UPDATE 2

Dear friends,

(1) If your organisation has a newsletter, please consider reprinting portions of these updates in the newsletter, to help spread awareness about the campaign.

(2) 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.

And now, today's "headlines":

1. Further progress with the application on "ending destitution".
2. National meeting on "monitoring and redressal" procedures
3. Work on the monitoring system starts
4. Orissa: Survey of mid-day meals and ICDS
5. Karnataka: Status of mid-day meal scheme
6. West Bengal: Official harassment in Puruliya
7. Uttar Pradesh: Children agitate for mid-day meals
8. Rajasthan: "Akal Sangharsh Samiti" revived with a bang


1. FURTHER PROGRESS WITH THE PROPOSAL FOR "ENDING DESTITUTION"

In the first Update, we mentioned that the Right to Food "support group" had prepared a proposal for a large-scale programme of food-based social security for destitute households. This proposal builds on the findings of our recent evaluation of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana programme. It suggests a much larger version of this programme,with inclusion of certain "priority groups" as a matter of right,larger monthly entitlements, stronger accountability procedures, and various modifications to improve the functioning of the programme. 

This proposal has been submitted to the Supreme Court. It has also been discussed with the Food Minister, Shri Sharad Yadav, and sent to the Finance Minister.

On 15 August, we were happily surprised to find that the proposal had found its way into the Prime Minister's speech from the Red Fort. Indeed, he announced a new programme of food-based social security for the destitute, using much the same words as our proposal: "Alleviation of hunger among the most vulnerable sections of the society - such as
old people, widows and disabled persons without family or societal support - will be an important component of the initiative on Life-Time Concerns. Accordingly, extending the scope of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana, and taking advantage of the surplus stock of foodgrains, the Government will operationalise a major food-based social security for the destitute." 

We are also glad to find that the essence of the proposal has been taken on board in the final report of the "high level committee on long-term foodgrain policy" (also known as the Abhijit Sen committee report). The report is available on the website of the Food Ministry.

2. NATIONAL MEETING ON "MONITORING AND REDRESSAL" PROCEDURES

As mentioned in Update 1, the Supreme Court has recently appointed Dr.N.C. Saxena and Mr. S.R. Sankaran as "Commissioners" for the purpose of monitoring recent Supreme Court orders relating to the right to food. Following on this, a national meeting was held on 9-10 August 2002 at Indian Social Institute, Delhi, to discuss ways of assisting the Commissioners in their work. This is also an opportunity to develop extensive monitoring and redressal procedures in different states, with the full authority of the Supreme Court. A BRIEF NOTE ("RIGHT TO FOOD: BUILDING ACCOUNTABILITY") SUMMARISING THE CONCLUSIONS
OF THESE DISCUSSIONS IS AVAILABLE ON THE SITE, FOR FURTHER DISSEMINATION.

The meeting was attended by about fifty participants from 12 different states. It was also an opportunity for wide-ranging discussions about the future of the Right to Food Campaign. Drought emerged as the most immediate concern. Early reports from different states indicate that
the drought may have devastating effects on people's livelihoods. Meanwhile, state governments are showing great reluctance to launch adequate relief measures, allegedly because of financial constraints.The central government, for its part, continues to hang on to its huge reserves of food.

The group felt that the immediate priority of the campaign for the moment should be the RIGHT TO WORK, expressed in the specific demand "work for all at minimum wages". The priority reflects the fact that employment is the best way to protect food entitlements. It also reflects the concern that in the last drought, the State governments introduced draconian 'labour ceilings' and often paid wages that were
far below the minimum wages.

Aside from the right to work, the group decided to take up a number of other issues. These include: (a) the non-implementation (or inept implementation) of school-meal programmes; (b) the collapse of the public distribution system; (c) the massive waste of foodgrain in FCI
godowns (and also its misuse, e.g. through subsidised exports); (d) the absence of social support for destitute households; (e) the lack of transparency and accountability in all food-related programmes; (f)the gross mismanagement of water resources throughout the country. 

A joint "appeal" based on the outcome of the meeting has been prepared and will be circulated shortly. This appeal also includes a proposal for a national day of action under the slogan 'Godam Kholo, Kaam do'.More on this in due course.

3. WORK ON THE MONITORING SYSTEM STARTS

The monitoring system has started its work, primarily in collaboration with Dr. N.C. Saxena. Letters have been sent by the Commissioners to the state governments asking them to appoint nodal officers who will be the focal point of communication with the Commissioners. Many states have responded to this. Further letters regarding violations
of the Supreme Court's orders have also been sent, e.g. demanding explanation for the non-implementation of the mid-day meal scheme in various states. The Commissioners may soon contemplate personal visits to the concerned states. For details of communