The secretariat of the Right to Food Campaign is convening an important meeting on Thursday 10 March at the Indian Social Institute (10 am to 2 pm), to discuss forthcoming activities of the campaign as well as some organisational issues. The main items on the agenda are: further action for a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act; further interventions in the Supreme Court; other proposed activities; suggestions for the next annual "convention"; and setting up of a new campaign secretariat in Delhi. For further details please send contact Navjyoti (nj12@rediffmail.com, tel 9811087811). 11. OTHER FORTHCOMING EVENTS 7-21 March: Campaign for Survival & Dignity dharna in Delhi with representatives from AP, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Nagar Haveli, MP, Orissa, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu to ensure the safe passage of "Scheduled Tribes & Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Rights) Bill 2005" in Parliament. For further details, contact Pradip Prabhu at kasht@sancharnet.in. 10-11 March: NACDOR is organizing a review of the 10th Five Year Plan at Rajendra Bhawan from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Various issues including food security and children's right to food will be discussed. For further details contact Mr. Ramanath (tel 3090 3429). 12-18 March: Training workshop in Udaipur, for activists working in "Food For Work" districts. Prior intimation from all participants is essential because of limited capacity (about 60-70 participants). If interested please contact Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan at mkssrajasthan@gmail.com 20 March: Cycle yatra for rights of unorganised sector workers starts at Mahad in Maharashtra (see above). For further info, contact Baba Adhav (tel 020-2421 0685 (h) and 2645 7307 (o)) or Subhash Lomte (09325212936, subhashlomte@rediffmail). 23-24 April: Convention on the right to work in Jodhpur, convened by NAFRE (National Alliance for the Fundamental Right to Education). Details awaited. 5 May: Rally of unorganised sector workers in Delhi, to submit a petition to the Petition Committee of Parliament. This rally is organised by the National Campaign Committee for Unorganised Sector Workers (NCC-USW). For details contact nccusw@vsnl.net Dear friends, This is a short update to alert you to some forthcoming events. A longer update is on the anvil. See also the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org). STRUGGLE FOR A FULL-FLEDGED EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT The struggle for a full-fledged "Employment Guarantee Act" continues. The "National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill 2004" (NREGB 2004) was tabled in Parliament on 21 December 2004, on the same day as the "display of banners" The Bill has been referred to a Standing Committee of Parliament and is likely to come back to Parliament towards the end of the Budget Session.
Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) has agreed to conduct a training workshop for activists working in "Food For Work" districts, with special focus on social audits of the FFW programme. This training will be held on
A workshop on the public distribution system will be held at the Indian Social Institute on Wednesday 9 March. The main purpose of the workshop is to guide legal intervention on the PDS, in the context of the public interest litigation initiated by PUCL-Rajasthan. For details, background material etc. please send a line to Kumaran (kumran@gmail.com). 10 MARCH: MEETING TO PLAN FUTURE ACTIVITIES The secretariat of the Right to Food Campaign is convening an important meeting on Thursday 10 March at the Indian Social Institute (10 am to 2 pm), to discuss forthcoming activities of the campaign as well as some organisational issues. The main items on the agenda are: further action for a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act; further interventions in the Supreme Court; other proposed activities; suggestions for the next annual "convention"; and setting up of a new campaign secretariat in Delhi. This is an important opportunity to set work priorities for the campaign secretariat and all concerned organisations are cordially invited, especially those that participated in the Bhopal convention in June 2004 and/or the "display of banners" on 21 December 2004. For further details please send contact Navjyoti (nj12@rediffmail.com, tel 9811087811). 5 MAY: RALLY FOR UNORGANISED SECTOR WORKERS IN DELHI UPDATE 36: DEMONSTRATION FOR EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE (21 DECEMBER) Dear friends, The National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill 2004 was cleared by the Cabinet on 15 December, but the relief was shortlived. Indeed this "employment guarantee" Bill has been diluted beyond recognition. Aside from the sabotage mentioned in earlier updates, it is now learnt that the latest version of the Bill restricts both the employment guarantee and the unemployment allowance to "poor" households (read BPL households). This amounts to a neat last-minute spiking of the Act, which was meant to be based on universal entitlement and self-selection. In the light of these developments, the demonstration on 21 December in Delhi (see below) will be not just a display of banners but also a protest against this sabotage. We are trying to keep track of the latest developments and post as much information as possible on the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org), in the "Employment Guarantee" section. The "official" version of the Bill is still under wraps, but it is expected to be tabled in Parliament sometime during the next 2-3 days. As soon as the official version is available the website will be updated again. DISPLAY OF BANNERS ON 21 DECEMBER As mentioned in earlier updates, a massive signature campaign has been taking place all over the country during the last few weeks. Signatures demanding the immediate adoption of a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act have been collected on large banners, which are now on their way to Delhi. The public display of banners - about 3,000 of them - will be taking place at Jantar Mantar (Parliament Street) on 21 December. We shall be assembling from 10 am onwards and the demonstration will start at 11 am. Approximately 1000 participants, representing more than 200 organisations, are expected from various parts of the country. There will be a reception team at Jantar Mantar from 8 am onwards to assist participants coming from outside Delhi. If you are bringing banners, please reach Jantar Mantar well before 10 am (the sooner the better), as the arrangement of banners is likely to be a major task. Participants are requested to help with stitching small sized banners (less than 5m wide) on either side so that they can be supported by a stick for display. Longer banners are expected to be erected on trees, railings and other available spaces. Since we have to erect a large number of banners in quick time, it would be of help if participants can tie their banners with a "sutli" and keep them ready for display. Efforts are on to erect as many banners as possible, if required by extending it up to Connaught Place. The display of banners at Jantar Mantar will end at 2 pm. From there we shall go to 4 Ashoka Road (about 1 km from Jantar Mantar) for a follow-up cultural programme and informal meeting. This will also be an opportunity to discuss further mobilisation for a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act during the next few months. If you require any help or information at any time please contact Navjyoti (9811087811), Annie (9811553633), Somanathan (9810994611), Subhash (9810810365), or Vivek (3091 7116, 9350530150). FOLLOW-UP MEETING ON 22 DECEMBER A follow-up meeting will be held on 22 December, from 10 am to 1 pm, to review the situation and plan further activities. This meeting is likely to take place at the Indian Social Institute (Lodi Road), but the venue remains to be confirmed. The agenda will be decided collectively on 21 December itself. The contact persons listed above will be able to provide confirmed details of this meeting on 21 December. FLAWS OF THE EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE BILL 2004 By way of update on the flaws of the Employment Guarantee Bill to be tabled in Parliament in a few days, we copy below the relevant portion of a recent "communique" on this from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), issued soon after the Cabinet meeting on 15 December.
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met on December 17 and 18, 2004 at New Delhi. It has issued the following statement: Employment Guarantee Act The bill to enact a rural employment guarantee Act has been introduced in parliament. This is to fulfill a commitment made in the Common Minimum Programme. However, it is unfortunate that the present bill represents a dilution of the provision made in the CMP. Instead of providing for a hundred days minimum work for one adult in every rural household, the bill seeks to target "poor households" whereby only those who are below poverty line (BPL) beneficiaries can avail of the scheme. There is no provision for payment of the statutory minimum wage decreed by the state governments. Nor is there any time period prescribed for extending the coverage of the act to the whole country. UPDATE 35: DISPLAY OF BANNERS IN DELHI (21 DECEMBER) Dear friends, This is a short Update with confirmed details of the “display of banners” event in Delhi on 21 December. The outlook for this event is very good, with some 3,000 banners (demanding a full-fledged “employment guarantee now”) expected from all over the country, and at least 1,000 participants. The previous Update (if you missed it, see www.righttofoodindia.org) dealt with the attempted sabotage of the “Employment Guarantee Act” (EGA) by the government. Since then, some ground has been regained, but the main concerns remain, including the absence of any time frame for the extension of the EGA to the whole of India. Against this background, the planned demonstration of public demand for a full-fledged EGA on 21 December is very timely – all the more so as the draft Act is expected to be tabled in Parliament very close to that date, and in any case before 23 December. As announced earlier, a preparatory meeting was convened in Delhi on 11 December to finalise the programme and other details. The meeting was very well attended and the spirits were high. After two hours of animated discussion, the following decisions were made: 1. The banner display event will be held at Jantar Mantar and Ashoka Road (a nearby location) on 21 December. We will assemble at Jantar Mantar at 11 am. 2. Plans are being made for striking banner displays in various locations near Jantar Mantar and Ashoka road. 3. Aside from the main display at Jantar Mantar and Ashoka Road, the banners will be also be put to other creative uses, such as other displays in public places, presentation to Members of Parliament, etc. 4. The event will take place under the ad hoc banner of “People’s Action for Employment Guarantee” (‘Rozgar guarantee ke liye jan sangharsh’ in Hindi). The participating organisations are also welcome to bring their own banners. 5. All participating individuals/organisations are expected to meet their own travel and subsistence expenses. 6. An informal meeting is likely to be convened on 22nd December, to discuss further mobilisation on this issue during the next few months. Further details will be circulated after wide consultation. If you require further information at any stage, please contact any member of this working group or write to rozgar@gmail.com. Regular updates will also be posted on the website of the right to food campaign (www.righttofoodindia.org). In case you would like to send banners by post, you can send them to any of the following addresses: 1. Secretariat Right to food campaign 2. C/o. CORD 3. National Federation of Indian Women UPDATE 34: SOS Employment Guarantee Dear friends, Perhaps you are used to deleting these updates on arrival, or to scrolling down in a hurry. Please read this one because it deals with a crucial issue – saving the “employment guarantee act” (EGA). The crisis is explained in the Appendix below – “toothless guarantee” (a note prepared for a press conference held in Delhi yesterday). This note highlights crucial flaws in the latest draft of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, prepared by the Ministry of Rural Development. Among these flaws, the most destructive is the absence of any time frame for the extension of the Act to the whole of rural India. In fact, the revised Act allows the government to “switch off” the employment guarantee anywhere at any time. Needless to say, this makes a mockery of the fundamental principle of an employment guarantee. Against this background, this Update is also a sort of appeal to join forthcoming events, especially the country-wide agitations for a full-fledged EGA on 10 December (Human Rights Day) and the display of banners in Delhi on 21 December. Further activities are likely to be planned all over the place during the next few weeks – please consider joining this effort to save the Employment Guarantee Act, if you are not at it already. The headlines: 1. SAVING THE EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT 2. BANNER DISPLAY IN DELHI ON 21 DECEMBER 3. POSSIBLE FOLLOW-UP MEETING ON 22 DECEMBER APPENDIX: TOOTHLESS GUARANTEE
The Employment Guarantee Act (EGA) is due to be discussed in the Cabinet on 15 December, before being introduced in Parliament sometime between 16 December and 23 December (the last day of the Winter Session). This is a crucial time for action, as the basic flaws of the proposed Act are likely to become harder to reverse after it goes through Parliament (from there it is likely to be sent to a “standing committee”, and to come back to Parliament again during the Budget Session). This emergency has led to renewed solidarity among organisations committed to the right to work. Forthcoming events include: (1) Country-wide local action for “employment guarantee and the right to work” on 10 December (Human Rights Day). The highlight of this event is the collection of signatures on banners, demanding the immediate adoption of a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act. Many other actions have also been planned including padyatras, dharnas, public meetings, etc. (3) Further lobbying in Delhi throughout this period, and wide consultations about further action in the months ahead. 2. BANNER DISPLAY IN DELHI ON 21 DECEMBER The response to the signature campaign has been overwhelming and at least 2,000 banners demanding the immediate adoption of a full-fledged EGA are expected to reach Delhi by 18 December. On 21 December, these banners will be used for a creative display of “people’s voices from around the country”. Please consider joining this event in full strength, because the draft National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is likely to be tabled in Parliament very close to that date. A strong display of public demand for a full-fledged EGA could play a crucial role in reversing the impending sabotage of the proposed Act. At least 100 organisations committed to the right to work are expected to participate in this event, including many national organisations and networks such as the All India Agricultural Workers Alliance (AIAWA), All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS), Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers (NFFPFW), New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI), National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), National Conference of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR), National Campaign Committee for Rural Workers (NCCRW), People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) and National Campaign for the People's Right to Information (NCPRI) – and of course many local organisations from across the country. Arrangements for gathering the banners in Delhi are in the process of being made. The following have already agreed to act as "collection centres" in Delhi: Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (tel 2656 9773), Delhi Forum (tel 2668 0883/914), Sahmat (tel 2371 1276, 2334 4918), and the secretariat of the Right to Food Campaign (tel 9811087811). Organisations are also welcome to keep their banners and bring them in person to the display event in Delhi. IN ANY CASE PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR BANNERS REACH DELHI BY 18 DECEMBER LATEST. In case you would like to post the banners, an updated list of address will be posted in the “Banner campaign” section at www.righttofoodindia.org A preparatory meeting to plan the details of the 21 December display will be taking place at the office of Mobile Creches in New Delhi on 11 December, from 5 pm onwards. All are welcome. Final details of the programme will be circulated immediately after that. Meanwhile, for further info please send a line to rozgar@gmail.com or call one of the following persons in Delhi: Vivek S. (3091 7116), Rajan Prasad (2371 1276), Subhash Bhatnagar (9810810365), Suneet Chopra (2307 3666), J. Somanathan (2656 9773), Sehba Farooqi (2331 9541). 3. POSSIBLE FOLLOW-UP MEETING ON 22 DECEMBER The possibility of a follow-up meeting on the morning of 22 December, to discuss further mobilisation in the months ahead, has been floated. This will be confirmed after the preparatory meeting on 11 December.
The Common Minimum Programme (CMP) begins with the following promise: “The UPA government will immediately enact a National Employment Guarantee Act. This will provide a legal guarantee for at least 100 days of employment to begin with on asset-creating public works programmes every year at minimum Wages for at least one able-bodied person in every rural, urban poor and lower middleclass household.” However, the “revised draft” of the Employment Guarantee Act (EGA), prepared by the Ministry of Rural Development, violates this commitment by allowing the government to “switch off” the employment guarantee anywhere at any time. In this and other ways, the “revised draft” undermines the very purpose of the Act: 1. No time-bound extension to the whole of India: The revised draft states that the Act “shall come into force immediately in such areas and for such periods as may be notified and shall be extended to cover all the rural areas of India after evaluating the implementation in the Districts chosen.” In effect, the revised Act guarantees 100 days of employment to every rural household but it does not guarantee when and where this will apply! 2. No minimum wage: The MoRD draft says, “Notwithstanding anything contained in the Minimum Wages Act 1948, the Central Government may fix the rate at which wages shall be paid to the labourers employed under the Programme…”. This gives the government further opportunities to undermine the Programme at any time by setting the wage rate at an arbitrarily low level. 3. Unemployment allowance only for “poor” households: In practice, identification of “poor households” is likely to be based on the “BPL list”, which is known to be highly unreliable. In the absence of any penalty for failure to employ non-BPL households, these households will effectively be excluded from the entire Programme. This would defeat the purpose of the Act, which is based on the principle of “self-selection”. The revised Act also lacks four crucial provisions that are essential for an effective guarantee: 4. At least 40 per cent of workers employed in a particular Block should be women. 5. The Employment Guarantee Programme should be fully funded by the central government. 6. In the event where the failure to provide employment is due to the lack of devolution of requisite funds from the central government, the payment of unemployment allowances should be reimbursed to the state government by the central government. 7. Panchayati Raj Institutions should be in control of the planning and monitoring of works taken up under the Employment Guarantee Programme. In particular, monitoring agencies should be accountable to elected bodies at all levels and regular social audits should be conducted by the Gram Sabhas. Taken together, these flaws threaten to reduce the Employment Guarantee Act to a farce, as the revised EGA is neither “National” nor does it “Guarantee” any “Employment” in any meaningful sense of the term. UPDATE 33 (Part 3): Banner Display in Delhi 21 December Dear friends, This is the third part of Update 33. It begins with an update on the "right to work banners". The final display of banners in Delhi is planned for 21 December - a few days before the end of the Winter Session of Parliament. Today's headlines: 1. EGA BANNERS TO BE DISPLAYED ON 21 DECEMBER 2. STATE-LEVEL CONSULTATIONS ON EGA CONTINUE 3. BIHAR: RIGHT TO INFORMATION DHARNA IN MADHEPURA 4. CHHATTISGARH: DRAFT LAW TO DE-PRIVATIZE THE PDS 5. MADHYA PRADESH: COMMISSIONERS IGNORED 6. UTTAR PRADESH: COMMISSIONERS' INTERVENTION BRINGS RELIEF 7. REPORTS ON STARVATION DEATHS IN MP AND RAJASTHAN 8. UTTAR PRADESH: "JANATA JAANCH" CAMPAIGN BEGINS 9. MAHARASHTRA: RATION CARDS FOR THE URBAN HOMELESS 10. THIRD STEERING GROUP MEETING 11. NATIONAL FOOD FOR WORK PROGRAMME LAUNCHED 12. AIDWA'S FIRST NATIONAL CONVENTION 13. FORTHCOMING EVENTS
The collection of signatures on banners (conveying the demand for an "Employment Guarantee Now") has begun - see earlier Updates. The signature campaign is due to culminate on 10 December, Human Rights Day. After that the banners will be brought to Delhi for a creative display of "people's voices from around the country". If you have missed the initial call for banners, see the "employment guarantee" section of the campaign website, www.righttofoodindia.org Signatures are being collected all over the country. In Delhi, a signature campaign was launched on 20 November with the support of many eminent citizens and political leaders. At a follow-up meeting the next day, it was decided that the display of banners in Delhi should take place on Tuesday 21 December. This is just two days before the end of the Winter Session of Parliament, and the event could play an important role in making sure that the Act is tabled and passed in an acceptable form. At least 1,000 banners from all over India are expected to be displayed on 21 December. Please consider joining in full strength - at least 1,000 people will be needed just to hold the banners. It is hoped that the display of banners will be followed by a lively cultural event. If you are collecting signatures in your own area, please make sure that your banners reach Delhi by Monday 20 December at the latest. Banners are already expected from about 300 districts, and the number is growing every day. 2. STATE-LEVEL CONSULTATIONS ON EGA CONTINUE There have been many useful meetings, conventions and discussions on the draft Employment Guarantee Act in various states in recent weeks. For instance, two conventions on employment guarantee were held in Delhi (19 September and 19 October); academic seminars and workshops on the EGA were held in Hyderabad (National Institute for Rural Development, 4-5 November), in Mumbai (Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, 6 November) and Jaipur (Institute of Development Studies, 22-23 November). State-level meetings of activists task place in Ranchi, Bhopal and Jaipur among other places. Employment guarantee and the right to work also figured prominently at the recent convention of the All India Democratic Women's Association 3. BIHAR: RIGHT TO INFORMATION DHARNA IN MADHEPURA Approximately 3,000 flood-affected people were present at three dharnas organized by Lok Shakti Sangathan on 6-8 October in Madhepura, Lakhnaur and Jhanjharpur blocks of Madhubani district. The activists were demanding transparency in the on-going flood relief and rehabilation work being implemented by panchayats, NGOs and international donor agencies. 4. CHHATTISGARH: DRAFT LAW TO DE-PRIVATIZE THE PDS In Chhattisgarh, concerned citizens have been working closely with the state government to draft a new PDS control order aimed at de-privatizing ration shops across the state. This involves taking ration shops away from private dealers and facilitating "self-management" of ration shops by institutions such as panchayats, self-help groups, mahila mandals, LAMPS, etc. The draft order has many innovative features such as: full disclosure of all records pertaining to the PDS; quota for women in the allocation of licenses for ration shops; representatives nominated by the Advisors to the Supreme Court Commissioners to be on State and District Vigilance Committees; special provisions for destitute households and the homeless, etc. The draft order (available at www.righttofoodindia.org) has been sent to the state Law Department for approval. Feedback on legal, administrative, and other aspects of this order are welcome - please send your comments to birajp@actionaidindia.org. 5. MADHYA PRADESH: COMMISSIONERS IGNORED Work on an earthen dam site in Limbi village of Badwani district was started on 22 May, 2004 and completed on 2 June, 2004. On 22 August, Dr. N.C. Saxena (Commissioner of the Supreme Court) wrote to the District Collector urging her to ensure that these wages "MUST" be paid immediately. On 10 September, wage payments to the extent of Rs.82,737 and 103 quintals of wheat along with 15 quintals of rice (for 156 person-days of work) had yet to be made. The unhelpful attitude of the district administration is a cause of concern. This is the first time that the authority of the Commissioners and their Advisers is questioned so blatantly. This precedent could send a wrong signal to the bureaucracy, and it is unlikely that the Commissioners will take it lying down. 6. UTTAR PRADESH: COMMISSIONERS' INTERVENTION BRINGS RELIEF Activists of New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI) working in Sonebhadra district of UP had brought the issue of starvation deaths to the notice of the Commissioners. They estimate that nearly 500 deaths have occurred in the district since the closure of a cement factory due to a lack of food and access to medicines. The Commissioners wrote to the Chief Secretary of UP urging him to look into the matter immediately. As a result, a high level meeting of concerned officials was held in Lucknow and a survey was conducted among the affected families. All affected families were sold 20 kg of wheat and of rice at subsidized prices. At the meeting the government decided to convert all APL ration cards into BPL cards. Besides this, it has been agreed to provide free medical facilities and issue 2000 additional Antyodaya cards for those who are very poor. These developments have brought much hope to the affected families. 7. REPORTS ON STARVATION DEATHS IN MP AND RAJASTHAN Following recent reports of starvation deaths in Baran district (Rajasthan), a seven-member team consisting of representatives of the Commissioners, doctors, social workers and a journalist surveyed more than 100 households spread over five villages on 25-27 September 2004. The nutrition situation in these Sahariya villages is horrendous. Undernutrition rates (based on body weight) ranged between 27 and 39 per cent among adults, and between 93 and 100 per cent among children. The team estimates that the Sahariyas have been consuming less than 1000 kilocalories per person per day in the past 3 months. According to WHO guidelines, a person requires 850 kilocalories just to maintain a basal metabolic rate without performing any physical activity, and no Sahariya person can afford the luxury of staying idle. The survey also reveals gross violations of various orders of the Supreme Court. For instance, while the Court had directed that all "primitive tribes" should be given Antyodaya cards, the Government of Rajasthan waited for the bad publicity before these cards were issued. Other orders such as those related to ICDS and mid-day meals are also being violated. The report prepared by this team recommends full and immediate compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court, immediate initiation of relief works, a system of food credit, improved health facilities, and also longer-term strategies to protect the right to livelihood among the Sahariyas. Meanwhile further news of starvation deaths have poured in - five children are reported to have died of hunger in Badwani (Madhya Pradesh) in September. Even though the Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that these deaths were due to undernutrition, the administration and state government have denied the problem and failed to respond. The District Collector gave a rough reception to local activists when they tried to raise the issue. 8. UTTAR PRADESH: "JANATA JAANCH" CAMPAIGN BEGINS In Uttar Pradesh, ASHA has been invoking the right to information to expose corruption and ensure greater accountability in food-related schemes. In Bharawan and Sikroriha blocks of Hardoi district, their efforts led to action being taken against the corrupt Pradhans. However, this victory received a setback due to intervention by the Courts and political pressures. Undaunted by the setback, ASHA activists carried out a Janata Jaanch, where villagers themselves went out to physically verify and measure discrepancies between government records and ground realities. A meeting to share the experiences of this "Janata Jaanch" was organized in Lucknow on 11 September, 2004. 9. MAHARASHTRA: RATION CARDS FOR THE URBAN HOMELESS In Maharashtra, Anna Adhikar Abhiyan had taken up the issue of access to the public distribution system (PDS) for the urban homeless in Mumbai. After a long struggle (including the intervention of Mr. S.R. Sankaran, Commissioner to the Supreme Court), the activists were successful in obtaining a government order for issuing ration cards the homeless in Mumbai. However, the struggle did not end there, and further agitation was required as the government order did not get implemented. The matter had to be taken to Bombay High Court where the failure of the government to comply with Supreme Court orders was emphasised. The long-awaited issue of ration cards was finally initiated on 2 October (Gandhi Jayanti), when more than 200 ration cards were issued to the homeless at special functions in different parts of city. Officials like Principal Secretary for Food and Civil Supply Department along with Controller of Rationing participated in this exercise. All the recipients got Antyodaya cards. The government has identified Rationing Kruti Samiti 10. THIRD STEERING GROUP MEETING The third meeting of the steering group of the right to food campaign was held on 30 October 2004. The main focus was on the campaign for an Employment Guarantee Act, especially the forthcoming demonstrations on 10 December. It was resolved that efforts would be made to strengthen this campaign in various ways, e.g. by taking part in the "banner project", launching advocacy efforts in New Delhi, sending delegations to political parties, facilitating state-level conventions on the Employment Guarantee Act, etc. Basic arrangements were also put in place for the "secretariat" 10. NATIONAL FOOD FOR WORK PROGRAMME LAUNCHED On 14 November, the Prime Minister launched the National Food for Work Programme (NFFWP) in Rangareddy district of Andhra Pradesh. This is supposed to be a precursor to the Employment Guarantee programme which will be introduced after the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is passed in the parliament. The NFFWP has been launched in 150 districts of the country.
The All India Agricultural Worker's Alliance organized its first national convention in Delhi on 21 November 2004. The Alliance is a national level platform of agricultural workers unions. One of the foremost demands put forward by the Alliance at the convention was for the immediate enactment of a national level Employment Guarantee Act. The convention was attended by about 350 delegates from 15 agricultural workers unions from nine states. 12. FORTHCOMING EVENTS We end with details of some forthcoming events of interest: 26-28 November: National convention of the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP) in Jaipur. Contact: Kavita Srivastava (tel 0141-2706 483, kavisriv@yahoo.com). 28 November: Shiksha Adhikar Diwas. Launch of NAFRE's campaign for Common Schooling and the Right to Work (see previous Update). Contact: Ambarish Rai (amb1857@yahoo.com). 29 November: NAFRE demonstration for Common Schooling and the Right to Work. 5 December: All India Peoples Dignity Rally at Ramlila Grounds in Delhi (see above). Contact: Ashok Bharti and Mukul Sharma (worlddignityforum@yahoo.com). 7-8 December: Convention of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity in Delhi. 10 December: Human Rights Day. Country-wide demonstrations for the right to work and "employment guarantee now" (see above). 21 December: DISPLAY OF "EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE NOW" BANNERS IN DELHI. UPDATE 33 (Part 2): Recent and Forthcoming Events Dear friends, This is the second part of our two-part Update (an additional "Diwali bonus" will follow soon, to accommodate further items that are pouring in). The first part, focusing on "employment guarantee", was sent a few days ago. This part begins with a few items relating to children, in anticipation of Children's Day (14 November). This is followed by an update on employment guarantee, recent developments around the country, and some info on forthcoming activities. As usual, further information can be found on the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org), or by sending a line to righttofood@gmail.com (please note the new contact address). Today's headlines: 1. SUPREME COURT ORDERS ON ICDS 2. MID-DAY MEALS UPDATE 3. NAFRE LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN ON COMMON SCHOOLING AND THE RIGHT TO WORK 4. EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE UPDATE 5. UPDATE ON THE "BANNERS PROJECT" 6. ALL INDIA PEOPLES DIGNITY RALLY ON 5 DECEMBER 7. RECAP OF FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Another long Supreme Court hearing on the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) took place on 7 October. To refresh your memory, an earlier order dated 28 November 2001 directed the state and central governments to univeralise ICDS. This means ensuring that there is an anganwadi in every settlement, and that all children under six, all adolescent girls and all pregnant or lactating women are covered. There has been little official action on this front during the last three years, leading the Supreme Court to issue another order in April 2004, reaffirming in no uncertain terms that ICDS is to be universalised as soon as possible. The order gave the central government three months to specify the time frame within which this is to be done. (For details of these and other orders, see the "legal action" section of the campaign website, www.righttofoodindia.org). As it turned out, it took six months for the government to submit its affidavit, and the content is far from impressive. The affidavit essentially states that requests for 1.7 additional ICDS centres have been received from the state governments, "in pursuance of Supreme Court orders". With 6.6 lakh centres already operational, this marginal expansion would fall far short of the total 14 lakh centres required for universalisation in rural areas alone, as per Supreme Court orders. The laid-back response of the central government is all the more disappointing as the universalisation of ICDS is part of the Common Minimum Programme of the UPA government: "The UPA will also universalize the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme to provide a functional anganwadi in every settlement and ensure full coverage for all children." The National Advisory Council has formulated detailed recommendations on this, in line with the Supreme Court orders, but these recommendations are yet to be considered by the government. On a more positive note, the government's affidavit informs the Supreme Court that the expenditure norms for supplementary nutrition under ICDS will be increased for all user categories with immediate effect. The norms have been increased from 95 paise per day to Rs. 1.9 per day for infants, from Rs. 1.35 per day to Rs. 2.70 per day for severely malnourished infants, and from Rs. 1.15 to Rs. 2.3 per day for pregnant and nursing mothers and adolescent girls. The campaign for universalisation of ICDS continues, and Children's Day is a good opportunity to reiterate this demand. 2. MID-DAY MEALS UPDATE The outlook for mid-day meals in primary schools is a little more upbeat than for ICDS. Here again, the Common Minimum Programme includes a specific commitment: "A national cooked nutritious mid-day meal scheme funded mainly by the central government will be introduced in primary and secondary schools. An appropriate mechanism for quality checks will also set up." In contrast with the continued apathy on ICDS, this pledge on mid-day meals has led to some concrete action. A large part of the "Education Cess" (expected to fetch about Rs 5,000 crores per year) has been ear-marked for mid-day meals. Central assistance to the tune of Re 1 per child per day is being provided with effect from 1 September, 2004. These additional resources could substantially improve the quality of mid-day meals, provided that they are treated as additional resources by the states governments, and not used by them as an opportunity to reduce their own contributions. Central assistance has also enabled some of the state governments that had not initiated mid-day meals (in violation of Supreme Court orders) to make a start. For instance, mid-day meals have finally been introduced in Uttar Pradesh. However, early reports suggest that the implementation of mid-day meals in UP is very erratic and haphazard. According to a report in Indian Express (dated 29 September), even in the city of Lucknow arrangements are yet to be made for utensils, water, cooking sheds or indeed cooking staff. Head teachers were informed just the day before that they were supposed to provide meals and so they carried cooking pots from their own homes, while the children used leaves from trees as bowls. In rural areas, too, there have been serious teething problems, including much resistance from high-caste parents, especially when the cook is a Dalit. These report bring back memories of similar problems in the early days of the mid-day meal programme in Rajasthan and elsewhere. Hopefully they will be overcome, but as of now the situation in UP is quite grim. As this Update leaves the launchpad, it is learnt that cooked mid-day meals are finally being introduced in Bihar also, based on an expenditure norm of Re 1.64 per child per day. With Bihar and UP on board, the coverage of cooked mid-day meals in primary schools is now close to universal. This is an achievement of sorts, but there are miles to go before we sleep, as the quality of mid-day meals still leaves much to be desired in most states. 3. NAFRE LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN ON COMMON SCHOOLING AND THE RIGHT TO WORK NAFRE (national Alliance for the Fundamental Right to Education) held an important meeting in Hyderabad recently, and decided to launch "a people's campaign for Common School System and constitutional right to work". Excerpts from a recent e-mail: "We have discussed the proposed Employment Guarantee Act at Hyderabad... In our opinion it is not sufficient to provide 100 days of work to unemployed youth of our Nation. We need to address our economic policy and developmental direction in this regard. It is the right of people and not a matter of beneficient privilege to get employment for livelihood and Govt. must do it. As you know NAFRE has taken the issue of "right to work" with Education right and Equity in Education. We are going to organize a people's campaign for Common School System and constitutional right for Work. In the first phase of the movement we will observe campaign from 28th of oct. (shiksha adhikar diwas) to 10th of Dec. (human rights day) across the country. Press conferences, seminars, meeting with community people, memorandum submission and rallies will be organized all over country. At Delhi more than 15 thousand people will come on 29th nov.and make a human chain & will submit a demand letter to govt. We will be concluding the programme on 10th Dec. During the coming budget session more than 30 thousand people are expected to march towards parliament to press the above concerns." 4. EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE: UPDATE The draft Employment Guarantee Act (EGA) is winding its way through the system (Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Rural Development, other Ministries, Cabinet, etc.). It is expected to reach the Cabinet any time this month, and if all goes well it will be tabled in Parliament in early December - in what form it will reach remains to be seen. Meanwhile, organizations across the country are getting ready to agitate for the right to work, including a full-fledged EGA, on 10 December (Human Rights Day). As mentioned in Part 1 of this update, a unanimous decision to demonstrate for the right to work on 10 December was taken at a convention on EGA held in Delhi last month (a report on this convention has just been published in Frontline). All-India organisations involved in this effort already include the All India Agricultural Workers Alliance, All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU), All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS), National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI), among many others - the list is growing fast. The participating organizations are planning to agitate independently or jointly, but in any case on the same date - 10 December. In case you haven't planned anything yet for 10 December, it is not too late! 5. UPDATE ON THE "BANNERS PROJECT" Among many activities that are planned for 10 December, one is to collect signatures (demanding an Employment Guarantee Act) on banners all over India. After 10 December, the banners will be brought to Delhi and tied together for a creative public display of "people's voices from around the country". An effort is being made to collect at least one banner with signatures from each district - this will also be a useful way of ensuring that the movement spreads to new places. For effective display in Delhi, it would be useful to have banners of similar size. It has therefore been suggested that old light-coloured saris be used for this purpose. Please consider joining this effort and planning a signature campaign in your own area. In fact, there is no need to wait for 10 December - the collection of signatures can start any day. Further details about this initiative will follow soon (and be posted on the website also). Meanwhile, for further advice and information you can send a line to rozgar@gmail.com or contact any of the following persons in Delhi: Vivek (3091 7116), Rajan (2371 1276), Subhash Bhatnagar (9810810365), Suneet Chopra (2307 3666). 6. ALL INDIA PEOPLES DIGNITY RALLY ON 5 DECEMBER The following announcement has been received from the World Dignity Forum: "The World Dignity Forum along with eight mass organisations in India are organising an All India Peoples Dignity Rally at Ramlila Grounds in Delhi on 5 December. There is going to be worldwide demonstrative action on this day by solidarity groups who would like to stand up and mobilize for the sociopolitical inclusion of Dalits and other discriminated sections of the world. For further details please contact Deepa Menon (india@hbfasia.org)." Further details are available in www.righttofoodindia.org/wdignitiyforum.html
Much action is on the cards during the next few weeks. Some forthcoming events of interest are listed below: 18 November onwards: National conference of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) in Bhubaneswar. 21 November: National convention of All India Agricultural Workers Alliance in Delhi. Contact: Swapan Ganguly, Convener, All India Agricultural Workers Alliance (tel 033-25380386, fax 033-25384779, e-mail jsk@cal2.vsnl.net.in). 26-28 November: National convention of the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP) in Jaipur. Contact: Kavita Srivastava (tel 0141-2706 483, kavisriv@yahoo.com). 28 November: Shiksha Adhikar Diwas. Launch of NAFRE's campaign for Common Schooling and the Right to Work (see above). Contact: Ambarish Rai (amb1857@yahoo.com). 29 November: NAFRE's human chain in Delhi (see above). 5 December: All India Peoples Dignity Rally at Ramlila Grounds in Delhi (see above). Contact: Deepa Menon (india@hbfasia.org). 10 December: Human Rights Day. Country-wide demonstrations for the right to work and "employment guarantee now" (see above).
Dear friends, This is another special update on "employment guarantee". Much is happening on that front, with the possibility of an Employment Guarantee Bill being tabled in Parliament next month, but also many possible hurdles ahead. The forthcoming "day of action on the right to work" (16 October) could not be more timely. Special efforts are being made by various organisations to develop, improve and disseminate campaign material on Employment Guarantee. We would appreciate it if you can let us know of any materials that you have developed, so that we can share our resources widely. Also, please let us know of any activities you may be planning on Employment Guarantee, especially (but not only) on 16 October - just send a line to righttofoodindia@gmail.com Today's headlines: 1. LATEST MATERIAL ON EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE 2. CONVENTION ON EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE (19 September 2004) 3. FOLLOW-UP CONVENTION ON 19 OCTOBER (Delhi) 4. PLANS FOR THE DAY OF ACTION ON 16 OCTOBER 5. DEMONSTRATIONS IN SONEBHADRA ON 10-11 OCTOBER 6. IMPORTANT PETITION ON EGA 7. STEERING GROUP MEETING ON 30 OCTOBER
Efforts are on to expand the "Employment Guarantee Acts" section of the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org), to help local organisations involved in the campaign for guaranteed employment. Campaign material produced by different groups is being added almost every day, and Hindi translations are on the way. Further material is always welcome - just send a line to righttofoodindia@gmail.com with the relevant material attached. The following are already available on the site: (1) Draft Employment Guarantee Acts (EGAs), including the draft prepared by the National Advisory Council (NAC) as well as an improved draft dated 1 September 2004. (2) A two-page summary of the latest EGA, in English and Hindi - particularly useful for public discussions of EGA and local dissemination. (3) Compilations and summaries of comments received. (4) Proceedings of the convention on "employment guarantee and the right to work" held in Delhi on 19 September. (5) A whole range of booklets, pamhplets, leaflets, posters, etc., with more to be added soon. (6) A growing collection of articles on EGA (already featuring C.P. Chandrasekhar, Jayati Ghosh, Mihir Shah, C. Rammanohar Reddy, P. Vijayshankar, among others). (7) A petition addressed to the Prime Minister. Please consider using this material, suitably adapted and/or translated, to spread awareness of the issue in your own organisation or area. 2. CONVENTION ON EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE (19 September 2004) A lively convention on "employment guarantee and the right to work" took place in Delhi on 19 September. Over two hundred persons affiliated with various trade unions, political parties, social movements, NGOs, academia, the Planning Commission and other institutions participated in the convention. Speakers in the opening plenary included Prabhat Patnaik, Nikhil Dey, Abhijit Sen, B.N. Yugandhar, Tapan Sen, Ashim Roy, Anand Kumar, N. P. Sami, Suneet Chopra, Shankar Singh, Mariam Dhawale, Aruna Roy, Jairam Ramesh, Pradip Prabhu, Gawali, Sandeep Dixit, Sehba Farooqi, Tularam Sharma, Madhuri Krishnaswamy, Roma, Kavita Srivastava, Siddharth Varadarajan, Anuradha Talwar, among others. The dominant theme of the presentations was a strong commitment to united action for an Employment Guarantee Act. Draft proceedings of the convention are available on the campaign website (http://www.righttofoodindia.org/rtowork/egaconvention.html), along with the list of participants and related information. 3. FOLLOW-UP CONVENTION ON 19 OCTOBER (Delhi) A follow-up convention is planned for 19 October 2004, also in Delhi. Representatives of the major political parties will be invited to clarify their party's stand on the proposed Employment Guarantee Act, and to share any concerns they may have. Confirmed speakers so far include Sitaram Yechury (CPM), D. Raja (CPI), Jairam Ramesh (Congress), Ashok Gehlot (Congress), Jayati Ghosh, Suneet Chopra, Arundhati Roy, Prabhat Patnaik, Aruna Roy, among others. This convention, convened by SAHMAT, will take place at the Constitution Club (Rafi Marg), from 3 pm to 6 pm. All are cordially invited - please consider attending this important event. For further details, please contact Rajan at SAHMAT (tel 2371 1276), Smita Gupta (smitajee@yahoo.com, tel 2618 5918) or Navjyoti (navjyoti@hotmail.com, tel 9811087811). 4. PLANS FOR THE DAY OF ACTION ON 16 OCTOBER Demonstrations for an Employment Guarantee Act are expected to be held in many places on 16 October (World Food Day), as planned at the Bhopal convention last June. Some organisations have decided to demonstrate on other days, close to 16 October, to suit local conditions. Further information will be circulated before 16 October, and posted on the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org). A sample of expected activities follows: (1) In Rajasthan, various organisations active in Akal Sangharsh Samiti are planning "symbolic applications for work" at Panchayat, Block and District headquarters. People will present themselves at the administrative offices and demand to be registered for employment. This will be accompanied by street theatre, songs, distribution of pamphlets and other means of reaching out to the public and building up further support for an Employment Guarantee Act. (2) In Madhya Pradesh, a broad coalition or organisations is planning to conduct local meetings on 16 October to spread awareness of the Employment Guarantee Act and mobilise public support. For this purpose, a list of common "non-negotiable demands" has been prepared at a recent meeting held in Bhopal (see www.righttofoodindia.org/data/eganonnegotiablesmp.doc). After local meetings, groups will proceed to submit a memorandum demanding the immediate adoption of an EGA. Rallies will also be organised to demand transparency in employment programmes. At the state level, a memorandum will be given to the Chief Minister and press conferences will be organised on October 14 and 17. For further information, please contact the organisations that participated in the planning meeting: BGVS (asham_200@yahoo.com), Jagrit Dalit Adivasi Sangathan (madhuri93@rediffmail.com), CITU, CPIM, AIDWA, SOPAN, Sampark, Vigyan Sabha, People's Research Society, ActionAid (sachinecasrg@hotmail.com), Sopan, Insurance Employees Association, Parhit, Centre for Integrated Development, Spandan, Baiga Mahapanchayat, Samhit Vikas Samiti, Debate, Muskan, NIWCYD, Bachpan, Sangini. Apart from this joint action on 16 October, several organisations in Madhya Pradesh are planning further action independently. Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS) will take up large-scale mobilisation at all levels from the Panchayat to the State. The campaign plan includes mass education about the Act and mobilisation in support of Employment Guarantee, including public meetings at all levels. Mass printing and dissemination of posters and pamphlets on Employment Guarantee is also being planned. (3) State conventions on EGA are expected to be held in various states either on or around 16 October. A state convention has already been held in Jaipur on 29 September, and another one is to be held in Bhopal on 16 October. (4) Paschim Banga Khet Majdoor Samity (PKBMS) and other organisations in West Benagl have planned a series of activities in the run-up to the day of action on 16 October. This month-long programme of activities started with a well-attended state convention on 22 September 2004. A postcard campaign has been started, with messages to the Prime Minister demanding the immediate adoption of an Employment Guarantee Act. More than 3,000 have already been sent from five districts of West Bengal. Shramjivi Mahila Samity along with PKBMS are organising delegations in about twenty-five blocks covering six districts. The delegations will continue between October 4-10, 2004. In these districts, twelve-hour dharnas will be organised on different dates between 8 and 15 October 8-15, and a 24-hour state-wide dharna will be organised on 15 October. All programmes will involve delegations to the block authorities and appeals to the Prime Minister. (5) National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) is taking up the cause of women's employment. NFIW has pointed out that the Common Minimum Progarmme (CMP) promises guaranteed employment for "100 days per household per year" only. The formulation of guarantee at the household level is likely to lead to the marginalisation of women in the employment guarantee programme. NFIW has demanded that the guarantee should be provided to each individual; and if the guarantee is given to households, there should be effective reservation for women. A dharna was organised on this issue on 3 October at Delhi and a letter has been sent to the Prime Minister demanding at least 40 % reservation for women (in the current scheme of things). A convention prominently featuring employment guarantee will be held with secretaries from all states on 29 October, to be followed by widespread mobilisation at the state-level. (6) A state consultation on EGA is being organised by National Council for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) in Andhra Pradesh. The consultation is expected to have widespread participation from Dalit organisations, trade unions and other civil society organisations. For further details please write to ncdhr@vsnl.com or geosudha@yahoo.co.in (7) Further mobilisation is expected in other states around the day of action. We hope to bring you further news in the next update that is coming soon.
The following message has been received from Sonebhadra (Uttar Pradesh): "Following reports of starvation deaths in Jharkhand are similar reports from Uttar Pradesh which is also experiencing a drought. Here too the government does not seem to have any serious plan of action other than making statements. Even if the Employment Guarantee Act does get implemented, initially it will cover only 150 districts in the country. This means that for many areas the battle for employment security is a long one. In Sonebhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, starvation deaths have been occurring since last few years, independently of the drought: it is a result of the snatching of sources of livelihood (especially land and forest resources) from people. On 9 October, 2004 Kaimur Kshetra Majdoor Kisan Mahila Sangarsh Samiti, a local organization, will hold a big demonstration in Robertsganj, Sonebhadra on the issue of the right to work, PDS system, providing food to all, combined with the issue of restoration of their land and forests. All are invited." For further details, contact Roma at romakdeep@rediffmail.com 6. IMPORTANT PETITION ON EGA A petition on EGA has been prepared and circulated by Jayati Ghosh, Smita Gupta and Vikas Rawal of Jawaharlal Nehru University. The petition is addressed to the Prime Minister and demands the immediate adoption of an Employment Guarantee Act. Please consider taking the time to add your signature to this important petition - it just takes a few clicks of the mouse (see http://www.petitiononline.com/ega04/petition.html). 7. RIGHT TO INFORMATION CONVENTION (8-10 October 2004) Employment guarantee and the right to work will be prominent themes at the forthcoming national convention on the people's right to information (Delhi, 8-10 October). Special slots on employment guarantee are expected in the plenary sessions, and a workshop on "right to information and employment guarantee" is also expected. Over 500 participants are expected from all over India, and another 500 or so from Delhi itself. The convention will start with a national public hearing on the public distribution system (PDS) on 8 October at R.K. Puram. A series of thirty workshops will be organised in the next two days on the application of right to information in diverse fields such as displacement, environment, corporate responsibility, PDS, nuclear issues, etc. On 9-10 October, the convention will be held at the Arts Faculty, Delhi University, north campus. For further details please contact Arvind (20033988), Vishaish (9818345439), Sowmya (9818505853), Anjali (9811558533), Nikhil/Salim (9810884111) or Venkatesh (9871050555) or ncpri2004@yahoo.co.in 8. STEERING GROUP MEETING ON 30 OCTOBER The next meeting of the steering group of the right to food campaign will be held on 30 October 2004 (2 pm to 6 pm at "HRLN conference room", A 16 Jungpura Extension, New Delhi.]). The proposed agenda includes consolidation of the campaign for an Employment Guarantee Act, further action on the public distribution system, preliminary discussion of the next "convention on the right to food and work", and other issues that may be raised by the participants. This is an important meeting, as the organisational frame of the campaign seems to be loosening at a time when the need for effective action is greater than ever. A special appeal for active participation in this meeting of all concerned organisations. CAMPAIGN BOUNCES BACK Dear friends, Many of us needed a little nap after the fever of the Bhopal convention (11- 13 June 2004), but campaign activities are expected to bounce back during the next few weeks. The main object of this update is to appraise you of recent developments and forthcoming activities. Today's headlines:
The Bhopal convention on the right to food and work (11-13 June 2004) was a great opportunity to share experiences and ideas. About 500 activists from 120 organisations joined the convention from all over the country and spent three days in lively discussions, workshops, cultural activities, and a public rally. Crucial themes included the right to work, land rights, the public distribution system, children's right to food, Dalit perspectives, gender issues, the agricultural crisis, and legal action for the right to food, among others. The proceedings of the sessions are being processed and will be posted in the new campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org) as soon as possible, in English and Hindi. Meanwhile, a crash account of the event is available in the last issue of Frontline (see http://www.flonnet.com/fl2114). The run-up to the convention was also an opportunity for different organisations to prepare udpated material such as booklets, posters, pamphlets, etc. There were thick crowds around the stalls where this material was displayed and the more jazzy items (such as a giant poster on recent Supreme Court orders, prepared by the Human Rights Law Network) went like hot cake. If you are interested in getting hold of some of this campaign material, please send a line to right2food@yahoo.co.in The convention was not just gup-shup (idle talk). Several workshops and plenaries concluded with key decisions about future activities. More on this in the convention proceedings and future updates. Meanwhile we proceed with a brief account of some of the decisions taken at the concluding plenary. KEY DECISIONS OF THE CLOSING PLENARYThe closing plenary was held on 13 June. The discussions had to be concise if not hurried since the participants had to leave for a public rally as early as 10.30 am. Some issues, particularly relating to the organisational aspects of the campaign, clearly required further discussion. However a consensus was reached on some key decisions: A country-wide "day of action on the right to work" will take place on 16 October, 2004 (World Food Day). The key demand is immediate adoption of a National Employment Guarantee Act. The participating organisations also agreed to join forces for a week to assert children's right to food, with a special emphasis on the universalisation of ICDS. This week of action is due to start on 14 November 2004 (Children's Day in India), and to culminate on 20 November (Universal Children's Day). A "land occupation day" will be planned (possibly on 10 December) to take further the issue of land rights. This will be preceded by public hearings on violations of land rights. A rally on the public distribution system (PDS) to be organised in Delhi. Further issues and activities that emerged from different workshops will be taken forward by the participants of the respective workshops, and/or the working groups that were formed. For instance, participants at the workshop on "drought and survival" decided to launch an attempt to revise the so- called "Famine Codes" of different states and demand that the revised Codes should be given legal status. Similarly, the workshop on the right to information resolved to put pressure on the government to notify and amend the national Right to Information Act. On organisational issues, the plenary endorsed a proposal that emerged from two earlier sessions held at the convention. The main points are: a. A provisional "steering group" will be formed, for a period of one year or so (until the next convention). b. The steering group will consist of one member from each of the 11 national networks that initiated the Bhopal convention, plus members of the "support group" that are not part of these networks (to ensure some continuity). c. All organisations represented in Bhopal will be "permanent invitees" of the steering group. d. The basic role of the steering group is to facilitate the process of mutual support among the organisations involved in the campaign. Specifically, the steering group is expected to: (1) facilitate the next convention; (2) ensure the smooth flow of information within the network; (3) initiate a process of wider discussion of the organisational aspects of the campaign, and prepare a proposal on this for the next convention, and (4) possibly, take up advocacy with the central government. STEERING GROUP TO MEET ON 22 AUGUSTAs a follow-up to the Bhopal convention, an informal meeting took place at the Indian Social Institute in Delhi on Monday 12 July. The meeting was a little chaotic but we did manage to decide that the first meeting of the new "steering group" would take place on Sunday 22 August, probably in Delhi. Further details will be circulated as soon as possible. DRAFT NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT TO BE RELEASED<A decision was taken, at the Bhopal convention, to prepare a "draft national employment guarantee act". Some progress has been made on this front, and the draft is due to be released on Friday 16 July with the following public statement: "We urge the UPA government to immediately enact a National Employment Guarantee Act, as promised in the Common Minimum Programme. To foster public involvement in the formulation of this crucial legislation we invite wide discussion of the enclosed draft Act." As this Update leaves the launchpad, a drive is on to collect endorsements for this statement. Endorsements have already been received from leading members of many organisations committed to the right to work, including Kashtkari Sangathan, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), Communist Party of India (CPI), National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), National Campaign Committee for Unorganized Sector Workers, Unorganised Workers Federation (Tamil Nadu), Nirman Mazdoor Panchayat Sangam (Tamil Nadu), Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan, National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), National Alliance of People's Movments (NAPM), Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Indian National Building Construction Workers' Federation, Khetihar Khan Mazdoor Sangathan (Chittorgarh), among others. If you are willing to endorse the statement, please send a line to workforall@rediffmail.com by Friday 16 July latest (the latest version of the draft Act is available at www.righttofoodindia.org, in the "right to work" section.) FIELD SURVEY OF ICDSA major field survey of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) was conducted in May and June 2004, under the auspices of the Commissioners' office. The survey took place in six states: Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Field investigators, mainly volunteers from university colleges, spent six weeks making unannounced visits to anganwadi centres around the country and interviewing the parents of enrolled children. Preliminary results indicate that Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have reasonably good anganwadi centres and are already quite close to universal coverage of children under six. At the other extreme, the ICDS programme in Uttar Pradesh is a resounding flop: anganwadi centres are closed most of the time, few services are provided even when the centres are open, and there is rampant corruption from top to bottom. Detailed findings, to be published later this year, will be used to strengthen the campaign for universalisation of ICDS as per Supreme Court orders. If you are interested in this study please send a line to icdsstudy@yahoo.co.in STARVATION DEATHS IN WEST BENGAL AND MAHARASHTRAThere have been distressing media reports of starvation in West Bengal and Maharashtra in recent weeks. We are pasting a few relevant links below: http://news.google.co.in/news?hl=en&edition=in&ie=UTF- 8&q=%22starvation+deaths%22+%22west+bengal%22 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=7712 49 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3577361&thesection=news&t hesubsection=world http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/july132004/i6.asp WEBSITE RENAMED AND UPGRADEDFor now, the website remains accessible at the old address (www.righttofood.com) also. Efforts are on to upgrade and update the website in the light of the Bhopal convention. This will take a little while. The "right to work" page is likely to be substantially expanded during the next few weeks, you may wish to keep an eye on it if you are working on this issue. Recent additions include: new material in the "right to work" page, including a draft National Employment Guarantee Act; a "field report" on starvation in tea estates of Assam and Kerala; and articles by Jayati Ghosh, Utsa Patnaik, Suman Sahai, among others. Dear friends, This is the first part of a two-part update on recent events and forthcoming activities of the right to food campaign. This part is about the campaign for an 'employment guarantee act' – things are moving fast on that front. The second part will follow in a few days, with a rainbow account of other activities. The new 'steering group' of the right to food campaign (formed at the Bhopal convention last June) held its first meeting on 22 August. A brief report on this follows in part 2. Meanwhile, today's headlines: 1. Employment Guarantee Act drafted 2. Deliberations of the National Advisory Council 3. Forthcoming convention in Delhi (19 September) 4. Day of action for the right to work (16 October) 5. State convention in Jaipur (28 September) 6. Social security for unorganised workers
One outcome of the workshop on 'the right to work' in Bhopal was a decision to work on a draft Employment Guarantee Act (EGA). Following on this, a draft EGA for rural areas was prepared by a six-member working group, building on earlier work by Akal Sangharsh Samiti and Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan in Rajasthan, as well as on Maharashtra's experience. The draft was released for public discussion on 16 July 2004, with an appeal endorsed by more than 100 active members of organisations committed to the right to work. This draft is on the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org), in the new section on 'Employment Guarantee Acts'. Also on the website, you will find: (a) The 16 July appeal and a list of endorsements (b) A summary of 'comments received so far'. (c) An alternative draft (known in some circles as the 'comprador draft') prepared by the National Advisory Council. This draft incorporates many useful suggestions received after 16 July, but it also restricts the guarantee of employment to '100 days per household per year', in line with the government's Common Minimum Programme. Note however that this is only an initial cap, and that the NAC draft includes explicit provisions for the extension of entitlements beyond 100 days per household at a later stage. (d) An 'explanatory note' with further discussion of the difference between the 16 July draft and the NAC draft. (e) An improved 'combined draft', essentially adding the positive features of the NAC draft in the 16 July draft, but without the '100 days' cap and other restrictive features. This is the best draft we have so far. 2. Deliberations of the National Advisory Council The National Advisory Council (NAC), recently formed by the new government, held detailed discussions about the Employment Guarantee Act on 31 July and 14 August. Since the Common Minimum Programme begins with a clear pledge to 'immediately enact a National Employment Guarantee Act', the Council unanimously agreed to recommend that an Act should be passed as soon as possible. However, there were differences on details of the draft Act as well on the time frame within which the Act should be extended to the whole of India. For a brief account of these discussions, see the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org). At the end of these deliberations, the draft Rural Employment Guarantee Act prepared by the NAC (see above) was forwarded to the Prime Minister's Office. How much weight the NAC's recommendation will carry remains to be seen. The Common Minimum Programme clearly states that the UPA government will adopt an EGA, and this commitment has been reiterated on several occasions by the Prime Minister. On the other hand, there is no lack of opposition to the Employment Guarantee Act in the corridors of power. Overcoming this opposition is likely to require a strong and united campaign for a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act. 3. Forthcoming convention in Delhi (19 September) The idea of holding a convention on 'employment guarantee and the right to work' has been in the air for some time. It was discussed again at the first meeting of the steering group of the right to food campaign on 22 August, where a decision was taken to hold the convention in Delhi on Sunday 19 September. The 'invitation' is reproduced below (please consider circulating it within your organisation, after translation in local language if necessary): INVITATION A one-day convention on 'employment guarantee and the right to work' will be held in Delhi on 19 September 2004. All organisations committed to the right to work are invited to participate. This event is a follow-up of the recent convention on the right to food and work, held in Bhopal on 11-13 June. The principal aim of the convention is to consolidate the growing momentum for the immediate adoption of an Employment Guarantee Act (EGA), and to discuss the essential features of an acceptable EGA. Other aspects of the right to work, such as social security for unorganised workers, are also on the agenda. The convention is part of a series of events and activities planned in preparation of a nation-wide 'day of action for the right to work' on 16 October, another offshoot of the Bhopal convention. It is hoped that similar discussions of the proposed Employment Guarantee Act will be held at the state level, and locally, during the next few months. An informal 'programme committee' has been formed and will be meeting on 5 September to plan the details of the convention. If you have any suggestions in this regard, please send a line to workforall@rediffmail.com or contact any member of the programme committee (Ashim Roy, Babu Mathew, Jayati Ghosh, Jean Dreze and Roma). The venue is likely to be either Constitution Club or the Indian Social Institute. For confirmation please check www.righttofoodindia.org closer to the event. You can also find further background material, including draft "Employment Guarantee Acts", on the same website. UPDATE (5 September): The programme commitee met on 5 September and the proposed programme of the convention is as follows: 9.30-10.00 Registration 10.00-11.00 Opening plenary: (1) Two introductory presentations on the right to work. (2) Presentation of the draft EGA. (3) Summary of comments received. (4) Presentation on financial implications of EGA and the government's policy. 11.00-1.00 Short presentations by political parties and social movements: their position on EGA and proposals for mobilisation. 2.00-4.00 Parallel sessions: (1) The draft EGA. (2) Financing of EGA. (3) Mobilisation for EGA. (4) Wider aspects of the right to work. 4.00-6.00 Closing plenary: Further mobilisation for EGA in the next few months. 4. Day of action for the right to work (16 October) The 19 September convention is partly a springboard for the 'day of action for the right to work' on 16 October, planned at the Bhopal convention last June. A series of activities are expected on 16 October itself - dharnas, rallies, yatras, public hearings, and more. Further details of these activities will follow in due course. A special page on '16 October' is also being added to the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org), in the section on the right to work. Regular updates will be posted there. 5. State convention in Jaipur (28 September) It is hoped that many state-level as well as local conventions/discussions/debates on 'employment guarantee and the right to work' will be taking place during the next few months. In Rajasthan, Akal Sangharsh Samiti is planning a state-level convention in Jaipur on 28 September. The main purpose is to discuss the draft Employment Guarantee Act, and activities for 16 October (day of action for the right to work). 6. Social security for unorganised workers 'Guaranteed employment' is only one aspect of the right to work. Other aspects include minimum wages, social security for the unorganised sector, the promotion of labour-intensive technology, and the need for employment-oriented economic policies. There is a growing interest in some of these issues within the right to food campaign, particularly social security for the unorganised sector. This issue is likely to be on the agenda of the 19 September convention in Delhi. It was also discussed at the 'National Meeting of Unorganized Sector Workers' (July 14-15, 2004) convened by National Campaign Committee for Rural Workers (NCCRW) and Indian Social Institute, Delhi. Over 250 representatives from eleven States participated, including the representatives of construction workers, fishermen, tailors, agricultural labourers, domestic workers, embroidery workers, rag pickers, railway contract labourers and others. Major demands of the meeting include: (1) enacting a comprehensive legislation on unorganised labour (2) right to work, living wages, housing, education, health and child care to be made fundamental rights (3) spending at least 3% of GDP on social security for the unorganized workers (4) cancellation of the contract given to ADB to evolve a pension scheme for unorganized labour. For further details of these meetings, and forthcoming activities, please contact Subhash Bhatnagar at nmpsdelhi@sify.com or ncccl@vsnl.net. (May 31, 2004) Dear friends, There has been no lack of drama in Delhi during the last few weeks, with three marathon hearings on the right to food in the Supreme Court, the formation of a new government, and feverish preparations for the national convention on the right to food and work (Bhopal, 11-13 June). This Update includes an item on each of these topics, and concludes with a brief account of a recent public hearing on the right to health care in Pune district. If you are planning to attend the national convention on the right to food and work next week in Bhopal, please remember that all participants are expected to liaise with the logistics committee in advance of the convention. This is important to avoid a big jam: the venue can only accommodate 400-500 participants. For contact details see item 2 below, and/or the Convention page of the campaign website (www.righttofood.com). Today’s headlines: 1. SUPREME COURT ISSUES SWEEPING ORDERS ON CHILD NUTRITION 2. NATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD AND WORK (11-13 June) 3. FOOD ISSUES IN THE "COMMON MINIMUM PROGRAMME" 4. MAHARASHTRA: PUBLIC HEARING ON RIGHT TO HEALTH CARE
The Supreme Court held three marathon hearings on 20 April, 27 April and 29 April respectively. The hearings focused mainly on mid-day meals and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). Each hearing concluded with far-reaching orders (see www.righttofood.com for full details). During the first session on 20 April, 2004 the Supreme Court reviewed the state of school meals around the country and passed sweeping orders for the accelerated provision of nutritious mid-day meals in all primary schools. The hearing built on a series of reports prepared by Dr. N.C. Saxena and Mr. S.R. Sankaran, Commissioners of the Supreme Court in charge of monitoring orders relating to the right to food. The reports document extensive violations of earlier Supreme Court orders calling for the provision of cooked mid-day meals in all primary schools. These range from complete failure to initiate mid-day meals in some states (notably Bihar and Uttar Pradesh) to partial implementation in many others. Some state governments tried to counter these charges, but their rambling pleas did not carry much weight against the massive evidence accumulated in the Commissioners’ reports. Calling this a matter of "extreme anguish", the Supreme Court passed a firm order directing all state governments to universalize mid-day meals in primary schools on a priority basis: preferably at the beginning of the coming school year, and in any case no later than September 2004. Compliance reports are to be submitted in early September by the Chief Secretaries, who will be held personally responsible for any lapses. The Supreme Court also took the central government to task for doing very little to facilitate the universalisation of mid-day meals. Referring to the Prime Minister’s recent statement (15 August 2003) that cooked mid-day meals would soon be extended to Class 10 as a national programme, the Court directed the central government to submit concrete proposals to this effect within two months. The central government was also directed to contribute to the recurrent costs of mid-day meals, as recommended by the Abhijit Sen Committee report. Related directions include the continuation of mid-day meals during holidays in drought-affected areas, priority appointments of Dalit cooks, upgrading of infrastructural facilities for mid-day meals, and tighter monitoring. In follow-up hearings on 27 and 29 April, the Supreme Court reviewed the status of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). After lengthy deliberations, the Court essentially accepted the petitioner’s demand that ICDS should be "universalized", in the sense that ICDS services should be made available to all children aged 0-6 and other eligible groups (e.g. pregnant and lactating women). In particular, this calls for the provision of a functional anganwadi in every habitation. The Court directed the Government of India to submit an affidavit within 8 weeks, clarifying the time frame within which ICDS services would be extended to the country’s 14 lakh habitations. Further, existing and sanctioned anganwadis are to be made functional by 31 June and should function for 300 days in a year. These matters will be reviewed by the Supreme Court in August-September. For the full text of the orders, see the campaign website (www.righttofood.com). Please note that these orders also cover other important matters such as the doubling of food and cash allocations for employment generation programmes and a ban on the discontinuation of social security programmes without prior approval of the Court. 2. NATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD AND WORK Preparations are in full swing for the national convention on the right to food and work, to be held in Bhopal on 11-13 June. For details of the convention, including the programme, see the "Convention" page of the campaign website (www.righttofood.com). Summary details are given below for those who are short of time. VENUE: Gandhi Bhavan, Bhopal (for directions see website). PARTICIPATION: About 400-500 activists working on the right to food and work are expected from all over the country. PROGRAMME: The convention will start at 10 am on 11 June with an opening "plenary". This will be followed by three sessions of 4-5 parallel workshops and a closing plenary. A cultural programme is scheduled for the evening of 12 June, and a public rally for 13 June (starting at 10 am). THEMES: Twelve broad themes have been identified for the parallel workshops: (1) The right to work and livelihood; (2) The public distribution system; (3) Legal action for the right to food and work; (4) Social security and marginalised communities; (5) Children's right to food; (6) Dalit perspectives; (7) Perspectives of indigenous communities; (8) Women's perspectives; (9) Land rights and food sovereignty; (10) Agriculture and trade; (11) Right to food and right to information; (12) Drought and Survival. COSTS: The workshop is being organized on a shoestring budget, without institutional funding. All participants are expected to bear their own travel costs. Subsistence costs will be met from a "registration fee" of Rs 100 per person for three days (with exemption for those who can’t afford the fee). Simple accommodation will be provided at Gandhi Bhavan itself. REMINDER: Because of the shortage of space, all participants are expected to liaise with the logistics committee in advance. You can do this by sending a line to right2food@yahoo.co.in or contacting any member of the logistics committee. The members are: Asha Mishra (asham_200@yahoo.com, tel 9826379553), Kavita Srivastava (kavisriv@yahoo.com, tel 0141-2706 483), Vivek S. (vivekdse@vsnl.net, tel 011-3091 7116) and Rajeev Singh (rajeevsonline@yahoo.com, tel 9811185846). 3. FOOD ISSUES IN THE "COMMON MINIMUM PROGRAMME" The new government’s "common mimimum programme" (CMP) includes some important items relating to the right to food. Selected excerpts follow: (1) EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE: "The UPA Government will immediately enact a National Employment Guarantee Act. This will provide a legal guarantee for at least 100 days of employment, to begin with, on asset-creating public works programmes every year at minimum wages for at least one able-bodied person in every rural, urban poor and lower-middle class household. In the interim, a massive food-for-work programme will be started." (2) MID-DAY MEALS: "A national cooked nutritious mid-day meal scheme, funded mainly by the Central Government, will be introduced in primary and secondary schools. An appropriate mechanism for quality checks will also be set up." (3) ICDS: "The UPA will also universalise the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme to provide a functional anganwadi in every settlement and ensure full coverage for all children." (4) PDS: "The UPA Government will strengthen the Public Distribution System (PDS), particularly in the poorest and backward blocks of the country, and also involve women's and ex-servicemen's cooperatives in its management. Special schemes to reach foodgrains to the most destitute and infirm will be launched. Grain banks in chronically food-scarce areas will be established. Antyodaya cards for all households at risk of hunger will be introduced." It remains to persuade the government to put these good intentions (and more) into practice 4. MAHARASHTRA: PUBLIC HEARING ON THE RIGHT TO HEALTH CARE As part of the Right to Health Care campaign, Jan Arogya Abhiyan (JSA Maharashtra) organised a public hearing on government health care facilities at Saswad (Pune district) on 11 May 2004. The hearing was organised by various members of JSA including MASUM, Rachana Trust, Chaitanya, FRCH and CEHAT. The aim of the public hearing was to highlight and address the deteriorating public health services that are crucial for the rural population and patients who cannot afford private health care. The hearing was well attended: women dominated the 300-strong audience that attended the programme. Dr. Anant Phadke and Ms. Jaya Sagade of ILS Law College, Pune attended the hearing as panelists and the Additional District Health Officer (ADHO) of Pune district, doctors and medical officers from neighbouring rural hospital and PHCs were present as government representatives for this programme. The main focus of the public hearing was the presentation of a report based on a survey of government health facilities in 8 talukas of Pune district. The survey covered three aspects of government facilities: availability of staff, of equipment and of services. On all three counts, the report painted a dismal picture. Staff posts, ranging from doctors (especially lady doctors) to lab technicians and drivers are lying vacant or have not been sanctioned. There are no toilets in some health centres, and where toilets exist, there is no water supply. Erratic supply of electricity means vaccines cannot be stored properly. PHCs are unable to provide basic services such as deliveries, snakebites, immunization (e.g. a child had to pay Rs. 3000 at a private hospital for ORS because the PHC could not help him). Further, people are charged for facilities that are supposed to be free (e.g. deliveries), patients are not treated respectfully by the staff and doctors (a woman who was in pain because the anaesthesia had worn off by the time the operation started was hit to keep her from screaming). The ADHO while admitting that the situation was dismal, responded by citing the lack of adequate funds as the main cause. He suggested that people raise these issues at all levels starting with village health committees. The panelists, on the other hand, highlighted the fact that lack of funds was not an acceptable argument. As one of them pointed out, the lack of adequate health care threatens people’s Right to Life to which they are entitled by the Constitution. The ADHO was requested to arrange for more funds and at the same time issue instructions to ensure that people are not treated badly at health centres. Special Update: Two important announcements (March 31, 2004) Dear Friends, This short, special update contains two urgent announcements: one regarding a forthcoming convention on the right to food and work (11-13 June 2004), and one regarding election-related communication material. Please consider circulating these announcements within your own area or network, after translation in local language if necessary. Swift and wide circulation of the first announcement is particularly important to enable grassroots organisations around the country to participate in the proposed convention. NATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD AND WORK A national convention on the right to food and work will be held on 11-13 June 2004, tentatively in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh). Organisations committed to the right to food and work are expected to join from all over the country. The main purpose of this convention is to share experiences of grassroots action for the right to food/work, and to plan future activities. This is also an opportunity to address the organisational issues that arise in building coordinated action for the right to food and work. This will be an action-oriented event, with plenty of discussion groups, training workshops, cultural activities, and more. It is a unique chance for persons working on the right to food to meet like-minded people from all over India and learn from each other. Potential issues for discussion include guaranteed employment, the public distribution system, mid-day meals, land rights, and judicial action for the right to food and work, among others. This convention is a follow-up of earlier discussions held at the World Social Forum in Mumbai (January 2004). It is facilitated by the support group of the �right to food campaign�, in collaboration with several country-wide networks such as the National Alliance of People�s Movements (NAPM), Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS), Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), All India Democratic Women�s Association (AIDWA), National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), National Conference of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR), National Campaign Committee for Rural Workers (NCCRW) and People�s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). The convention is being organised on a shoestring budget. All participants are expected to bear their own travel costs, and may be asked to contribute to subsistence costs, if necessary. Other costs will be met through voluntary donations with no strings attached. If you are keen to participate, please send a line to right2food@yahoo.co.in or get in touch with any member of the �coordination team�. Contact details for the coordination team, and the confirmed venue of the convention, will be circulated soon and also posted on the website of the right to food campaign (www.righttofood.com). ELECTION-RELATED MATERIAL AVAILABLE A wide range of communication materials (posters, pamphlets, poems, etc.), prepared in anticipation of the forthcoming elections, has been posted on a temporary website (http://counterpropaganda.tripod.com). There is a special focus on countering the government propaganda on food- and employment-related issues. Further materials on other issues of importance including communalism, child rights, etc. are also available. Feel free to use this material in your own area, with or without modification. A CD with printable materials is available on request (just send a line to right2food@yahoo.co.in). This effort is an outgrowth of a meeting of Right to Food Campaign activists at Mumbai on 20 January 2004. A follow-up meeting was held in Bhopal on 21-22 February 2004 to prepare posters and other campaign materials. The �Bhopal materials� have been improved and augmented with materials from other sources. (REMINDER: TheResi stance event convened by Campaign for Democratic India will be taking place in Delhi on Sunday 4 April. For details see http://counterpropoganda.tripod.com/april4.htm.)
UPDATE 29 Dear friends, Plans for the national convention on the right to food and work (Bhopal, 11-13 June) are making good progress and we start with an update on this. This is followed by a report on the latest Supreme Court hearing, a little tour of recent activities around the country, and an update on election-related materials. The headlines: 1. CONVENTION ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD AND WORK (BHOPAL, 11-13 June) 2. SUPREME COURT CRACKS THE WHIP ON MID-DAY MEALS 3. BIHAR AND JHARKHAND: COMMISSIONERS' INTERVENTION ON ICDS 4. NAPM BIANNUAL CONVENTION (May 22 – 24) 5. DELHI: ANTI-CORRUPTION STRUGGLE PICKS UP 6. KARNATAKA: LAUNCH OF KARNATAKA ELECTION WATCH COMMITTEE 7. WEST BENGAL: CAMPAIGN ON RIGHT TO WORK 8. MAHARASHTRA: RIGHT TO FOOD AND ELECTIONS 9. MAHARASHTRA: URBAN HOMELESS TO GET RATION CARDS AFTER COMMISSIONER'S INTERVENTION 10. CHHATTISGARH: KORWA MAHAPANCHAYAT 11. UPDATE ON ELECTION-RELATED MATERIALS 1. CONVENTION ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD AND WORK (BHOPAL, 11-13 June) As mentioned in the last Update, a convention on the right to food and work will be held in Bhopal on 11-13 June (if you missed the initial announcement, see the "Convention (Bhopal 11 – 13 June)" A preparatory meeting, attended by representatives of most of these organisations, took place in Delhi on 11 April, 2004. Briefly, the following decisions were taken: - The convention will take place at Gandhi Bhawan, Bhopal. Local arrangements will be made by the local branch of Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS) in collaboration with the support group of the right to food campaign. - No institutional funds will be taken for the convention. The support group will make a contribution to the overheads, based on voluntary donations. Participants will bear their own travel and subsistence costs. Simple accommodation arrangements will be made at Gandhi Bhawan itself. - The programme will be action-oriented and consist mainly of parallel workshops, a few plenaries, and cultural activities. A preliminary list of possible topics for the parallel workshops was prepared. These include the right to work, the public distribution system, food sovereignty, children's right to food, people's access to land and natural resources, legal action for the right to food, Dalit and Adivasi struggles, and gender issues, among others. - Two working groups were formed, one for logistics and one for the programme. The next preparatory meeting will be held in Delhi on Sunday 16 May, from 3 to 6 pm. For a more detailed account of the decisions taken at the meeting, see the "Convention (Bhopal June 11-13)" section on the website (www.righttofood.com). Further information about the convention will be posted there from time to time. If you wish to participate in the convention, please send a line to right2food@yahoo.co.in as soon as possible.
On 20 April, the Supreme Court embarked on a marathon session aimed at settling all the issues raised in recent reports of the Commissioners, Dr. N.C. Saxena and Mr. S.R. Sankaran. (For the Commissioners' reports, see the "Commissioners' work" section on the website, www.righttofood.com.) On 20 April itself, the six-hour hearing focused mainly on mid-day meals. In an earlier order (28 November 2001), the Supreme Court had directed all state governments to provide cooked mid-day meals in all primary schools within six months. Three years beyond this deadline, however, the Commissioners' reports document extensive violations of this order. These range from complete failure to initiate mid-day meals in some states (notably Bihar and Uttar Pradesh) to partial implementation in many others. Calling this a matter of "extreme anguish", the Supreme Court passed a firm order directing all state governments to universalise mid-day meals in primary schools on a priority basis: preferably at the beginning of the coming school year, and in any case no later than September 2004. Compliance reports are to be submitted in early September by the Chief Secretaries, who will be held personally responsible for any lapses. The Supreme Court also took the central government to task for doing very little to facilitate the universalisation of mid-day meals. Related directions include the continuation of mid-day meals during holidays in drought-affected areas, priority appointments of Dalit cooks, upgrading of infrastructural facilities for mid-day meals, and tighter monitoring. The matter will be reviewed in mid-September. The next hearing will be held on Tuesday 27 April. The official text of the order is yet to be released by the Supreme Court (and may not be released until after the next hearing). For an informal and unofficial transcript of the order, see [LINK]. If you are involved in campaigning for mid-day meals, please do not miss this crucial order. OTHER SUPREME COURT ORDERS At the same hearing (20 April), the Supreme Court started examining other issues raised in the Commissioners' reports, including employment and wage issues, social security issues, child nutrition issues, the BPL issue, and the public distribution system. Detailed orders are expected after the next hearing on Tuesday 27 April. 1. The order of 2 May 2003 directing the government to double allocations (both cash and grain) for Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana 2. All records pertaining to employment programmes (muster rolls, 3. Use of labour-displacing machinery on SGRY should not be allowed. 3. BIHAR AND JHARKHAND: COMMISSIONERS' INTERVENTION ON ICDS Dr. N.C. Saxena (Commissioner of the Supreme Court) visited Bihar again in March 2004 and wrote a brief review "ICDS programme in Bihar". Further to his earlier visit, in December 2003, he found that some action had been taken based on his recommendations. For instance, more centres have become operational and there has been a 30% increase in the recruitment of Anganwadi workers and helpers, with enhanced provisions for their training as well. The state has also increased the number of beneficiaries per centre from 57 to 96 units, and enrolment figures at Anganwadi centres have also improved in a short span of 3 months. However, as the Commissioner notes, financial allocations for ICDS remain grossly inadequate in Bihar (all the more so as increased enrolment calls for increased budgetary allocations). While orders to buy utensils have been issued, there is no money for this yet. Some issues raised earlier by Dr. N.C. Saxena remain unresolved (partly due to lack of funds), e.g. the absence of proper supervision. He has also reiterated the need to publicise and implement various ICDS-related orders of the Supreme Court. For the full report, click here. Other reports by the commissioners based on their field visits, including a recent visit to Jharkhand is available in the website Dr. N.C. Saxena also visited Jharkhand in March 2004 and wrote a report on ICDS and other food security schemes in the state (including mid-day meals and the public distribution system). He was startled to learn that no supplementary food been distributed in ICDS centres in Jharkhand for a whole year. The report also highlights many other irregularities in the functioning of ICDS, including non- utilization of over Rs 5 crores allocated for supplementary nutrition, surrendering of 80% of PMGY funds allocated by the centre for child nutrition in the state, inferior quality of grain and frequent complaints of black marketing. The report also contains field notes of visits made by the Commissioner to Anganwadi centres at Bhandarwan, Mangru Toli, Nawati and Chikhor. For a copy of the full report, please send a line to commissioners@vsnl.net 4. NAPM BIANNUAL CONVENTION (May 22 – 24) The National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) is organising its fourth biannual convention on 22–24 May in Anantpur District of Andhra Pradesh. Member organisations from all over the country are expected to participate in this gathering, convened to review recent NAPM activities (including the "desh bachao desh banao" tour around the country, campaigns for land rights and the right to food, agitations against WTO, etc.), and to plan ahead. The right to food and the right to work are also on the agenda. For further details, please write to sansahil@vsnl.net 5. DELHI: ANTI-CORRUPTION STRUGGLE PICKS UP Parivartans' struggle to eradicate corruption from the public distribution system (PDS) has been covered from time to time in earlier updates. Latest news suggest that this struggle is beginning to bear fruit. In a survey of 82 families conducted in March 2004, Parivartan found that for the first time everyone in the area was receiving their full entitlement of foodgrains at the correct price. Where all the official checks and balances had failed, the simple process of demanding information and promoting people's vigilance seems to have made a real difference. In two other slums, PDS dealers ran to people's houses with apologies and promises of exemplary behaviours after applications were filed for local PDS records. This has, however, once again highlighted the need to address the systemic problems with the PDS whereby the ration dealers are driven to corrupt practices because of the bribes they have to pay, or due to the low commissions they receive. Parivartan has also extended its work to social audits of public works in Delhi, including works done with the MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) funds. After a six-month struggle, records of MPLAD expenditure by 70 MPs in Delhi have been obtained and the process of social audit has begun. This includes the first-ever inspection of public roads by local residents, a process normally reserved for some department of the government itself. To consolidate these efforts and reach out to more people, a "Right to Information Manch" has recently been launched in Delhi. For further information please contact: Arvind Khejriwal at parivartan@parivartan.com 6. KARNATAKA: LAUNCH OF KARNATAKA ELECTION WATCH COMMITTEE On March 6, 2004, Karnataka Election Watch Committee (KEWC) was launched at the Press Club in Bangalore. This is the latest in a string of "Election Watch" initiatives in various states, launched in anticipation of the imminent parliamentary elections (April-May 2004). KEWC believes that its real impact will be by pressurizing political parties to reform themselves and drop corrupt or criminal candidates, rather than influencing voter behaviour. As a first step, a letter was sent to all political parties informing them of KEWC activities and asking them to put up cleaner candidates. KEWC is also creating voter awareness of the problem of lavish election spending, and of the link between lavish spending and candidate behaviour (e.g. the pressure to "recover" election money). KEWC will focus on collecting candidate information from the affidavits and expenditure statements filed by candidates. It will disseminate this information widely through the media (especially the Kannada media), and through grassroots organizations. A helpline (080- For further information, please contact: Trilochan Sastry (trilochans@iimb.ernet.in, ravichandars@vsnl.com, shunori@vsnl.com, lcjain@bgl.vsnl.net.in). 7. WEST BENGAL: CAMPAIGN ON RIGHT TO WORK Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Sangathan has decided to launch a major campaign for the Right to Work, and for the rights of agricultural workers, ahead of the parliamentary elections in April and May. We shall try to keep track of this initiative in future updates. 8. MAHARASHTRA: RIGHT TO FOOD AND ELECTIONS Organisations involved in the right to food campaign in Maharashtra organized a "People's Manifesto Conference" in Mumbai on 23 March, 2004. The conference was inaugurated by Medha Patkar and chaired by Baba Adhav. It was attended by representatives of the People's Political Front, NAPM, Shoshit Jan Andolan, Jan Arogya Abhiyan, and Anna Adhikar Abhiyan, among other organisations. At the end of the conference, a people's manifesto was drawn up and submitted to all political parties. Activists of the Maharashtra Rationing Kruti Samiti (MRKS) will be taking up these demands with all the candidates in their respective areas. It was also decided to organize such meetings in other parts of Maharashtra. 9. MAHARASHTRA: URBAN HOMELESS TO GET RATION CARDS AFTER COMMISSIONER'S INTERVENTION Mr. S.R. Sankaran (Commissioner of the Supreme Court) was in Maharashtra in December 2003, when he spent some time with activists of the right to food campaign. Following his visit, he wrote to the Supreme Court and to the State and Central governments about the issue of ration cards to the urban poor and homeless. In response this intervention of the Commissioner, and further pressure from MRKS activists, the State government has issued an order which entitles the urban poor to ration cards even without proof of residence, within a month of applying. How this order will work out on the ground remains to be seen, but it does set an important precedent. 10. CHHATTISGARH: KORWA MAHAPANCHAYAT There has been a good deal of action in Surguja district According to Supreme Court orders, all members of "primitive tribes" 11. UPDATE ON ELECTION-RELATED MATERIALS Further election-related materials have been added to the website set up for this purpose (http://counterpropoganda.tripod.com). This includes more counter-propaganda posters, factsheets prepared by various organisations, a children's manifesto, and a critique of the BJP's "vision document" by disability rights groups. The website will be updated from time to time as we go along, please keep an eye on it if you are involved in any campaign activities related to the forthcoming parliamentary elections (April-May 2004).
Dear friends, We are leap-frogging the second part of the preceding update to inform you of some recent developments and forthcoming events of special interest. Specifically, it focuses on initiatives related to the forthcoming parliamentary elections (due to start in mid-April). A new momentum is building up in anticipation of the elections, and we shall try to keep you posted of these activities. Part 2 of the preceding update will follow shortly. Please keep us posted of any election-related activities you may be planning, and share with us any food-related campaign materials you may be preparing in this connection. Today’s headlines: 1. DRIVE TO PREPARE ELECTION-RELATED CAMPAIGN MATERIALS 2. FORTHCOMING: PUBLIC HEARING ON HEALTH 3. NAPM ACTIVISTS LAUNCH INTO ELECTORAL POLITICS 4. CAMPAIGN FOR DEMOCRATIC INDIA 5: FOCUS ON YOUNG CHILDREN 6. WEBSITE UPDATE 1. DRIVE TO PREPARE ELECTION-RELATED CAMPAIGN MATERIALS Following earlier discussions in Mumbai, about 50 activists from different states met in Bhopal on 21-22 February to work on campaign materials (posters, leaflets, pamphlets, plays, etc.) focusing on the right to food and the right to work, for possible use during the election period. The aim was to draft material that could be later adapted to local circumstances by a wide range of organisations around the country.
Work is underway to verify the accuracy of data, prepare illustrations and make master copies that could be used to print posters directly. In case you are interested in printing these posters, we can send you a CD with the master copies on request. Please send a line to right2food@yahoo.co.in for further information. 2. FORTHCOMING: PUBLIC FORUM ON HEALTH (12 March 2004) Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA) is planning to organize a public forum for dialogue on health in Delhi on 12 March, 2004. The forum seeks to bring together health activists from across the country for a dialogue on health care with senior politicians from various national parties. The interaction will be followed by a procession. The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (People’s Health Movement) is a network linking many organizations and individuals working in the area of health care. It came together on the occasion of the People's Health Assembly in 2000, to create a platform that brings together diverse concerns related to Health Care. Activists of JSA have been working closely with the Right to Food Campaign in different states. The ‘Peoples Health Charter’ constituting the JSA affirms: "our inalienable right to comprehensive health care that includes food security; sustainable livelihood options; access to housing, drinking water and sanitation; and appropriate medical care for all; in sum - the right to HEALTH FOR ALL, NOW". JSA expects the political process in the country to take cognizance of these basic concerns. The dialogue as well as other activities of the campaign for the forthcoming elections in the country will be an opportunity to focus on real concerns of the Indian people. To facilitate a dialogue between citizens’ organizations and political parties on the issue of health, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan is organising a public forum of dialogue on Health Care with political parties. Date: 12th February, 2004 For further information, please contact Vandana Prasad at chaukhat@yahoo.com
At the World Social Form (Mumbai, January 2004), various groups concerned with the growth of communal tendencies in the country got together and decided to launch a campaign during the parliamentary elections. The groups will function under the broad banner of “Campaign for democratic India”. At the preparatory stage, meetings of the campaign have taken place in Delhi, Lucknow, Patna, Ranchi, Allahabad and several other towns. The groups are likely to take up an active campaign at the grassroots level and also take up wide-ranging advocacy efforts. Work is on towards building an ‘alternative agenda’ that includes concerns of the common people of the country today. A meeting will be held in Delhi on 19 March 04 with several citizens’ organisations to build the alternative manifesto. This will be followed by a public meeting on 20 March. For more details about the campaign please contact Apoorvanand at apoorvanand@rediffmail.com. 5. FOCUS ON YOUNG CHILDREN FORCES, a network working for children under six years of age, is intensifying its advocacy work in anticipation of the forthcoming elections. The network has been working extensively on ICDS, crèche services, and other issues related to young children. The decision to use the space offered by the elections was taken during a national meeting of FORCES at WSF. For more details about their plans, you can contact forces@vsnl.com. Indian Alliance for Child Rights (IACR), Pairvi and other organisations are also planning to highlight children’s issues in the run up to the elections. The group will take up a multi-pronged campaign covering grassroots, media, advocacy with parties, etc. The group has analysed the manifestoes of various national parties of the previous polls and have identified gaps from the child-rights angle. A manifesto is being prepared with child-related concerns which will be used for lobbying with the parties. In case you have further queries, please send a line to right2food@yahoo.co.in, we will be happy to relay it to IACR. 7. WEBSITE UPDATE The website of the right to food campaign (www.righttofood.com) has been updated, and also includes a new section called “Parliament elections 2004”. This space will be used to post campaign materials, fact-sheets, and reports of interest. Currently it contains draft posters that are being prepared for use in the campaign (see item 1 above). The section will be updated regularly in the next few weeks with further materials. Please keep an eye on this new section if you are involved in election-related activities.
UPDATE 27: RECENT AND FORTHCOMING ACTIVITIES
Special Update: Two important announcements
Dear Friends, This update comes to you after a long break, and we have a long list of events and activities to report. So this update is being sent in two parts. With the elections around, several events are being planned not only within the right to food campaign but also by associated campaigns such as the campaign for the right to health. We anticipate a fair amount of action during the next few months. We take this opportunity to salute the courage of Sarita and Mahesh, two land rights activists who have done exemplary work in Bihar. They were shot dead on 24 January by the local mafia. We wish to draw your attention to the impending national protest in Patna on 12 February, which includes a rally to Shabdo, the village where Sarita and Mahesh worked. The organisers are counting on a strong turnout not only from Bihar but also from other parts of India. More on this below (see also the new “Sarita and Mahesh” section on the campaign website, www.righttofood.com). Today’s headlines: 1. MUMBAI: PLANNING FUTURE ACTIVITIES 2. WEST BENGAL: STARVATION ROLLED BACK IN ABANDONED TEA GARDENS 3. KARNATAKA: SOCIAL AUDIT OF SUPREME COURT ORDERS 4. DELHI: FORTHCOMING RALLY FOR THE RIGHT TO HEALTH 5. RAJASTHAN: PDS DEALERS DISRUPT REVIEW MEETING 6. COMMISSIONERS’ UPDATE 7. BIHAR: MURDER OF LAND RIGHTS ACTIVISTS SPARKS PUBLIC PROTESTS
About 50 activists involved in the right to food campaign met in Mumbai on 20 January, on the sidelines of the World Social Forum and “Mumbai Resistance”, to discuss forthcoming activities. Various activities were proposed in anticipation of the coming parliamentary elections across the country. As a first step, activists from different organisations will gather in Bhopal on 21-22 February to prepare suitable campaign materials (posters, leaflets, pamphlets, etc.). The meeting will be organised at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The activities that were proposed include: (1) Consolidating our efforts to make the right to food and the right to work central political issues (e.g. through public hearings, lok ghoshna patras, large rallies, seeking commitments from candidates, etc.); (2) Debunking the government’s “feel good” and “shining India” propaganda; (3) Intensifying our campaign for the right to work, including an Employment Guarantee Act but also going beyond that; (4) “Direct action” to assert the right to food and the right to work, such as “self-service” at PDS shops where people have been deprived of their entitlements, and physical obstruction of labour-displacing machinery; (5) Social audits of the implementation of Supreme Court orders on the right to food; (6) Conducting a series of training programmes to enable grassroots organisations to take up right to food/work issues more effectively in their own area. Also in the light of the forthcoming, there was much discussion of the issue of communalism. There was a unanimous agreement on the need for the campaign to distance itself from all communal and anti-democratic organisations. The draft “statement” prepared at the end of the meeting states the following: “We also discussed the ominous growth of communal and anti-democratic tendencies in the country, and the need to resist them. We all felt that our commitment to the right to food is inseparable from our commitment to social justice and democratic values, and implies firm opposition to communalism in any form. Democracy is premised on the fundamental equality of all citizens. Therefore it is incompatible with discrimination based on caste, gender, religion or other attributes. We appeal to all individuals and organisations involved in the right to food campaign to put these concerns at the centre of their work, during and beyond the forthcoming elections.” For the full text of the draft statement (yet to be finalised), click here. The statement includes further details of possible activities that could be taken up in the context of the forthcoming elections. If you are interested in obtaining campaign materials at cost price after the Bhopal meeting, please send a line to right2food@yahoo.co.in
During the last two years, trouble has been brewing in the tea gardens of West Bengal. Apparently due to a recession in the tea industry, many tea gardens have been abruptly closed, leaving tens of thousands of people at lurch. There have been many recent media reports of extreme hunger and even starvation deaths in the abandoned tea gardens. This prompted the right to food and work campaign of West Bengal to intervene. The group started with a survey of living conditions in over 12 tea gardens. The house to house survey indicated that death rates had more than doubled since the workers lost their employment. This has been confirmed by data available in local hospitals, and other independent surveys. The food habits of the workers also show drastic changes, with some families consuming levels far below the recommendation of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). The incidence of malnutrition among children is also very high. In spite of this dire situation, many of the affected families are classified as “above the poverty line” by the recent BPL enumeration. Further the ration shops have been closed, as they used to be run by the management of the gardens. Mid-day meals, for their part, are yet to be initiated by the West Bengal government. To complete the story, even the available SGRY funds have not been utilised in the area. The right to food network in West Bengal took up these issues with the Commissioners (Dr. N.C. Saxena and Mr. S.R. Sankaran), and an application was also filed in the Supreme Court. With a little help from the media, these efforts spurred the sleeping government into action. Recent steps taken to address this emergency include the distribution of Antyodaya cards to all permanent workers in the closed gardens; the provision of cooked food in primary schools; and the provision of 15 days of employment per month to the affected workers under SGRY. However, some demands of the campaign are yet to be met, so the struggle continues. For a more detailed report, click here.
‘Sarvajanika Ahavalu’, i.e. a social audit, is to be organized in Karnataka for the first time on February 9, 2004. The right to food campaign in Karnataka along with REACH and ActionAid India are organizing this social audit, which focuses on the implementation of Supreme Court orders on the right to food (PUCL vs Union of India & Others, 196/2001). There is widespread hunger in the area in the wake of three years of continuous drought, and the campaign group feels that unless effective action is organised the Supreme Court orders may just remain on paper. The process of holding social audits has also been initiated in Dharwad, Chamarajanagar and Davanagere districts, where similar events are expected in the near future. VENUE: Nandi Bevooru Village, Harapanahalli Taluk, Davanagere District, Karnataka Harapanahalli is 7 hours road drive from Bangalore. Nandi Bevooru Village is 16 kms. From Harapanahalli on the Harapanahalli - Hospet Road.
In anticipation of the forthcoming elections, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (a network of organisations committed to the right to health) is planning to organise a national rally as well as a dialogue with representatives of different political parties. Participants from across the country will gather in Delhi on 4 March 2004 for a string of events aimed at highlighting the dismal condition of health facilities in the country and putting the right to health on the political agenda. Further details will follow in due course, meanwhile interested readers are invited to contact Vandana Prasad (chaukhat@yahoo.com). For further info on JSA, see the network’s website, http://www.sochara.org/Jss/index.htm 5. RAJASTHAN: PDS DEALERS DISRUPT REVIEW MEETING An eventful public meeting was convened by Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) on 31 January 2004 in Kumbalgarh (Rajasthan). This was a follow-up to an earlier public hearing on the public distribution system (PDS), held there in December 2002 (see Update 8). This earlier meeting had exposed rampant corruption in the PDS, and last month MKSS thought that the time was ripe to review the situation. The review meeting’s agenda was to ask government officials, in public, what action had been taken against those who had been implicated in the corruption. Another concern was to find out what difference (if any) the earlier public hearing had made in the area. The review meeting, held on 31 January, was quite stormy. Angry PDS dealers had formed a semi-circle around the meeting to prevent people from entering the premises. They had also done a good deal of “homework” to derail this effort. For instance, they conducted a “contact programme” with the concerned families and threatened them with dire consequences if they spoke with MKSS activists, or put pressure on them to say that the PDS was working well in their village. In some cases, the dealers took away people’s ration cards lest MKSS should lay their hands on them. At the public hearing the dealers made organised attempts to disrupt the proceedings as soon as PDS issues came up. It is only with the help of the police and the assembled public that the meeting could be held. A sobering conclusion of this review meeting is that corruption is still in full swing in the area, in spite of the fact that people’s awareness has gone up. The ration cards still show false entries, some dealers continue to keep people’s ration cards, and shops open for just a few days each month (as opposed to 26 months as directed by the Supreme Court). The local administration has promised once again to take action against the errant dealers. What happens on the ground remains to be seen.
The Commissioners of the Supreme Court, Dr. N.C. Saxena and Mr. S.R. Sankaran, are continuing their efforts to ensure the implementation of Supreme Court orders. We have already mentioned their intervention in West Bengal (see item 2 above). Another important focus area at this time is Sarguja district in Chhattisgarh. This intervention followed complaints of non-implementation of the Supreme Court orders in villages of Block Lakhanpur in Sarguja (on this also earlier Updates). In particular it was alleged that Antyodaya cards had not been distributed to families of “primitive tribes” in the area, such as the Pahari Korwas. After the Commissioners intervened, the state government directed the local administration to ensure swift distribution of Antyodaya cards to all Pahari Korwa families. Recent reports suggest that this has indeed been done in the entire Block. However, Antyodaya cardholders are still marooned as the PDS is virtually non-functional in many villages, depriving them of their entitlements. A public hearing is expected to be held in Lakhanpur on or around 24 February. In a similar vein, the Commissioners responded to a complaint about the absence of mid-day meals in village Pandripani, also in Lakhanpur Block (see earlier updates). Initially, the state government claimed that an enquiry had been carried out, that mid-day meals in Pandripani were doing just fine, and that the complainant had retracted his statement. However, this claim was roundly debunked after further local enquiries and the state government was sent back to the drawing board. According to recent field reports from Sarguja, the local administration is frantically trying to improve the mid-day meal programme not only in Lakhanpur but in the entire district. The Commissioners have also travelled to several states in the recent months. Mr. Sankaran made visits to Maharasthra and West Bengal, and Dr. Saxena travelled to Bihar to evaluate the ICDS scheme. The Bihar visit led to some positive moves on the ICDS front. For instance, orders have been passed to raise the coverage of Supplementary Nutrition in each anganwadi from 57 to 97 children/mothers, and measures have been taken to ensure quick recruitment and timely payment of anganwadi workers. For detailed reports on these visits, and further details of the Commissioners’ activities, see the “Commissioners’ section” of the campaign website (www.righttofood.com).
The brutal murder of Sarita and Mahesh in Bihar (see intro) has sparked nationwide protests. A rally is being organised in Patna on 12 February, with nation-wide participation. The rally will end in Shabdo village where Sarita and Mahesh used to work and lost their lives. It is hoped that this event will act as a springboard for further action, not only to obtain justice for Sarita and Mahesh but also to address the problem of endemic violence and repression in Bihar. For further details, please contact Apoorv Anand at apoorvanand@rediffmail.com See also the new section “Sarita and Mahesh” on the campaign website (www.righttofood.com). This is a provisional section, added on an emergency basis to support these efforts. SPECIAL UPDATE: EVENTS IN MUMBAI (JANUARY 2004) Dear Friends, In the previous update, we had informed you of events that are being planned in Mumbai by the support group. This mail carries the confirmed details of time and venue of the events. Please note that the time of Right to Food Campaign meeting on 20th January has been advanced from 7- 10 pm to 5 – 8 pm on the same day. In case you are interested in further details, or in getting in touch with members of the `support group', please get in touch with us at the support group stall. SUPPORT GROUP STALL Venue: Stall Number 174 (1) Area `A' at WSF SEMINAR AT WSF Venue: B 39 RIGHT TO FOOD CAMPAIGN MEETING Venue: Keshav Gore Samarak Trust, RA Road, Goregaon (W).
SPECIAL UPDATE: FORTHCOMING EVENTS IN MUMBAI (JANUARY 2004) Dear friends, Between 16th and 21st January 2004 (next week!), two major events are going to take place in Mumbai drawing a large number of activists from India and abroad: the `World Social Forum 2004' and `Mumbai Resistance - 2004'. The support group of the right to food campaign is planning two events on this occasion: a public meeting as part of WSF and a meeting of campaign activists to discuss the Right to Food Campaign. A stall is also being organised at WSF, mainly to disseminate campaign material. This update brings you information on all these. In case any of you are planning events relating to Right to Food Campaign either at WSF or MR –2004, we would be glad to carry information in our next update, to be released shortly. Please write to us as soon as possible with details of the venue, date, time and title of the relevant events. (1) PUBLIC MEETING: The first event is a public meeting on the right to food, the right to work and the right to information. This will be convened jointly with the National Campaign for the People's Right to Information (NCPRI) and Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samiti. The meeting will focus on grassroots action for the right to food and Date: 17 January Please note that there is a minor risk that the date will be changed by the WSF organisers for logistic reasons. (2) CAMPAIGN MEETING: The second event is an informal consultation about the Right to Food Campaign itself. The idea is to bring together campaign activists from around the country to review the agenda and structure of the campaign. If you are involved in the Date: 19 January (3) STALL AT WSF: To disseminate campaign materials widely, a stall is being set up at WSF. The stall will carry various campaign materials including posters, pamphlets, booklets on various issues, interim orders of the Supreme Court, as well as materials on related Date: 16 – 21 January
In the context of pervasive corruption, the right to food depends a great deal on securing the right to information and restoring public accountability. Parivartan's fearless campaign to eradicate corruption from the public distribution system in Delhi, in the face of powerful interests, is an inspiring initiative in this regard (see item 1 below). This Update also brings you news from similar struggles in Bharawan (Uttar Pradesh) and Dhar (Madhya Pradesh). Further, we attempt to cover some recent developments relating to mid-day meals, the right to work, the right to health, and related matters. As always, we are unable to keep up with all the activities that are taking place around the country, but we hope that this is a fair sample of what is happening. Please remember to check the campaign website (www.righttofood.com) from time to time, for further information. FLASH NEWS: TWO ACTIVISTS OF PARIVARTAN WERE BEATEN UP BY PDS DEALERS; SEE PRESS RELEASE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE UPDATE Today's headlines:
1. DELHI: PARIVARTAN'S CAMPAIGN FOR AN ACCOUNTABLE PDS
Parivartan, an organisation working for the right to information in Delhi, has been at loggerheads with the Delhi administration and the PDS dealer's lobby over transparency in the public distribution system (PDS). Parivartan decided to obtain the records of all ration shops in Sundernagari, a resettlement colony in East Delhi, under the Right to Information Act. The idea was to do a social audit of all the ration shops and expose the corrupt practices of the PDS dealers. As a test case, an application was made by Triveni, a destitute widow who has been routinely deprived of her food rations. The records showed that Triveni had been receiving her full quota, and the `cash memos"had thumb impressions. However, Triveni is educated and never puts her thumb impressions. To probe more such cases, Parivartan decided to obtain the entire records of the ration shop. Waking up to the danger of sharing this information, the Food and Civil Supplies Department wrote to Parivartan saying that the records of the ration shops would not be disclosed as they were "private records". Denying access to records is a violation of the directions of the Supreme Court, an of the PDS (Control) Order, 2001. Parivartan did not give up and initiated a long battle with the Department, in spite of dire threats from the dealers. After many rounds the administration finally agreed to share information. While they were still collecting the records, seventeen ration dealers approached the High Court of Delhi and obtained a stay against Parivartan. Since the stay was only against Parivartan, and not against the citizens of Delhi per se, it was decided to bring together people from across Delhi to demand records. On 29 August 2003, three hundred people from across the city met to file applications under the Right to information Act. The same day a delegation including Parivartan, Aruna Roy, Sandeep Pandey and others met the food commissioner of Delhi. The food commissioner said that she would go by "legal advice" which is being read as "no to transparency" by the activists. But Parivartan is determined not to give up, and is planning a whole series of follow-up activities. More on these in future updates. 2. BHARAWAN (U.P.): STRUGGLE FOR TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY The right to information movement is also spreading in Uttar Pradesh, notably in Bharawan block of Hardoi district. Starting in December 2002, Asha has been trying to invoke the right to information and obtain records pertaining to various panchayats. After a series of protests, the group met with some success in February 2003. They obtained the records of some Panchayats. As expected, the records showed clear evidence of corruption. This led to further efforts to restore accountability. Asha submitted the details to the District administration. An enquiry committee was set up, but Asha did not get any news from the committee for a long time. Finally, they decided to approach the High Court. To their surprise, they learned that the enquiry committee had already given a report giving a clean chit to the Panchayats in question. A new collector has recently been posted in Hardoi District. The issue was revived, and a new enquiry committee has been set up. Meanwhile, many village pradhans have started `confessing"to Asha and are offering to share records with them. Asha has taken a stand that the records should be shared with the gram sabha, and not just with them. A meeting is being planned on 19 September 2003, where Asha is hoping that some of these Pradhans will present the records in public. The struggle for greater transparency and accountability in Bharwan has come a long way since the first dharna, almost a year ago. Uttar Pradesh is not exactly on the forefront of the right to information movement, but initiatives of this kind have started springing up in many places, and there are good prospects that the movement will gain strength in the near future. 3. RIGHT TO WORK UPDATE Efforts continue to link the right to food with the right to work, and in particular to campaign for "employment guarantee acts"in various states. There are few concrete results so far, but at least the issue is on the political agenda and there are hopes of significant progress in the near future. In fact, semi-official announcements of imminent initiatives on this front have been made in several states including Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka. For instance, in a recent letter addressed to Dr. N.C. Saxena (Commissioner of the Supreme Court), the Chief Secretary of Karnataka states that his government is planning to introduce an Employment Guarantee Act very soon. The proposed guarantee includes unemployment compensation of at least Rs 10 per day for those who are not provided with employment within a stipulated period. A dedicated "employment guarantee fund?is to be set up to finance the whole operation. Whether and how soon these good intentions will materialise remains to be seen. In Rajasthan, regular demonstrations for the right to work have continued during the last few months. Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan's "truck yatra"across the state in early July attracted large crowds wherever it went. Akal Sangharsh Samiti organised several events in Jaipur, including a week-long dharna coinciding with the latest session of the State Assembly, at the end of August. Mr. Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, claims to be fully committed to the idea of an employment guarantee act, but he wants the centre to foot the bill. Meanwhile, a high-level committee has been formed to examine the financial implications of an employment guarantee act in Rajasthan, and plans have been framed to introduce a "pilot scheme?in a few blocks. This pilot scheme does not sound promising and Akal Sangharsh Samiti dismissed it as tokenism. 4. TOWARDS THE RIGHT TO HEALTH A national campaign for the "right to health care"has recently been launched by Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), a close relative of the right to food campaign. The launch followed a national workshop and "public consultation"on the right to health held in Mumbai on 5-6 September 2003. Over 250 JSA delegates from 16 states attended this lively event, aimed at nothing less than "chalking out a campaign strategy to make the Right to Health Care a fundamental constitutional right and an operational reality" An insightful 4-page summary of the proceedings, prepared by Abhay Shukla (National Secretariat, JSA), is available here. At the end of the public consultation on 6 September, all the participants took the following pledge: "We regard the right to the highest attainable standard of health as an inalienable human right. We declare that the Right to Health Care should be made a Fundamental Right in the Indian Constitution, and that this right must be enforced immediately through appropriate legal and executive measures. We pledge to work tirelessly to resist the denial of this right in all forms and at all levels, and to mobilise our fellow countrymen, women and children towards the establishment of the Right to Health Care as an important milestone on the way to the realisation of the dream of Health for All." 5. MID-DAY MEALS UPDATE The "mid-day meal movement"(so to speak) continues to grow. According to official data, 50 million children now get a free school lunch, with another 50 million or so in the queue. The states where mid-day meals are yet to be initiated are mainly Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and West Bengal (in Orissa, it seems that mid-day meals are still confined to tribal areas). Elsewhere, the quality of mid-day meals varies a great deal, and leaves much to be desired in many cases, but at least the programme is in place and there is a basis for further action. A survey of mid-day meals in three states (Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Rajasthan) was recently conducted under the auspices of the Centre for Equity Studies (CES), New Delhi. The findings suggest that mid-day meals have made a promising start, but that quality issues need urgent attention if this programme is to realise its full potential. Positive findings of the survey include: mid-day meals are very popular, especially among underprivileged households; school attendance has shot up after MDMs were introduced; MDMs provide an essential protection against classroom hunger; and the mid-day meal is a useful socialisation experience, as children of different castes and communities learn to sit together and share a common meal. Important concerns include inadequate funding, inadequate infrastructure, inadequate quality safeguards, and (last but not least) the low nutrition content of mid-day meals.. A summary of the survey findings was recently published in Frontline (see http://www.flonnet.com/fl2016/stories/20030815002208500.htm) A lot of useful evidence on mid-day meals also emerged at a recent workshop convened by the Nutrition Foundation of India (New Delhi, 1 August 2003). The background papers provide a wealth of insights into the achievements, failures and potentials of mid-day meals across the country. If interested, please contact the Nutrition Foundation of India (nfi@ren02.nic.in). On 15 August, 2003, the Prime Minister "announced"the introduction of a national mid-day meal programme, up to Class 10. Given the history of these 15 August announcements, it would be naïve to expect this one to be implemented in a hurry. But at least it provides a basis for further consolidation and expansion of the mid-day meal campaign. 6. DALITS AND MID-DAY MEALS Dalit families have a special stake in mid-day meals, not only because Dalit children are particularly exposed to hunger but also because mid-day meals can help to break the barriers of caste. The CES survey (see above) suggests that in most schools, children are quite happy to sit together and share a common meal. However, in many places there is staunch resistance (mainly from upper-caste parents) to the appointment of Dalit cooks. In Rajasthan, for instance, Dalits are almost never appointed as cooks, except possibly in hamlets with no upper-caste children. In north Karnataka, the survey found that half of the cooks were Dalits, and that this arrangement had gained fairly wide social acceptance. However, the recent extension of mid-day meals to other parts of Karnataka has not been so smooth, with reports of upper-caste resistance to Dalit cooks pouring in from many areas. In Tumkur district, an upper-caste boy apparently had to go through a purificatory bath in cow's urine after eating food prepared by a Dalit cook at school. In other places, Dalit cooks have been dismissed due to parental objections. The right to food network in Karnataka is actively investigating these issues, and campaigning for firm implementation of the policy of appointing Dalit cooks. 7. HOME MINISTRY SAYS NO TO RATION CARDS FOR THE HOMELESS The homeless are among the poorest people in urban areas, and special initiatives are needed to protect them from hunger and undernutrition. Instead, the homeless are being systematically excluded from most public services and welfare programmes, including the public distribution system (PDS). Many state governments claim that they are unable to provide ration cards to the homeless, due to a Home Ministry circular. The circular says that no ration cards should be given to people who do not provide a clear proof of address. The Ministry argues that "illegal immigrants" use ration cards to establish their citizenship. Ration cards are vital in many contexts (not just the PDS), as many welfare schemes are now restricted to households with BPL cards. The Home Ministry's concern can easily be addressed by providing special ration cards that cannot be used as a proof of address, or by some other administrative arrangements. But most states have preferred to sweep the issue under the carpet rather than search for creative ways to address the problem. A significant exception is Karnataka, where the administration recently organised a meeting with various NGOs on this issue. The government has already issued a circular stating that it will provide free grain to any NGO that runs night shelters and other facilities for street children. A census of homeless people is also being initiated, to facilitate further action. 8. DHAR (M.P.): DALIT WOMEN'S STRUGGLE FOR FAIR WAGES AND EMPLOYMENT For the last two years, Dalit women in Dahi village (Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh) have been struggling for fair wages and employment. The struggle began after they were denied the legal minimum wage on relief works. In fact, they were given less than half the minimum wage. When they organised to demand the minimum wage, they were summarily dismissed from the relief works and later subjected to physical harassment. A local school teacher who took the side of the Dalit women also faced harassment and lost her job (she was teaching in a private school). The women of Dahi approached the local administration many times, but no action was taken. Last month, they sent a complaint and detailed report to the Commissioners, Dr. N.C. Saxena and Mr. S. R. Sankaran. The Commissioners took up the matter with the Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh and prompt action followed. All the labourers who had been employed on relief works finally received their full wages. Compensation for non-payment of minimum wages is also being initiated in other parts of the district. The school teacher, we hear, has also bee reinstated. This victory gave a major boost to the Dalit women of Dahi. 9. COMMISSIONERS' UPDATE The Dahi incident is yet another example of the potential effectiveness of the Commissioners in redressing violations of the right to food. The Commissioners are making efforts to expand their work, with regular field visits, periodic reports to the Supreme Court, prompt response to local complaints, sustained correspondence with all the state governments, and much more. For further information, please contact their assistant, Shonali Sen (C/o Centre for Equity Studies; C 17 A, DDA Flats, Munirka, New Delhi. E-Mail: commissioners@vsnl.net), or consult the "Commissioners Work" section of the campaign website (www.righttofood.com). Dr. Saxena recently visited Bihar and prepared a report on the situation there. The report can be obtained from Shonali Sen. Mr. Sankaran, for his part, is touring West Bengal currently, to enquire about the implementation of Supreme Court orders. He is expected to be in West Bengal during 21 "24 September 2003. PRESS RELEASE 24 September 2003 DARE TO ASK People seeking ration related records beaten up by ration shop keepers On the afternoon of 23 September, 2003, Panini Anand and Rajiv Kumar, volunteers of Parivartan who had gone to assist people who were seeking records in the Assistant Commissioner's office of the Food and Supplies Department, North East Delhi, were abused and attacked in his office premises by local leader and ration shop owner, Jagatpal Singh, along with some other ration shop owners of the area. The volunteers were severely beaten up in the office premises and one of them was, later, hit by a brick while he was on the way to the Nand Nagari police station to file a complaint. An FIR (No. 548/2003) has been filed. Subsequently, some ration shop owners surrounded the Nand Nagari police station and threatened the Parivartan volunteers with dire consequences. It was only on the intervention of the Deputy Commissioner that the volunteers, including four women, were evacuated by a police vehicle and driven to safety. Based on the threats issued by the ration shop owners, it is clear that this attack was in retaliation to Parivartan's role in helping the people of Delhi to file applications under the Delhi Right to Information Act, seeking to inspect records of ration shops. Obviously the attack was an effort to create insecurity and a sense of fear among the people, especially as many of the applicants have also reported receiving verbal threats and have been asked to withdraw their applications for information. It is worth noting that, fed up with the problems of corruption plaguing the public distribution system, several residents of resettlement colonies across Delhi have been asking for access to information, related to records of ration shops, under the 'Delhi Right to Information Act'. In fact, a meeting attended by over 300 resettlement colony residents was organised by Parivartan and other groups, on 29 August, 2003, at the Gandhi Peace Foundation, to discuss and highlight the problems that these people were having with ration shops in their areas. The participants also went in a delegation to meet the Commissioner, Food and Civil Supplies, Delhi Government and over 150 applications were filed for inspecting records concerning the distribution of rations. It was in this connection that on 23rd September, records of ration shops of Circle 46 were to be shown to the applicants in the office of the Food and Supplies Officer. However, when people reached the office of the Food and Supplies Officer to inspect the records the local ration shopkeepers were already present there and seemed determined to prevent public access to the records, in order to hide discrepancies in the distribution of ration and kerosene oil, and the modus operandi and quantum of corruption. Even before this attack, they had tried to threaten and bribe the applicants to prevent them from applying for information. The National Campaign for People's Right to Information strongly condemns this action of the ration shop owners. Although the ration shop owners are obviously trying to intimidate the people, their resorting to violence reveals their desperation and further confirms our conviction that empowering the people of Delhi through the Right to Information Act is an important, and perhaps the best, way of fighting entrenched vested interests. Shekhar Singh On behalf of NCPRI Dear Friends, Many events have happened in the past month or two that we were not able to report. We hope to catch up with some of them in the next few updates. In this update, we wish to catch up with the current events quickly. TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. DHARANA IN JAIPUR FOR RIGHT TO WORK 2. MID-DAY MEALS IN KARNATAKA – THE CASTE TROUBLE 3. PUBLIC HEARING IN WEST BENGAL 4. DHARANA IN MADHYA PRADESH OVER CORRUPTION IN RELIEF WORKS 5. ORISSA - JOINT ENQUIRY REPORT ON IRREGULARITIES IN EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMES 1. DHARANA IN JAIPUR FOR RIGHT TO WORK A dharna for the right to work and related demands began in Jaipur on 16 August. The dharna is led by Akal Sangharsh Samiti, a network of 70 Rajasthan-based organisations. The main demand is an Employment Guarantee Act for Rajasthan. However, the dharna has also taken up related issues such as: (1) tribal evictions from forest land; (2) continuation of relief works until the next harvest; (3) an improved right to information law; (4) a fair and transparent procedure to update and correct electoral rolls; (5) shrinking of city space for democratic protest. On the first day of the dharna, a number of participants fasted in solidarity with Anna Hazare, who was on an indefinite fast in Mumbai at that time. Anna Hazare was fasting for the enactment and improvement of Maharashtra's "right to information act". The fast was a success and Maharashtra now has one of the best right to information acts in the country. The right to information issue also figures prominently in the Jaipur dharna, and was even the object of a full public hearing on 18 August. Also on the first day of the dharna, a delegation met Mr. Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan. Regarding tribal evictions, the Chief Minister told the delegation that eviction notices would be withdrawn and that no eviction notice would be issued without a full verification of the facts. He also addressed the other demands and assured the delegation that he would pursue these matters. On the issue of employment guarantee, the Chief Minister said that he was himself keen on the idea, provided that the central government supplied free grain for it. He mentioned that he had pleaded the case for an employment guarantee with the central government. Indeed, he felt that it was the only lasting solution to poverty and hunger. The delegation tried to persuade him that the state government should take the first step in introducing an employment guarantee, and that what was needed was a legal guarantee and not just a scheme. The dharna continues and will be in place until the end of the forthcoming Assembly session, which starts on 21 August. 2. MID-DAY MEALS IN KARNATAKA – THE CASTE TROUBLE In keeping with the trend of increasing coverage of mid-day meals, Karnataka has introduced cooked meals thought the state this academic session. The expanded coverage has come with its set of teething trouble. While it appears that the logistical issues are being taken care of, the caste angle is taking worrisome shape in many districts. In Tumkur District for example, several Dalit cooks have been replaced for casteist reasons, following protests from upper caste parents. Members of the Right to Food Campaign in Karnataka have been taking the issue up actively. The commissioners have also intervened in their fourth report, asking for reinstating all Dalit cooks who have been removed, ensuring that at least half the new appointments of cooks and helpers are Dalits, and ensuring that at least 1/3rd of all the cooks and helpers in each state are Dalits. 3. PUBLIC HEARING IN WEST BENGAL A successful public hearing was held in Kolkatta, West Bengal, bringing together participants from across the state. The panel for the hearing included ex-chief justices of Kolkatta High Court, and the Manipur High Court; eminent economists, an ex-MP, among others. The panel has submitted its interim report, which indicts the West Bengal government strongly for its inaction in various fronts. The commission listened to issues put forward by people on various fronts. Many issues were raised on the public distribution system. People complained that shops continued to open erratically, despite the directions of the court to open on all working days for a regular fixed duration. The quality of grain was left wanting, and often they were overcharged for the grain they received. Complaints made to the local officials and even the BDO were of no avail. The commission was of the opinion that little was done to spread information about the entitlements, and as a result, most people do not know about the schemes. Even when they had information, on many occasions people were not able to receive their entitlements due to non-cooperation by the local agencies. The commission candidly concluded that little was being done to implement the directions of the Supreme Court, and what little people were able to get was due to collective action they organised to receive their entitlements. 4. DHARANA IN MADHYA PRADESH OVER CORRUPTION IN RELIEF WORKS Barwani District has been a scene of action in the past few months. Adivasi Mukthi Sangathan has been trying to receive copies of muster rolls and other documents pertaining to relief works in the area. The Administration has been denying access to records for the past year continuously. After the commissioner intervened, the administration asked the sangathan to pay over Rs. 22,000 to access the muster rolls for just three projects. Convinced that there is tremendous corruption in the area, and that the collector of the district is involved deeply in it, the sangathan has taken on the collision course now. An eight-day dharana was organised in the district headquarters, followed by a large rally. A delegation has also gone to meet the Chief Minister to press their demands for an enquiry. In the meanwhile, the commissioners have asked for the pricing of the muster rolls to be reduced to reasonable levels to make them accessible to all. 5. ORISSA - JOINT ENQUIRY REPORT ON IRREGULARITIES IN EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMES Following complaints made by villagers on corruption in sundergarh district of Orissa, the commissioners asked for a joint enquiry committee to be set by the State with one representative of the commissioner in the team. The committee enquired into the irregularities in SGRY in the alleged areas, and has submitted its report recently. The report of the independent member will shortly be made available on the website (www.righttofood.com). The commissioners received a complaint of irregularities in SGRY in Sundargarh District of Orissa. The complainant was able to access the muster rolls, when they found various fake entries in them. The commissioners' intervention was sought based on the fake musters, and a request was made to ensure that people who have not yet received the wages should be paid immediately. The commissioners took up the issue with the Government of Orissa and demanded a joint enquiry. Acting upon it immediately, the state set up a committee along with a representative of the commissioner. The report of the independent member of the committee brings out various irregularities in the implementation of SGRY, including: Fudging of muster rolls, and embezzlement of funds; People had to travel fifteen kilometres to collect the grain component of their wages; Many projects were started without formal sanctions; Wages are not paid within one week of work done, and the payment is highly irregular; A contractor Mr. D.D. Banarjee was used for the projects in contravention of the rules; Lack of basic amenities including drinking water, crèche and basic medical facilities; Poor monitoring and irresponsive administration that chose to ignore repeated complaints by villagers; Payment of different wages for men and women by the contractor. The good news is that the Govt of Orissa was responsive to the commissioner and an enquiry was promptly set up. It remains to be seen as to what measures the government will take based on the findings of the enquiry. Dear friends,
There have been important developments relating to the Commissioners' work in recent weeks, and this special Update is an attempt to brief you on this.
After a relatively slow take-off, the Commissioners' work is beginning to reveal its full power and potential. The power of the Commissioners (and their "advisers") came to light mainly in Madhya Pradesh, in the wake of public hearings and other events. Issues raised by the Commissioners have elicited swift responses from the concerned authorities, and in many cases of violation of Supreme Court orders, redressal has been obtained. Of course, there is a long way from case-by-case redressal to systemic accountability, but this is at least a step forward. The tempo is likely to increase further in the near future, following the recent induction of Mr. S.R. Sankaran as co-Commissioner, with Dr. N.C. Saxena.
Strictly speaking, the Commissioners' work is not part of the "right to food campaign". It is an independent structure set up by the Supreme Court for monitoring and redressal purposes. But naturally enough, there is a close relationship between the two, and the Commissioners are quite sympathetic to the campaign. This update attempts to give you a taste of their work (see also the "Commissioner's work" page on the website, www.righttofood.com).
The website has just been upgraded, you may wish to take a look in any case. We take this opportunity to thank Aparajita Goyal for the new design.
Today's headlines:
1. MR. SANKARAN SWINGS INTO ACTION 2. COMMISSIONERS: BRIEF OVERVIEW 3. THE MACHINE MENACE 4. FROM MONITORING TO REDRESSAL 5. CONSTRUCTIVE ADVICE: ANOTHER ROLE OF THE COMMISSIONERS 6. MADHYA PRADESH TAKES THE LEAD
As mentioned in the last update, Mr. S.R. Sankaran has recently been appointed as co-Commissioner of the Supreme Court, with Dr. N.C. Saxena, for the purpose of monitoring orders relating to the right to food. Mr. Sankaran, who is based in Hyderabad, proposes to concentrate initially on the southern states of India, as well as on Orissa and Maharashtra. He has a special interest in issues of employment guarantee and minimum wages. For the time being, the Commissioners may be contacted at "commissioners@vsnl.net", or c/o Shonali Sen (their research assistant) at shonalisen@hotmail.com. Fuller contact details for the Commissioners will be posted on the campaign website (www.righttofood.com) very soon.
2. COMMISSIONERS: BRIEF OVERVIEW
The Commissioners (Dr. Saxena and Mr. Sankaran) were appointed by the Supreme Court on 8 May 2002 and 2 May 2003, respectively, to monitor Supreme Court orders relating to the right to food (PUCL vs Union of India and others, Writ Petition [Civil] 196 of 2001). 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.
In each state, an "assistant" is supposed to have been appointed by the state government to liaise with the Commissioners. In addition, the Commissioners have appointed their own "advisors" in some states.
In the case of Karnataka, for instance, the "resident commissioner of Karnataka in Delhi" is the designated assistant to the Commissioners, and Mutthappa is the "advisor".
Since it would be impossible for the Commissioners to take up all complaints on a case-by-case basis, they tend to focus on issues that are likely to have a wider impact. For instance, the Commissioners have taken up policy issues such the coverage of Antyodaya Anna Yojana and other social security schemes, delays in the implementation of mid-day meal programmes, and the use of labour-displacing machinery in relief works (see below). Occasionally, the Commissioners also taken up specific, ground-level cases of violation of the right to food, especially when there is a potential for "demonstration effects". Currently such interventions are on in Sheopur and Sendwa of Madhya Pradesh. The Commissioners also respond to reports and complaints sent by the "advisors", who are closer to the situation on the ground.
The nature of complaints that can be appropriately sent to the Commissioners and their advisors was helpfully discussed by Madhya Pradesh groups at a workshop held in Dewas in November 2002. The following criteria were suggested, among others: (1) the facts Should be well documented, (2) local redressal mechanisms should be exhausted, (3) there should be a potential for wider impact, e.g. through demonstration effects.
Among the issues currently receiving scrutiny from the Commissionersare: progress of mid-day meal schemes, labour displacement in relief works, the larger issue of right to work, expanding the coverage of pensions, payment of minimum wages, the issue of subsidised exports, and a host of other issues arising from the ground. Some of these are further discussed below.
For a more detailed introduction to the Commissioners' mandate, concerns, activities, etc., see the "Commissioners' Work" section on the website (www.righttofood.com). See also the periodic reports submitted by the Commissioners to the Supreme Court, also available on the website. The fourth report of the Commissioners is due next month.
3. THE MACHINE MENACE
There have been frequent reports about the use of labour-displacing machines in relief works and employment programmes. For instance, tractors have been widely used in relief works and the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana, and excavators are extensively used in Highway construction projects. Reports of large-scale use of machines have come from Andhra Pradesh, parts of Madhya Pradesh, and other parts in the country. In many cases, these labour-displacing machines defeat the purpose of "labour-intensive" wage-employment programmes. In such programmes, the use of labour-displacing machines is officially banned, but the ban is often ineffective.
Public awareness and active vigilance are key to ensuring that machines are not used in employment programmes. The Commissioners are lending their support to this effort, indeed they have taken the initiative. For instance, reacting to reports from Barwani (Madhya Pradesh) recently, Dr. N.C. Saxena has asked for an enquiry. He has also insisted on public accessibility of the enquiry's findings, and of muster rolls and other records pertaining to the employment of labour on public works.
Another measure under consideration is the preparation of district level gazettes that would list all the employment projects to be taken up in a district. This would help us know where projects are `being implemented'. The Commissioner has also written to the states asking them to commission an officer at the state level who would put information on projects on a website no later than a month after it is sanctioned. This would help concerned citizens and organisations to identify `ghost projects'. The Commissioners have also directed the states to maintain a book of complaints (based on letters, newspaper reports, petitions, etc.) pertaining to illegal uses of machines on public works. This can potentially serve as a single point through which the Commissioners' interventions could be based.
The Commissioners are striving to make the governments review current policies and ensure that labour-displacing machines are discouraged if not out rightly banned. For instance, the state governments and the Government of India have been asked to appoint a review Committee each consisting of engineers, economists, state relief secretary and members of civil society to look into the possibility of substitutinglabour for machines in public works. The committee is expected to scrutinise the works undertaken by a range of departments such as public works, irrigation, and rural engineering services. The committee would examine the cost implications of such substitution, list out works where labour could be substituted for machines withlittle or no addition to costs, and consider additional measures to promote the use of labour intensive techniques.
The response of the Government of India and the states remains to be seen. We will keep you updated on this. Meanwhile, comments and suggestions on this issue are welcome. They may be sent to Shonali Sen (research assistant to the Commissioners) at shonalisen@hotmail.com.
4. FROM MONITORING TO REDRESSAL
Unspent resources that end up being returned to the exchequer are a common phenomenon in India's development programmes. In many cases, timely and effective utilisation of funds would mean that larger funds are subsequently made available for the relevant programmes.
Using periodic returns and performance reports submitted by the state governments, the Commissioners have been trying to press for effective utilisation of funds allocated to food-related programmes. In a recent case, some labourers in West Midnapore (West Bengal) had petitioned for work, yet work was not provided to them in spite of unspent funds being available.
In such situations, the question has been – what is the redressal? As an experiment, the government of West Bengal has been asked to give the petitioners compensation equivalent to a hundred days of work, if the district had not used 90% of available resources. If procedures such as these become institutionalised, there is a prospect of moving beyond "monitoring" to "redressal". Similarly, in many districts, beneficiaries of the Annapoorna scheme have been under-identified. The government has been asked to complete the process of identification and to pay a monetary compensation worth one year of "subsidy" (10 kgs of grain per month, free of cost) for depriving the beneficiary of the entitlement due to later identification. Further experiments with concrete redressal mechanisms are on the cards in various places.
5. CONSTRUCTIVE ADVICE: ANOTHER ROLE OF THE COMMISSIONERS
The PUCL petition, and subsequent "interim applications" to the Supreme Court, stress the importance of a strong social security system to realise the right to food. Much work has gone into expanding and improving the Antyodaya Anna Yojana. Other schemes that have proved relatively effective on the ground, in many states, include social security pensions such as pensions for widows, the elderly, and disabled persons. Field reports suggest that there is much potential for effective use of pension schemes as a tool of Food security. However, as things stand the coverage of pension schemes is quite limited in most states. Much needs to be done to expand the coverage, especially for groups such as widows who are among the deprived.
The role of the Commissioners is not just to oversee theimplementation of existing orders, but also to propose and foster lasting steps towards the eradication of hunger and undernutrition. In this spirit, the Commissioners have been advocating an expansion of pension schemes in the Supreme Court. Plans are afoot to take agenda forward in the next few months.
6. MADHYA PRADESH TAKES THE LEAD
In recent months, the Commissioners' work has been making specialheadway in Madhya Pradesh. This is partly because of the active involvement of Dr. Mihir Shah, advisor to the Commissioners for Madhya Pradesh. Recent events there suggest that the tremendous authority of the Commissioners partly devolves to the advisors as well, in so far as the advisors have the ear of the Commissioners themselves, and therefore, indirectly, of the Supreme Court. Even the simple act of copying a complaint letter (addressed, say, to the local District Magistrate) to the Commissioners and/or their advisor seems to have remarkable effects in terms of ensuring a prompt response from the concerned authorities. This reflects the "fear" of the Supreme Court among civil servants, and the fact that the Commissioners effectively represent the Supreme Court in this context. This is a lesson of major importance for other states, especially those with relatively "dormant" advisors. Some recent initiatives and achievements in MP:
(a) In Dindori, following the Jan Sunwayi on the 8th of June 2003 at village Dhaba, block Samnapur, there has been encouraging progress the decisions taken by the administration that day. The Baiga Mahapanchayat that organised the Jan Sunwayi has informed Dr. Mihir Shah that the district administration has moved fast on distribution of Antyodaya cards to all members of the Baiga "primitive" tribe as per the latest order of the Supreme Court. The process is expected to be completed soon. As a direct result of the Jan Sunwayi, employment programmes have also begun in many `forest villages', where they had been stalled for years due to restrictions imposed by the Forest Department. The District Collector has sent Dr.Mihir Shah a copy of his instructions to all line departments to take urgent steps to act upon the nearly 50 complaints received during the Jan Sunwayi from the Baigas regarding non-payment of wages, corruption related matters, etc. The Baiga Mahapanchayat, the organiser of the public hearing, is closely monitoring action on this.
(b) In Sendwa, the follow-up has not been as encouraging as in Dindori, but there is indeed much movement happening there. The state government has immediately issued clarificatory orders relating to use of labour-displacing machines and have issued instructions about provision of muster rolls and other documents. The collector has also been directed to submit a detailed report regarding the issues raised by the commissioners. In the meanwhile, the district administration has reportedly swung into action saying `this is a bomb dropped by the Supreme Court and we have to act in coordination if we have to survive'. Various senior officers have been in touch with the complainants, Advasi Mukti Sangathan, and are trying to persuade them to agree to some soft options like dismissing some junior officers. The sangathan is launching an andolan against the district collector who has not been responsive to any of the demands raised by the gram sabhas, and by the commissioners.
(c) In Sheopur, a team led by Shonali Sen has done detailed investigation of one chosen panchayat – Hirapur, details of which were sent in the previous update (the report will shortly be uploaded in the website). With constant attention from the campaign, the district is geared up to issue Antyodaya cards to all Sahariyas, Baigas, other primitive tribes in the district, aged without, and widows without support. A plan of action is being made in coordination with the advisor to the commissioner, to ensure that there is follow up to the report on Sheopur. Some of the issues taken up will be improving the accessibility of muster rolls and other basic documents, improving the mid day meal programme, ensuring that Antyodaya cards are distributed and grains are provided, and pressing for at least an employment guarantee in the region.
We are doing our best to ensure that more information on the commissioners' work is available in the website. We urge you to consult the section on commissioners' work regularly. If you would have any further queries, please write to Shonali at shonalisen@hotmail.com.
Dear friends,
This Update discusses a sample of recent developments in various states. As always, we are unable to keep track of all the relevant activities, given the decentralised nature of the campaign. We take this opportunity to remind you that we are always interested in news from the field. Please send any useful information you may have to right2food@yahoo.co.in
Today's headlines:
1. MID-DAY MEAL UPDATE
2. UPDATE ON RECENT PUBLIC HEARINGS
3. MADHYA PRADESH: CORRUPTION IN RELIEF WORKS
4. ORISSA: CONSULTATION ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD
5. VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHT TO FOOD IN U.P.
6. COMMISSIONER TO VISIT UTTAR PRADESH
7. REMINDER: BHOPAL WORKSHOP ON UNDERNUTRITION AND STARVATION
8. WEBSITE UPGRADE
1. MID-DAY MEAL UPDATE
The campaign for universal mid-day meals in primary schools is in full swing as children flock back to school after the summer vacation. Here is a sample of recent developments:
(1) Full implementation in Karnataka: The Karnataka government extended the mid-day meal scheme to all districts in the first week of July (before that, the scheme was restricted to 7 districts). Initial media reports highlight cases of children falling ill as well as parental objections to the appointment of Dalit cooks. Some parents from Government schools in the districts of Tumkur, Mysore and Chamarajnagar refused to allow their children to eat school lunches prepared by Dalit women. Moreover, inferior quality of food grains and unhygienic cooking conditions are said to be the reasons for students taking ill. According to newspaper reports, the Government has ordered an inquiry into the incidents. To put things in perspective, "teething problems" of this kind have been a feature of the initial phase of mid-day meal schemes in many states. The situation typically improves over time. This is not to diminish the importance of the quality issues that emerge from these incidents.
(2) MDMs in Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi launched a "cooked mid-day meal" programme in about 400 primary schools in capital on July 4, 2003 in collaboration with various NGOs and (International Society for Krishna Consciousness). It is reported that children relished the lentil, rice and 'suji halwa' laid out on sparkling steel plates by the volunteers of ISKCON on the first day of the programme. ISKCON has agreed to provide cooked meals to 1,265 students in five schools near its temple in South Delhi as of now. It remains to be seen how the Delhi Government proposes to implement Supreme Court orders in the vast majority of schools not included in this project.
(3) MDM Research: A field survey of mid-day meals in three states (Rajasthan, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh) was launched earlier this year by a research team based at the Centre for Equity Studies, New Delhi. The study is nearing completion and a preview of the main findings is to be published in Frontline on 1 August. Here are some highlights of the summary report:
"The survey suggests that school meals have made a promising start around the country. However, there are serious quality issues, which need urgent attention if mid-day meal programmes are to realise their full potential.
On the positive side, mid-day meals have led to impressive increases in school participation. Taking the 81 sample schools together, Class-1 enrolment rose by 15% after mid-day meals were introduced. Especially impressive is the increase of 29% in female enrolment in the sample villages of Rajasthan in class 1. Informal evidence reveals that mid-day meals have also enhanced daily school attendance.
The survey did not find much evidence of open caste discrimination in the context of mid-day meals, such as separate sitting arrangements. Pupils of all social backgrounds seem to be quite happy to sit together and share the same food. However, caste prejudices do prevail in various forms, as when upper-caste parents insist on Their children coming home for lunch. Also, there is much resistance to the appointment of Dalit cooks. In Karnataka, half of the cooks are Dalits, but in Rajasthan, the survey did not find any Dalit cooks except in some all-Dalit villages.
The quality of school-meal programmes seems significantly better in Karnataka than in Chhattisgarh or Rajasthan. Karnataka has made comparatively good progress in building a sound infrastructure for mid-day meals: most cooks enjoy the assistance of a "helper", and a substantial proportion of schools (31 per cent) already have a pacca kitchen. In contrast, the mid-day meal infrastructure in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan is still highly inadequate: most cooks have to manage on their own in the most challenging circumstances, without elementary facilities such as a helper, kitchen or proper utensils.
Mid-day meals are quite popular in each of the three sample states. Alarge majority of parents (91%) and teachers (84%) favour the continuation of the mid-day meal scheme. Those who advocate discontinuation belong mainly to privileged castes or classes who seem to see mid-day meals as a threat to the prevailing social hierarchy."
(4) In a pioneering initiative, Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS) proposes to start "monitoring" the mid-day meal scheme in Chhattisgarh through monthly visits to every school in six sample districts. The short questionnaire to be used for these monthly inspections will be posted in the "Mid-day meals" section of the website (www.righttofood.com) very soon, for possible use elsewhere. Readers interested in this initiative are invited to contact Mr. Lakhan Singh, BGVS-Chhattisgarh (cgbgvs@rediffmail.com).
2. UPDATE ON RECENT PUBLIC HEARINGS
As mentioned in earlier Updates (available on the website, in case you missed them), there was a wave of public hearings on the right food last June, notably in Chittorgarh (Rajasthan), Kalahandi (Orissa), Dindori (Madhya Pradesh), Shivpuri (Madhya Pradesh) and Sendwa (Madhya Pradesh again). In all cases, there has been active follow-up of the issues raised at the public hearing. In particular, cases of violations of the right to food have been taken up with the concerned authorities, with varying degrees of success. In some cases, as in Dindori, there was extensive on-the-spot redressal at the public hearing itself (see Update 19). In others, as in Shahdol (M.P.), partial successes in securing redressal during the follow-up phase have been mixed with incidents of suppression and repression. Below is a digest of recent feedback received from some of these areas:
(1) Dindori: Following the Jan Sunwai (public hearing) held on the 8 June 2003 at village Dhaba, district Dindori (M.P.), there has been encouraging progress on the decisions taken that day. The Baiga Mahapanchayat that organised the Jan Sunwai has informed Dr. Mihir Shah, advisor to the Commissioners for M.P., that the district administration has moved fast on distribution of Antyodaya cards to all members of the Baiga "primitive" tribe as per the latest order of the Supreme Court. The process is expected to be completed soon. As direct result of the Jan Sunwai, employment programmes have also begun in many forest villages where they had been stalled for years due to restrictions imposed by the Forest Department. The District Collector has sent Dr. Mihir Shah a copy of his instructions to all line departments to take urgent steps to act upon the nearly 50 complaints received during the Jan Sunwai from the Baigas regarding non-payment of wages, corruption related matters, etc. The Baiga Mahapanchayat is closely monitoring action on this.
(2) Shivpuri: We have received a follow-up report on the Shivpuri public hearing (30 May 2003) from S.K. Singh of Sahariya Jan Andolan in Shivpuri. According to this report: "Shivpuri Jansunwai has created frantic ripples in the district. The machinery has been very quick to act upon the demands raised in the memorandum. No effort was made by any quarter to refute the allegations. The points raised in the memorandum were taken up in the district drought relief meetings and block level janpad meetings, the information given in the memorandum was totally verifiable, thus CEO and Sarpanch had no defence." The demands that have been dealt with include: outstanding payments to labourers employed on relief works; action against persons responsible for embezzling grain from the public distribution system; water supply arrangements in drought-affected villages; distribution of Antyodaya cards to Sahariya families; starting of relief works in villages where there were none before.
The report adds: "The sarpanch, secretaries and the block CEO seem agitated and upset of the activist as the information provided by them has been used against them as a result of which they have shown keen interest in helping the sangathan in every possible manner in future... While local community is happy that jansunwai was helpful in raising their concerns, local PRI and block functionaries did not like it They are feeling very embarrassed. Shivnarayan , the local activist is being cornered and provoked by name calling and threats of "we will see you."
3. MADHYA PRADESH: CORRUPTION IN RELIEF WORKS
Much has happened in recent weeks in Sheopur district, western Pradesh. This is one of the most deprived areas of M.P., with extremely high levels of undernutrition, especially among the Sahariyas. On 26-28 June, an intensive training on the "three Rs" (right to food, the right to work and the right to information) took place at the ashram of Ekta Parishad, a radical Gandhian active in the area. About 50 activists of Ekta Parishad took part in this gathering. The training focused particularly on the problem of corruption in relief works and food schemes, which has deprived thousands of Sahariya families of their entitlements in recent months. Many trainees are now investigating cases of corruption in employment programmes and food schemes in their respective areas.
Around the same time, a team led by Shonali Sen, assistant to the Commissioners, started investigating corruption in relief works in the area, and other violations of the right to food. It did not take long for shocking instances of corruption to come to the surface. Following on this, the team initiated a "case study" of village Hirapur, about 20 kms from the district headquarters. This involved long hunt for the "muster rolls" of recent relief works. The team was sent from pillar to post by the local administration, and whenever muster rolls did surface, evidence of corruption quickly emerged. The team is preparing a detailed report on the food situation in Sheopur, on behalf of Dr. N.C. Saxena. The report will be released soon, andposted on the website.
4. ORISSA: CONSULTATION ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD
(Excerpts from a recent communication received from Orissa.) A one-day Consultative Meet of activists of Right to Food Campaign was organized at Agragamee Orissa Office on 17 June 2003 to chalk out future course of action for strengthening the campaign in the state. Mr. Sudarshan Das presided over the meeting. At the outset, Mr. Pradip Pradhan gave a quick overview on the chronological development of the activities of Right to Food Campaign in the state. He briefed about the Supreme Court verdict on the writ petition filed by PUCL, with appeal to direct the government to ensure food security to the poor living amidst hunger and starvation despite deposit of huge tones of food-grain in FCI go-down. He also suggested that like rallies, dharanas and public hearings should be taken up at a national level. Mr. Raj Kishore Mishra presented the findings of the Public hearing organized in Kerpai Panchayat of Thuamul Rampur Block of Bolangir district on 4.6.02.
After prolonged discussion on the suggestions given by the participants, the following decisions were unanimously taken in the meeting: 1) A state-level Public Hearing will be organized in Bhubaneswar in the month of October. 2) A study on Implementation of Supreme Court Verdict in the state will be undertaken and Mr. Sasikant Nayak and Mr. Naran Jena were given the responsibility to prepare the format and questionnaire for the study, which will be finalized in the first week of July. 3) State-level campaign committee will be formed to spearhead the campaign on the Right to Food in the state. 4) Other issues relating to Food Security will be taken up. 5) Few blocks will be identified to experiment the right to food activities in the state.
5. VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHT TO FOOD IN U.P.
(Based on communication received from Sanjay Rai, Lucknow.) Even though people working under SGRY in Mau District, situated in the Eastern part of the state Uttar Pradesh, are entitled to Rs. 23 and 5 kg of rice per working day, the workers have only received the cash allowance and not the rice for the period between April 2002 and March 2003. On average, about 100 kg of rice is already owed to each worker under the scheme. Considering the low cash payment, the people and their families are highly dependent on this rice ration. It is reported that 584,5 tons of rice has been issued to the Local Marketing Inspector, out of which only 247 tons have been delivered further to the Gram Panchayats (village administrations). Even these 247 tons did not reach the people they were meant for: the total amount of missing rice comprises over 500 tons! Although the responsible inspector apologised on 26 April 2003 and promised to distribute the missing rice within a week, nothing has happened. Furthermore, some district authorities have claimed that the "disappeared" rice, which was meant for the poor, is sold in the black market of the neighbouring states.
In Bharaich, U.P. displaced people have been denied BPL Ration Cards. Bharaich is one of the most backward districts of UP. Though it has rich natural resources in terms of water and forest, the main source of water, Ghaghra River, has been shifting its course since 2000. About 1200 families in the last 2 years have been displaced. The main occupation of these families was agriculture but the river has submerged all their land. There is no land with the local Gram- panchayats for redistribution and the government is providing sandy land to the families for relocation. Since there are no forests or ponds in the area and no scope for labour, people do not want to settle there. Women are especially facing problems due to this situation. Since there is no opportunity for agriculture due to loss of land, people are solely dependent upon labour work for which they migrate to cities like Lucknow, Delhi, Ludhiana and Amritsar. However, because of unavailability of labour even in these cities, people are coming back empty handed. This has become the main cause of food insecurity. The displaced people have no grain. Some of them manage through either loan or labour work. Some displaced people take a loan for their food requirement. Since the loan provider is only local moneylender he has been lending money at the rate of Rs.10/hundred/month. Visthapit Sangharsh Morcha (a people's organisation for the displaced) with support of FIAN-U.P has been arranging meetings with victims for the identification of displaced families that are entitled to BPL cards and to create pressure on the government.
6. COMMISSIONER TO VISIT UTTAR PRADESH
Dr. N.C. Saxena, Commissioner of the Supreme Court, is about to spend a few days in Lucknow and surrounding areas, to investigate the food situation there. He is particularly concerned about Uttar Pradesh's failure to introduce mid-day meals in primary schools - a clear violation of Supreme Court orders. Dr. Saxena will be holding meetings with high-levels civil servants (including the Chief Secretary and the Secretary to the Chief Minister), as well as with individuals and organisations involved in the right to food campaign there. He will also be spending time in the field, notably in Barawan (district Hardoi), where much has happened in recent months (see earlier Updates).
7. REMINDER: BHOPAL WORKSHOP ON UNDERNUTRITION AND STARVATION
"Hunger Watch Group", a group of medical professionals, will be organising a training workshop in Bhopal on 16-17 August. The participants will be learning and discussing rigorous methods of documenting "starvation deaths", developed recently by Hunger Watch Group. If you are interested in participating, please contact Dr. Abhay Shukla of CEHAT, who is one of the organisers of the meeting (cehatpun@vsnl.com).
8. WEBSITE UPGRADE
The campaign website (www.righttofood.com) has just been reloaded. The new version features an improved design, aimed at easier navigation, as well as a good deal of new material. Hindi translations of the key documents are also being added regularly. Some pages are still under construction, and we hope that you will bear with us until these pages become available. In case you have any comments or queries on the website, please drop in a line at: right2food@yahoo.co.in Dear friends,
This is the first of a series of three updates aimed at briefing you on recent developments. This one contains reports of recent public hearings in Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, and a selection of other items. The second one will focus on the right to work, and the third one on the work of the Supreme Court Commissioners, Dr. Saxena and Mr. Sankaran. They will follow within a week.
We are sending this Update in the shadow of the tragic demise of Dr. Om Shrivastava, an active member of the right to food campaign and one of Rajasthan's finest activists. The last item is a brief tribute to his memory.
Today's headlines:
1. Training workshop on documenting starvation deaths
2. Mr. Sankaran joins as Commissioner of the Supreme Court
3. Public hearing in Sendwa (M.P): Adivasis demand the right to work
4. Public hearing in Shivpuri (M.P.): The Sahariya Predicament
5. Public hearing in Dindori (M.P.): On the spot redressal
6. Public hearing in Kerpai (Orissa)
7. Remembering Dr. Om Shrivastava
1. TRAINING WORKSHOP ON DOCUMENTING STARVATION DEATHS
Each time a starvation death is reported, the concerned government is quick to repudiate the report and to invoke some disease or the other as the cause of death. Establishing that a death was due to starvation is a daunting task even for the professionals.The "Hunger Watch Group", a group of medical professionals, has been trying to develop rigorous methods of documenting starvation deaths.They are planning to organize a training workshop to disseminate and discuss the technique. It is expected that such a systematic
documentation will help in taking up the issue with the courts among other fora.
The participants will learn to document starvation deaths when they arise. If you are interested in participating in the workshop, you can get in touch with Dr. Abhay Shukla of CEHAT who is one of the organisers of the meeting. Abhay can be contacted at: cehatpun@vsnl.com
2. MR SANKARAN JOINS AS COMMISSIONER OF THE SUPREME COURT
In its latest order (2 May 2003), the Supreme Court appointed Mr. S. R. Sankaran as "Commissioner" for the purpose of monitoring orders relating to the right to food. In this capacity, Mr. Sankaran will be collaborating with Dr. N.C. Saxena, who was appointed in a similar manner earlier and has been working for several months as
Commissioner of the Supreme Court. Thus, there will be two Commissioners from now on.
Mr S. R. Sankaran is a senior civil servant who retired as Secretary Rural Development, Government of India after a distinguished career. In recent years, he has been active in the Committee of Concerned Citizens (Hyderabad), convened "to bring people's aspirations and the right to live with dignity on the agenda of the Naxalite movements
and governments". He is based in Hyderabad and will be working from there.
3. PUBLIC HEARING IN SENDWA (M.P.): ADIVASIS DEMAND THE RIGHT TO
WORK
A lively public hearing took place in Sendwa (district Barwani, Madhya Pradesh) on 29 May 2003. The hearing focused on the right to work, corruption in relief programmes, and the use of labour-displacing machinery in public works. We are pasting a short report below, initially published in The Hindu on 1 June:
"Drought relief programmes in Madhya Pradesh came under heavy fire at the public hearing organised by Adivasi Mukti Sangathan, a grassroots organisation based in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh. Aside from rampant corruption in relief programmes, the hearing exposed the pervasive use of tractors on relief works. Tractors displace large numbers of labourers who have no alternative income-earning opportunities at this time, thus forcing them to migrate.
Over a thousand tribal women and men travelled from far and wide to participate in the hearing. Government officials were also invited, but they did not turn up. The testimonies were heard by a panel of experts chaired by Dr. B.D. Sharma, former Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The hearing was also an opportunity to publicise and discuss recent Supreme Court orders relating to the right to food.
Witnesses presented about 10 specific testimonies of labour displacement by tractors on relief works. For instance, Ram Singh Bhai of Gagankhera village explained how a talab construction project employing some 35 workers lasted only three weeks because of the use of tractors. In the absence of tractors, he argued, the project might have lasted for three months or so. Indeed, Rs 4 lakhs had been sanctioned for this project, and had most of this been spent on labour, it could have generated at least 4,000 person-days of work, or 100 days of work for 40 labourers.
A similar story was heard from Gyan Singh of Piprani panchayat, where Rs 10 lakhs had been sanctioned for the construction of a small dam. With some 100 labourers employed, the project could have lasted for three months or so. However, the work was wound up in 6 weeks after tractors moved in.
The expert panel enquired about the reasons for this widespread displacement of labour by tractors on relief works. According to the witnesses, the "official" reason is that the works need to be completed well before the rains. However, it is hard to take this seriously when the work is completed in early March, as happened in Piprani, according to Gyan Singh. The real reason, he felt, is that tractor owners bribe the officials in charge of relief works to persuade them to hire their services.
In several cases, the labourers had attempted to oppose the use of tractors, with or without the support of Adivasi Mukti Sangathan. However, they felt vulnerable because protests often led to the immediate closure of relief works. The district collector, for his part, is looking the other way. He did not respond to a written complaint sent by registered post on 4 April by the Sangathan, and nor was he present, or even represented, at the hearing.
Corruption in relief works was another recurrent theme at the hearing. The participants shared the feeling that a large share of the money allocated to relief works in the area is appropriated by government officials and enterprising intermediaries. Some specific evidence was presented, for instance by the sarpanch of village Borli, who said that he had received only Rs 1.63 lakhs for relief works as against a sanctioned amount of Rs 2.32 lakhs. However, in most cases it seemed difficult to find conclusive evidence of corruption because the relevant records were jealously guarded by the administration. In spite of persistent representations to the relevant authorities, Adivasi Mukti Sangathan has made no headway in obtaining these records. Activists of the Sangathan have been made to run from pillar to post for weeks, without any result. This stonewalling jars with the reputation of openness and transparency enjoyed by the Government of Madhya Pradesh. When a local official was reminded about the right to information, he laughed and said that
these things exist only on paper.
In his questions to the witnesses, Dr. Sharma often enquired about the role of gram sabhas in relief works. He was disappointed to hear that the gram sabhas had little real control in these matters. In his concluding speech, he argued that nothing would improve until the gram sabhas were able to exercise the extensive powers they now enjoyin tribal areas under the constitution."
4. PUBLIC HEARING IN SHIVPURI (M.P.): THE SAHARIYA PREDICAMENT
Silently but effectively the drought has wrecked much damage in the Sahariya belt of western Madhya Pradesh. The cattle population has been decimated, hunger is endemic and there have been many reports of starvation deaths. Sambhav, an NGO that has been working for many years among the Sahariyas of the Gwalior-Chambal region, organised a
public hearing on 30 May 2003 in Shivpuri.
"The administration shows statistics of large-scale relief works, however, the participants of the jan sunwai had a different tale to tell" says Dr Singh of Sambhav in his account of the hearing. "In Mohra- Habu for example, a pond was to be constructed for which Rs. 30,000 and 150 Quintals of wheat has been shown as distributed. The work went on only for six days and only 50 quintal wheat was distributed. No cash was paid. There is no sign of activity now on the pond. The trail of unfinished works and unpaid wages is indeed
long." The hearing exposed many such problems in relief works.
According to the same report, the public hearing also uncovered many cases where people's entitlements were undermined due to poor implementation of policies. For example, schemes that provide maternity benefit and compensation in case of premature death of thebreadwinner, etc. are thoroughly underprovided by the Government of India. The National Maternity Benefit Scheme for example seeks to provide Rs. 500 for the first two live births of all women belowpoverty line. But the budgetary provision for this is inadequate. The case of pensions and other compensations is similar. The story of Bharo Lal's family was one of the 35 discussed at this publichearing. Bharo Lal died of TB at the age of 20. The Panchayat forwarded his family's case for support under the National Family Benefit Scheme. All the formalities have been met. It is now two years and nothing has happened. The case of Bharo Lal as well as lakhs of others all over the country will be silently buried, with the family not even getting to know what happened to the fate of
their applications.
Seventy-year-old Matura Bai was getting an old-age pension from 1999, but it stopped suddenly in 2001. Her trips to the sarpanch and to the block office have been fruitless. Everywhere in the country, we hear such stories of pensions stopping abruptly for reasons that the beneficiaries do not get to know.
5. PUBLIC HEARING IN DINDORI (M.P.): ON-THE-SPOT REDRESSAL
Among other significant events in recent weeks is a public hearing held in the heart of the "Baigachak" of Dindori district (Madhya Pradesh) on 8 June, 2003. Baigachak is a thickly forested area inhabited mainly by the Baigas, one of India's so-called "primitive tribes". The hearing was convened by Baiga Mahapanchayat, a local organisation modelled on traditional Baiga panchayats. The hearing focused mainly on the obstacles faced by Gram Panchayats in carrying out any development activity in the "forest villages", and on the
critical food security situation in the area after three successive years of drought.
A distinctive feature of this hearing was the presence of a range of senior government officials, including the District Collector, Additional Commissioner, District Forest Officer, Block Development Officer, among others. Moreover, the officials were in a conciliatory mood (partly because of the presence of Dr. Mihir Shah, Adviser to the Commissioners for Madhya Pradesh), and this prompted them to pass sweeping orders there and then. For instance, one of the main complaints of the participants, namely that the Forest Department did
not allow relief works in "forest villages", was immediately resolved as the District Forest Officer agreed to retract this embargo. Similarly, the District Collector agreed to ensure that all Baigas get Antyodaya cards within a month, as per the latest Supreme Court Order (2 May 2003). For a more detailed report on this effective
public hearing, click here
6. PUBLIC HEARING IN KERPAI (ORISSA)
Another public hearing took place in Kerpai (Kalahandi district, Orissa) on 4 June 2003. Kerpai is the most remote panchayat of Kalahandi district. Public facilities in the area are dismal and hunger is endemic. The hearing was attended by hundreds of tribals from the surrounding villages as well as a few local government officials including the Block Development Officer and the Assistant Collector.
The concluding memorandum of this public hearing is an eloquent statement about the lack of basic facilities in one of India's most backward regions. The basic facilities are either absent or dysfunctional. The quality of education is so poor that only one person has ever passed matriculation in the entire Panchayat. The health worker appointed for the Panchayat takes three months off for three days of work. The little services that are available come at a substantial cost.
Participants emphasised the lack of active system of monitoring and the abysmal response of the administration to their complaints. Complaints made after long treks to the Block office and the District headquarters are met with no response. Against this background, the participants welcomed the opportunity to meet local officials face to face, on their own terms. The concluding memorandum was sent to the District Collector and other authorities, including the Chief Minister of Orissa. A recent communication from the CM's office indicates that the memorandum has been forwarded to the Chief Secretary "to initiate action".
7. REMEMBERING DR. OM SHRIVASTAVA
We are sorry to inform you that Dr. Om Shrivastava passed away on 15 June 2003 in a tragic accident. "Om ji", as we knew him, was one of Rajasthan's finest activists and a founding member of Akal Sangharsh Samiti.
Dr. Shrivastava, a Ph.D from Canada in Adult Education, was 63. His areas of interest were mainly adult education, tribal welfare, human rights, women's empowerment, and adivasi rights to natural resources ("jal, jungle, jameen"). In 1986, he co-founded "Astha Sansthan", an Udaipur-based NGO best known for its contribution to the empowerment of adivasis in southern Rajasthan. Om ji was also an active member of the right to food campaign in Rajasthan. Just a few hours before departing from this world, he was participating in a workshop on the right to work at the Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur. Many of us spent three full days with him before he started on his fateful return journey to Udaipur. We share our grief with his family and a large circle of friends.
UPDATE 18 Dear friends,
1. Exposing Corruption in Relief Works: Public Hearing inChittaurgarh, Rajasthan (28 May 2003)
The Baiga Mahapanchayat will hold a public hearing on all these issues in Dindori district during the second week of June (tentatively on 10 June, 2003). A large number of sarpanches, Janpad and Zila Panchayat members are likely to gather to voice their grievances. It is learned that the Baiga Mahapanchayat retains the trust and the faith of all elected Panchayat representatives. Expected participants include a panel of eminent academics and Dr. Mihir Shah, advisor to the Commissioner in Madhya Pradesh. The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Digvijay Singh, has also been invited and there is a good chance that he will attend the hearing. For further details, please contact the organisers via Mihir Shah (samprag@sify.com). Supreme Court orders doubling of SGRY in summer (May 2003) Dear Friends,
The sabha has also sent a call to various trade unions that are planning an all India strike on May 21, 2003. To quote the report: "The sangharsh sabha gave a call to intensify the struggle at all levels. It extended full support to the May 21 all India strike call by trade unions and called on women to organize rasta rokos and gheraos of FCI godowns and Central Government offices, to add the two main demands for a new food policy [detailed above] and for the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill."
4. Notes from the Supreme Court Hearing on May 1, 2003 UPDATE 16 Dear friends,
1. Campaign Plans in:
2. Campaign Plan of the Commissioner 3. AIDWA demands Right to Work 4. Flashback into the Right to Work Campaign of the 80's 5. The Missing Pieces Chattisgarh and Jharkhand 1. CAMPAIGN PLANS IN VARIOUS STATES The Malkangiri leg of right to food - right to work campaign, will hold a `camp court' to release the identified bonded labour in the district. Awareness camps will be held in villages on the Bonded Labour Abolition Act as a part of the week of action. This will culminate in a Bonded labour convention at the district headquarter where release certificates will be provided to the freed bonded persons and demand will be placed in front of district administration for their right to work and long term rehabilitation. The convention was originally planned as a `May day' activity, but has been advanced to April 30th for logistical reasons.
The campaign succeeded in making right to work the prime agenda of the National Front government that was formed under V P Singh. The plan may well have materialised but for the fall of the government. The change in government undermined a lot of work that had happened already, pushing back the efforts of the campaign by some years. The campaign has successfully promoted awareness about the Employment Guarantee Scheme of Maharashtra and about using this form of employment being an effective means of securing the right to food and promoting rural development. It should also be recognised that this campaign was among the pioneers in taking the `right based approach'. It clearly articulated the advantage of right to work over typical employment programmes. Today the `right based approach' has gained more adherents. We pay a tribute to the work done over a decade ago and hope that the week of action on right to work will take over where the campaign was left a few years ago. UPDATE 14
Dear friends, This is the second part of our two-part update for this week. The headlines: 1. SECOND REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER 2. UTTAR PRADESH: STRUGGLE FOR RIGHT TO FOOD AND INFORMATION3. ORISSA: FURTHER PUBLIC HEARINGS 4. KARNATAKA: MODEL SOCIAL AUDITS PLANNED 5. EXTENSION OF MID-DAY MEALS TO SUMMER VACATION 6. RAJASTHAN: EMPLOYMENT RESTRICTIONS ROLLED BACK 7. FIAN SEMINAR IN DELHI 8. ANTYODAYA PROGRAMME TO BE EXPANDED 9. PLANS FOR WEEK OF ACTION FROM MADHYA PRADESH AND KARNATAKA 10. MAHARASHTRA: DEMAND FOR INCREASED SPENDING ON HEALTH AND NUTRITION 11. "WOMEN'S RIGHT TO FOOD AND WORK" - THEME OF WOMEN'S DAY IN WEST BENGAL 12. MORE ACTIVITIES IN MADHYA PRADESH 1. SECOND REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER Dr N C Saxena, Commissioner of the Supreme Court, has been taking forward the system of monitoring food and employment schemes. In the past few months he has been travelling actively to various states including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Orissa. In all these places he has been holding meetings with active participants of the Right to Food Campaign as well as with government officials. The second report of the Commissioner has also been presented to the Supreme Court. At the last hearing, on 3 March, Justice Sabarwal said that he had spent two hours studying the report, and he directed the states to respond to it carefully. He will be taking it up in detail in the next hearing, on 8 April. The report is available in the website (you can access it at http://www.righttofoodindia.org/links/reports/sctwo.html, or just go to www.righttofood.com and a link at the bottom of the page will lead you right there). 2. UTTAR PRADESH: STRUGGLE FOR RIGHT TO FOOD AND INFORMATION On 11 January 2003, just a day after the President of India put his seal on the Union Right to Information Act, over 250 people from Bharawan village in Hardoi district (U.P.) staged a spontaneous dharna to demand information on development-related schemes in their block. The demand was fiercely opposed by vested interests, and the struggle intensified over the next two weeks, with the active involvement of Sandeep Pandey. After ten days of dharna and several days of hunger strike in icy weather, the administration turned hostile and even threatened a lathi charge. Despite dire warnings, the people of Bharawan moved towards the district headquarters in Hardoi. They marched with black bands tied across their mouth to symbolize the stifling of the voice of democracy. The District Magistrate, Mr M.A.A. Khan, assured them that he would complete an enquiry and give a detailed report by 15 February. As a first victory, the people of Bharawan got information about various public works taken up for a part of last year. Seeing unbuilt roads and ghost 'projects' has created a stir among the participants. This has also put pressure on the administration with various officials being suspended, possibly for the first time in UP with the use of right to information. To take this process forward, a workshop on the right to food and information was organised in Bharawan on 20-21 February. The workshop had widespread participation from people all over the block and even from different parts of UP. Members of PUCL (Rajasthan), Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Parivartan (Delhi) and the support group of the right to food campaign facilitated the workshop. There are widespread irregularities in the region. Few people have seen ration cards. A survey done in five panchayats revealed that only 0.5 % of the people had a ration card. This is staggering even by UP's unusual standards. Only one woman among hundreds of participants had heard of a survey being conducted for identifying BPL families, even though local officials claimed that a door-to-door BPL identification survey had just been completed. Participants from just one panchayat had worked in an SGRY programme, and even they had not received their full wages. The meeting ended with a resolve to take up issues of employment, pensions and the public distribution system. The team hopes to make use of the right to information in securing better compliance in the region with respect to these schemes. Hopefully this would lead to a much larger movement in the whole of Uttar Pradesh. 3. ORISSA: MORE PUBLIC HEARINGS In Kalahandi district, a team of volunteers is making preparations for public hearings in all the 16 panchayats of Thuamul Rampur block. A major public hearing is expected to take place in Kerpai, the remotest panchayat of this remote block of a remote district. Meanwhile, there are signs that the district administration is beginning to respond to these initiatives. Further details are awaited. If interested, please contact Rajkishore Mishra at rajkishor_mishra@hotmail.com. 4. KARNATAKA: MODEL SOCIAL AUDITS PLANNED Groups in Karnataka are actively taking forward the system of social audits. They have organised two rounds of training for this purpose. Members of the campaign groups have also participated in a couple of social audits organised in Rajasthan and in Delhi. They are well on their way to conducting audits in parts of Karnataka. This would be one major step in using the tools of right to information to promote the right to food. 5. EXTENSION OF MID-DAY MEALS TO SUMMER VACATION The support group has started lobbying for an extension of mid day meal programmes during the summer months, especially in drought-affected districts (this proposal is also included in the second report of the Commissioner). In drought-affected areas, mid-day meals can play a crucial role in protecting children from hunger. Towards this, the support group has argued for an extension of mid day meals into summer, improved quality and quantity of mid-day meals, and inclusion of out of school children during the summer vacation. Similar demands have been made by various individuals and organisations involved in the right to food campaign, notably in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. The demand for extension of mid-day meals to the summer vacation was presented by Akal Sangharsh Samiti to Mr. Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, at the end of a one-day dharna held on 3 March (see part 1 of this update). The Chief Minister welcomed the idea and a provision for this was made in the budget presented the next day in the State Assembly. Similar efforts are being made elsewhere. 7. FIAN SEMINAR IN DELHI FIAN International organised a three-day seminar on the right to food at the Indian Social Institute on 24-26 February 2003, under the theme: "Towards Full Realization of the Right to Food: Exploring the potentials of a Framework Law". The seminar reviewed the implementation of the right to food in India and explored the potential for a so-called "framework law" on the right to food, i.e. a law aimed at defining the broad parameters of legal action in this domain. FIAN has been working on "voluntary guidelines" for the right to food with the UN's Food and Agriculture Oragnisation (FAO). The guidelines proposed by FIAN are available in the organisation's website (see http://www.fian.org/COC.ENG.rtf). We hope to share the report of the seminar with you in due course. 8. ANTYODAYA PROGRAMME TO BE EXPANDED In his budget speech on 28 February, the Finance Minister Mr. Jaswant Singh announced that Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), a programme of food-based social security for destitute households, would be expanded to cover 50 lakh additional families, in addition to the current 1 crore families. This is an achievement of sorts for the campaign, in so far as the announcement appears to be directly linked with the campaign's activities. It may be recalled that some months ago the support group had submitted a detailed proposal for the extension and improvement of AAY to the Supreme Court. This proposal (available in the "legal issues" section of the website) was also presented to the Food Ministry, the Planning Commission, etc. The forthcoming extension of AAY seems to be a result of these lobbying efforts. Having said this, the announced extension is only about half of what the Food Ministry had recommended, based on this proposal. Further, the proposal included wide-ranging suggestions for the consolidation of the scheme, which are yet to be accepted by the government. The lobbying efforts continue (it seems that a modified version of the proposal submitted to the Supreme Court has been sent by the Food Ministry to the Cabinet). One specific suggestion made in the proposal was that some specific "priority groups" should be given Antyodaya cards as a matter of right, e.g. widows without support, disabled persons without support, and elderly persons without support. Informal communications from the Food Ministry suggest that these groups will receive priority in the proposed extension of the Antyodaya programme. Revised guidelines are awaited. 9. PLANS FOR WEEK OF ACTION FROM MADHYA PRADESH AND KARNATAKA Plans for week of action is being made actively by various groups across the country. In a meeting of participants of active participants of right to food campaign in Madhya Pradesh, it was decided that all the organisations present will take up some activity or the other for the week of action. This may be organising a meeting of ten or more panchayats, rallys, dharanas, etc. Plans are on to involve the media actively in the process. This is one of the first states to put its plans in place for the week of action. Simultaneously in Karnataka campaign groups are in planning activities in all 27 districts of the State. They are also planning to work with the National Law School, Bangalore to revise the Maharashtra employment guarantee act and produce an improved draft for Karnatka. To take the message of the campaign among people effectively, plans are on to involve cultural activists to produce songs to spread the message effectively. Activities are being planned for every day of the week across the state. The current plan is to have a theme for each day based on which activities would be organised in different parts of the state. Plans include involvement of government officials and media in all levels; call for action for all community based organisations, trade unions, NGOs et al; taking up the cause of migrant workers, youth, women, child labourers and children in general. On May 1st there will be rallies in front of the vidhan sabha (legislative assembly of the state) and also in every district headquarters. 10. MAHARASHTRA: DEMAND FOR INCREASED SPENDING ON HEALTH AND NUTRITION Anna Adhikar Abhiyan organised a mass protest on 11-13 March in Mumbai (coinciding with the opening of the budget session of the State Assembly), demanding a major increase in public spending on health and nutrition. The dharna, attended by some 1500-2000 people on all the three days, was accompanied by a mass relay fast. It was addressed by a number of leading social activists. The demands included increasing budgetary allocations for nutrition and health, reverting to a universal public distribution system, distribution of BPL cards in the interim to various identified social categories, proper implementation of the mid-day meal scheme and the integrated child development scheme, availability of drugs in public hospitals, stopping privatisation of health services, public audit of the Rs 727 crore World Bank loan to the health sector, and posting of health workers in every village. 11. WOMEN'S RIGHT TO FOOD AND WORK" - THEME OF WOMEN'S DAY IN WEST BENGAL In West Bengal, over 35 women's organisations and NGOs held demonstrations on 8 March 2003 (Women's Day) under the banner of Maitree. The demonstrations held in the College Square had the right to food and work as the primary theme. This was featured as one of the prime concerns along with domestic violence and other issues. Songs and plays added colour to the programme, and all the participants wore caps saying "No war, we want food, No war, we want work". Leaflets were circulated linking the right to work with the right to food. A special issue of the magazine 'Haq Katha' was brought out, focusing on the right to work, the public distribution system, and related issues. Shramajibee Mahila Samity, a rural working women's organisation, performed a play at College Square. Problems in enlisting names in BPL list, non-availability of food grains from ration shops, and violations of Supreme Court orders in rural areas were among the themes of the play. Besides this, many other NGOs like Sanlaap, ISW and individual members of the platform put up dance dramas, recited poems and sang anti-war songs. After the play, 'Maitree' took out a rally from College Square to Sealdah Railway Station. About 700 women participated in that rally. The event was well covered by print and visual media. Apart from Maitree, many other women's groups have taken up food as one of the key themes of Women's Day. 12. MORE ACTIVITIES IN MADHYA PRADESH There has been a fair amount of activity in Madhya Pradesh in recent weeks. In Jhabua, a training programme on the right to food took place with a five-point agenda: 1-the concept of food security, 2-food security & right to food campaign, 3- Supreme Court orders & its implementation at community level, 4-various public welfare schemes being implemented by Government, 5- taking forward the campaign at various levels. Various issues came up at the workshop. In social security pension schemes, for example, the beneficiaries are asked by the bank to get the signatures of the sarpanch or the village secretary. The poor have to part with some bribe to do the same. Further, the eligibility criteria of the scheme are found to be problematic. In mid-day meal scheme, where 'dry-rations' are being provided, it has been found not to reach the children. SAMPARK has agreed to disseminate information on the schemes, the orders of the Supreme Court, and the BPL survey. The workshop also discussed the need to spread awareness about globalisation among people since it is connected to right to food and work. Meanwhile, there is also some movement in the Gwalior-Chambal area of Madhya Pradesh. Recent reports suggest that the drought situation in districts such as Shivpuri and Sheopur is extremely alarming, especially among the Sahariyas. For instance, there isn't a blade of grass in the entire eastern part of Sheopur district, and cattle are dying like flies. Villagers are already reporting cattle losses of 50 per cent or so, and expect the bulk of the livestock to perish during the next few months. The condition of the people is not much better. Undernutrition levels in that area are among the highest in India even in ordinary years, and hunger is intensifying further with the spread of drought conditions. Immediately after Holi, mass migration began, with entire villages leaving the drought-affected areas to look for work elsewhere. Ekta Parishad is doing useful work on drought and related issues in these districts, and Lok Adhikar Manch, a coalition of organisations based in the area, is planning a training programme on the right to food for local activists during the second week of April. Also in Madhya Pradesh, activists of the right to food campaign recently joined an antiwar demonstration also involving ActionAid (bhopal) , Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS), Samajvadi Jan Parishad, Jansangharsh Morcha, Science Centre, Tulika Samvad , Pragatisheel & Janvadl Lekah Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sanghathan, Narmada Bachao Andolan, and Eklavya, among others. The demonstrators pointed out that apart from being a violation of human rights in itself, the war also distracts us from concentrating on efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger. (March 2003) UPDATE 10 Dear friends, Dear friends, November 2002 Dear friends, There has been another wave of media reports on hunger and starvation in recent weeks, triggered by stories of starvation deaths in Baran (Rajasthan), and also in Shivpuri (Madhya Pradesh). Please remember the public hearing “Living with Hunger” on 10 January in Delhi, which proposes to review these tragic events and link them with the larger picture of chronic hunger around the country. The announcement is copied at the end of this message, for those who missed the earlier version. Please note that the campaign website is now accessible at www.righttofood.com, our new domain name. The same material also remains available at the address given earlier (http://righttofood.tripod), though we plan to move everything to the new domain name in due course. And now, today’s headlines: E-GROUP: TECHNICAL SNAG RALLY FOR MID-DAY MEALS IN LUCKNOW (14 NOV) MID-DAY MEAL TO BEGIN IN WEST BENGAL MID-DAY MEALS IN KARNATAKA AND MAHARASHTRA PUBLIC HEARINGS IN MAHARASHTRA ASIAN SOCIAL FORUM AND THE RIGHT TO FOOD (2-7 JAN 2003) RTF CONSULTATION IN MADHYA PRADESH (25 NOV) PUBLIC HEARING IN ORISSA (27 NOV) CONSULTATION ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD (LUCKNOW, 22 NOV) AIDWA PLANNING DEMOS ON HUMAN RIGHTS DAY (10 DEC) UPDATE ON FORTHCOMING EVENTS IN JHARKHAND “LIVING WITH HUNGER” (10 JAN 2003) 1. E-GROUP: TECHNICAL SNAG We apologise for a technical snag in the e-group last week. The mails were getting “approved” automatically, without any action from the moderator. This was due either to a technical problem, or to the password having been hacked. To cope with this, the service had to be turned off for a few days; it is now being gradually revived. 2. RALLY FOR MID-DAY MEALS IN LUCKNOW (14 NOV) A rally was held in Lucknow on 14 November (Children’s Day), to demand the immediate introduction of cooked mid-day meals in primary schools in Uttar Pradesh. Close to 2,000 children, parents, teachers and concerned citizens from about 12 districts participated in the rally. As the rally approached the vidhan sabha (State Assembly), the police stopped it and parked the participants in “dharna stal”, a run-down space across the road. The rally was followed by a lively public meeting, at the end of which a petition was submitted to Chief Minister Mayawati through one of her representatives. There was wide media coverage of the issue before and after the rally, and mid-day meals are now firmly on UP’s political agenda. Discussions with key officials in the Department of Education suggest that a pilot mid-day meal scheme may be introduced very soon in two blocks of each of six districts (Bharaich, Hardoi, Kaushambi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sonbhadra and Unnao). The mid-day meal campaign in UP received a small jolt on 15 November, in the form of an insidious article published in a local paper, alleging that the organisers were having a great time at the rally while children were left uncared for. The rally was indeed stressful for many (adults and children), because of delays and hurdles that were partly due to the large turnout. But the article played up and distorted the facts, in a deliberate attempt to put the rally in a poor light. The matter has been clarified, but there is a useful lesson here for the future: at rallies and similar events, timeliness and good planning are important both for the well-being of the participants as well as to avoid adverse publicity. 3. MID-DAY MEAL TO BEGIN IN WEST BENGAL ‘Right to Food & Work –West Bengal Network’ decided to celebrate Children’s Day with a difference. Children came out in large numbers with the campaign and ‘begged’ from people to help the government implement the mid-day meal scheme! The state has been reluctant to implement the scheme owing to financial reasons. The education minister infact came out to say that it would require Rs. 600 crores to implement the scheme it is beyond the capacity of the state government. The network came out on to the streets of Kolkata city, with almost 600 children from different primary schools of the city and suburbs. The Network was joined in its programme by other networks like the Campaign against Child Labour, the West Bengal Education Network and the Calcutta NGO Forum for Street and Working Children. The children gathered at Rani Rashmoni Avenue, near Rajbhawan, and distributed handbills. They took part in cultural programmes and above all, went “begging” from the pedestrians and other people (even from police, who were deputed so that these little chaps could not go violent !). They also prepared a memorandum on the spot, completely on their own, to hand it over to the Chief Minister, although the Chief Minister did not accept this by himself. Other member organisations of ‘Right to Food & Work-West Bengal Network’- Paschimbanga Kshetmajoor Samity & Shramajibee Mahila Samity had taken up similar programmes at the district level on the same day. Almost 900 children had gathered on the roads in Kakdwip and Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district to “beg” from the people. They collected money from passerbys in front of Sub-Divisional Officer’s offices to draw the attention of the authorities. 500 children almost gheraoed the District Magistrate’s office in West Midnapore district and brought out a procession in the district town. They also collected money. Children also gathered and wrote letters to the Chief Justice of Supreme Court requesting his immediate intervention into the matter in various villages of Nadia and Purulia districts. 757 children altogether in these two districts expressed their demand and feeling through paintings and have sent these to the Chief Justice.T This campaign received a lot of media publicity. After the Network declared its programme on the 13th, all major dailies in Kolkata carried the news. The very next day, during a conference of All Bengal Teachers’ Association on 14th November, the Chief Minister of the state commented that, his government is aware of the Supreme Court order regarding Midday meal scheme and also assured that, his government is committed to implement the same. This news has been carried by all major Kolkatta dailies and a pilot is expected to be started in 4 districts of the state. To check the complete version of the report from West Bengal please check “Events” in www.righttofood.com 4. MID-DAY MEALS IN KARNATAKA AND MAHARASHTRA The caucus for elementary education in Karnataka recently met the Education Secretary, to press for the introduction cooked mid-day meals scheme in all districts of Karnataka. Currently the programme is operationl in only 7 out of the state’s 27 districts. Initially, the team met with resistance from the Secretary who argued that a state-wide scheme was not feasible for the time being. Ultimately, however, he agreed that something needed to be done and called for a follow-up meeting where the possibility of a state-wide scheme could be examined more closely. This meeting will probably be held around mid-December. Meanwhile, Maharashtra’s Chief Minister is reported to have stated at the recent conference of Congress CMs in Mount Abu that a full-fledged, state-wide mid-day meal scheme would be introduced relatively soon. Let’s hope he means it! 5. PUBLIC HEARINGS IN MAHARASHTRA Just a line here to remind you that public hearings (convened by CEHAT) are soon going to be held in different parts of Maharashtra. For details, please consult the “Events” section in www.righttofood.com 6. ASIAN SOCIAL FORUM AND THE RIGHT TO FOOD (2-7 JAN 2003) Several groups and organisations are planning to convene seminars, workshops, etc. on the right to food and related issues at the Asian Social Forum (ASF) in Hyderabad on 2-7 January. Details are awaited, meanwhile please note that the “support group” of the right to food campaign will be hosting a seminar on the right to food at the ASF, most probably on 3 JANUARY 2003. This action-oriented seminar will be an opportunity to take stock of the campaign and to consider future activities in the light of intensifying drought-related hardships across the country. The right to work is also high on the agenda. A separate “workshop” will also be held at the ASF by the Human Rights Law Network, to discuss the public interest litigation (PIL) on the right to food in the Supreme Court. Please do your best to attend both events. 7. RTF CONSULTATION IN MADHYA PRADESH (25 NOV) On 25 November, an important meeting (convened by Mihir Shah) will be held at the Baba Amte Kendra in Bhikupura (near Dewas), to discuss the Right to Food campaign in Madhya Pradesh and especially the monitoring of Supreme Court orders in collaboration with Dr. N.C. Saxena, who has been appointed as Commissioner by the Supreme Court for this purpose. 8. PUBLIC HEARING IN ORISSA (27 NOV) A public hearing on the right to food will be taking place at Khariar (district Nuapada), Orissa, on 27 November. The following announcement has been received: “For more than 35 years the Khariar region has been experiencing either drought or famine condition almost every alternative year. Lack of any concrete employment opportunities to the vulnerable and starving people further worsen such a situation. Situation like this has been compelling the people for a large migration in search of livelihood to places like Raipur, Nagpur, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam, Lucknow and Bhubaneswar. This year people anticipate a condition worse than any faced so far. The primary reason behind people’s exodus is food deficiency. The different centres run by the government as relief measures act as a great source of succor to the people, but such an initiative is quite inadequate in a situation as hopeless as it is in Nuapada district. At this backdrop, AHEAD is organizing a Public Hearing on Right to Food at Khariar. This Hearing would be to arouse greater awareness among the people so that they can demand for their right to food subsequently make best use of the available social securities measures. For further information please contact Ms. Aradhana Nanda, AHEAD (tel 06670-230105 & 06671-32862, e-mail farrkld@yahoo.com & dsb@yahoo.com) or Mr. Rajkishor Mishra (tel 0674-2555765, e-mail rajkishor_mishra@hotmail.com).” 9. CONSULTATION ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD (LUCKNOW, 22 NOV) FIAN (Food First Information and Action Network), an International Human Rights Organization for Right to Feed Oneself, is organising a one-day consultation on "Status of Right to Food in Northern Region of the India" to be held in Lucknow on 22 November. The consultation is aimed understanding the problem and discussing possibilities of common action to ensure the Right to Food and Right to Survival for every individual. For more details, please contact Mr. Sanjay K Rai, FIAN International, A-8 Sarvoday Nagar, Indira Nagar, Lucknow, U.P. 226016 (fax 0522-388725, tel 0522-302944, e-mail fianup@sify.com). Venue: Jaishankar Prasad Sabhagar, Kaisarbag, Lucknow (behind Bhatkhande Music College. Date: 22 November (Friday), 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. 10. AIDWA PLANNING DEMOS ON HUMAN RIGHTS DAY (10 DEC) All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) is planning protests against hunger all over India on Human Rights Day (10 December). Key demands include an extension of the Antyodaya scheme and a “universal PDS”, as recommended by the Abhijit Sen committee. According to a recent PTI news report: “AIDWA has resolved to observe Human Rights Day on December 10 as a day to demand extension of the Antodaya scheme to all Below Poverty Line families, to widows, single women and disabled persons, [Brinda] Karat said. Government policies have transformed drought into hunger and deprivation due to lack of alternative work schemes, absence of policies to ensure availability of affordable food, she said adding, the BPL stocks are lying unused because women cannot afford to buy the grains given the lack of work. 'We demand not charity but work, is what women are saying but the government has refused to listen, even ignoring the recommendations of its own Committee,' she said. Karat said in all the states it has been observed that 'hunger is the single biggest issue today that is devaluing women's status and women are forced to work at the rock bottom level wages and tolerate humiliation to ensure foodgrains for the family”. The story is available at http://in.news.yahoo.com/021114/20/1xqeo.html. A link to the Abhijit Sen Committee report is available in the “Useful links” section of www.righttofood.com 11. UPDATE ON FORTHCOMING EVENTS IN JHARKHAND The state of Jharkhand has an active campaign for the right to food and many events have been organised in the past year. A series of further events are being planned for the next few weeks, including the following: 1. 14th Nov.: A dharna of Children in the District court Campus demanding mid-day meal. Submission of children's signatures to the President of India (through post) and a copy to be submitted to the DC. 2. 20th November: A mass rally (with participants from the three districs of Palamau, Garhwa and Latehar) demanding drought relief and implementation of food related schemes (particularly PDS and Antyodaya). Memorandum to be submitted to the Commissioner and the District supply Officer of Palamau. 3. Contact campaign to start in Palamau, Garhwa and Latehar from 15th November and to continue till 30th of November. Local meetings, etc. will take place. This may cover about 100-120 villages. 4. Regional Swaraj Yatra to be started on 10th December, to be continued till 20th December. This covers 80-85 villages about 10 blocks of Palamau, Garhwa and Latehar. Details are to be worked out. For more details please contact Balram at balram_gsa@yahoo.co.in or balramjee@rediffmail.com 12. “LIVING WITH HUNGER” (10 JAN 2003) As mentioned in an earlier announcement (copied below, for those who missed it), a public hearing on hunger and starvation will be held in Delhi on 10 January 2003. This event is coordinated by the “support group” of the right to food campaign. Guidelines for the participants are on the anvil and will be circulated soon. Regular updates will also be posted in the “Events” section at www.righttofood.com Dear friends, Dear Friends, The Support Group has been working constantly to improve the flow of information regarding the Right to Food Campaign. Two most important initiatives have been the E-group (where in you are receiving this mail) and the website. We request you to help us in 1) spreading the information by spreading the word about the website & send us e-mail ids of people whom you think would be interested in receiving the update mails; 2) Tell us what is happening in your side regarding the campaign. A new link called events has been added wherein we hope to put information on various events that are happening in the states. I request you to use it. You could think of it as a 'home page' for your event. Have things about your event, the parchas you are using and other things in the website. All you need to do is to type things in MS Word and mail it to us. We will do the rest for you and send you the link. We have made a beginning with some `barebones' information about events happening in Orissa here. And now for today's headlines:
1. PUBLIC HEARINGS AND WORKSHOP IN ORISSA - KALAHANDI, BOLANGIR & BHUBANESWAR We organised two Public Hearings one in Bolangir and other in Kalahandi district on 20th and 22nd October respectively. Also under the banner of "Right to Food Campaign - Orissa Chapter we are planning to organise one sharing workshop at Bhubaneswar on 24th October 2002. The public hearing in Kalahandi received a good response from the people, but no government official participated. The concluding memorandum of the hearing is copied below. CONCLUDING MEMORANDUM A public hearing on the right to food was held at village Kaniguma (block Thuamul Rampur, district Kalahandi) on 22 October 2002. The hearing was attended by hundreds of tribals from five surrounding panchayats. The following is a brief summary of the main observations and complaints that emerged at the hearing concerning the functioning of basic-needs programmes in the area. EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMES - Wage payments on local public works programmes are delayed, sometimes for months. - Wage rates on local public works programmes are much below the legal minimum wage. - Not enough work is available on public works programmes, especially in the remote villages, especially during stressful periods such as the present drought. PENSIONS - Number of pensions sanctioned for widowed, elderly and disabled persons is far below requirement. The quotas should be increased, especially for widows. - Sometimes the names recommended by the palli sabha are "changed" at the block office. (One person explained that this might be because some of the names are not of BPL households.) - Some participants complained that they can't get a pension without paying a bribe, and that they are too poor to pay the bribe. - Pensions are given mainly in the more accessible villages; the remote villages are left out. In the remote villages, often people don't even know about these schemes. - Pensions are not paid regularly. Because of delayed pensions, destitute persons are often unable to lift the BPL rice from the ration shop. - No-one among the participants received a disability pension, even though many of the families present had disabled members. PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM - Many people are unable to lift the BPL rice because they don't have enough cash, or they don't have cash at the right time. - Many ration shops open for only a few days each month, which makes it difficult for poor families to lift their rice as they may not have cash at that particular time. - The BPL price (Rs 5/kg) is so close to the market price (about Rs 6/kg) that people get little benefit from the PDS, especially taking into account the low quality of PDS rice. (Note: The official price is Rs 4.75/kg but illegal commissions are being charged, raised the price to Rs 5/kg.) - Some participants complained of fake entries being made in the ration cards. - In some remote villages, the BPL rice doesn't reach because the transportation allowances are very low. INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SCHEME (ICDS) - Because of low provisions for transportation costs, anganwadi workers are unable to provide food to the children in the remote villages. - There are complaints that ICDS food is being appropriated by private parties in some villages. - Because of poor functioning of ICDS centres, looking after young children is a big problem for many mothers. Some are unable to send their elder children to school because the elder children are needed to look after younger siblings. Others are constrained to leave young children unattended at home when they go to the forest. - Expectations from anganwadi workers do not match with their limitations. SCHOOLING - There is widespread teacher absenteeism in the local schools, especially in the remote villages. In one village, it was reported that teacher has been seen for the last 15 years, even though the villagers built a house for him. - When schools remain closed because teachers are absent, children don't get the mid-day meal. - In some villages, delinquant teachers harass people who attempt to submit complaints to the authorities. - In some residential schools, no food is provided and there is no teaching either, so the children stay away. - Some applications for EGS schools have been unsuccessful even though the village satisfied the requirements. - In some schools, teachers "train" some pupils to give rosy answers about mid-day meals in the event of an inspector's visit. As one participant describes it, these children are even trained to say that they have eaten eggs at school, even if they ate local papayas. OTHER COMPLAINTS - One widespread complaint is that villages are inaccessible, and approach roads have either not been constructed or their condition is very poor. - Lack of drinking water is another common problem. - There is widespread corruption in many of the above-mentioned schemes. - People's complaints are not being heard. Some of them spend considerable time and money to submit complaints at the Block or District offices, without result. - Illegal commissions are being charged in all food-related schemes. A report on the hearing and the letter to various offices of the government is available here 2. HUNGER DEATHS IN BARAN DIST. OF RAJASTHAN The sahriya tribe is a very vulnerable group in Rajasthan and the Government has not focussed on there plight. They live in a situation of chronic hunger and deprivation. Their food security is tied to the agri - forest economy. With the rainfall being less than 30 % of the annual average therehas been a severe breakdown of their livelihood support base. They have been left to fend for themselves with hardly any State intervention coming to their rescue. A team including PUCL studied more than 18 deaths which included four adults and the rest were children The situation in the two tehsils of Kishanganj and Shabad, which Sahariya dominated is very bad. Most people are not getting two square meals a day. They are living of rotis made out of a grass seed. Eating a wild green called phang. The able bodied spend the entire day digging medicinal roots which they then sell to a contractor who comes from MP at five rupees a kg. In the areas where we went grain a gratuitious relief had been distributed, five kgs per family after the incident of death or only recently after the deaths caused the pulling up of the administration. The government had sent a medical team to inspect the deaths, and have been claiming that the deaths were not due to starvation. A large rally of over 1,500 people was organized in Jaipur on the 21st and a delegation of 20 went to meet the Chief Minister. A set of demands have been placed on the CM regarding the plight of people and demanding immediate and greatly enhanced relief work. To read the report of the barn issue and the letter to the chief minister, please clickhere. 3. A PIL ON CORRUPTION IN THE PDS SYSTEM PUCL (U.P.) has filed a petition in the Allahabad H. Court regarding corruption in the public distribution system. Having documented corruption in the system in the District of Balia, the petitioner is praying for an inquiry committee to be set by the court. The petition is available here. 4. PUNJAB STARTS MID-DAY MEALS The government of Punjab has decided to get started to provide cooked mid-day meal in certain districts. The programme was launched in a test basis in 17 blocks, one in each district. The pilot will go on for 50 days. A newspaper report in Tribune suggested that the Government of Punjab will file an affidavit in the Supreme Court based on the results of the pilot. 5. RALLY FOR COOKED MID-DAY MEALS IN LUCKNOW ON NOVEMBER 14, 2002 Protesting the non-implementation of the order of the Supreme Court in uttar pradesh, various groups are planning a rally in Lucknow on children's day. The Uttar Rradesh government has blatantly violated the order of the Supreme Court to provide cooked mid-day meal in all government and government aided primrary schools. There are signs of this happening in many states. UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and some other states have displayed no signs of starting the scheme. Details about the rally, the location, etc. will be posted soon in the website. To check them out and the other events, please click here. Dear friends, 1. Further progress on mid-day meals Dear friends, Dear friends, UPDATE 1 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@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@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. |
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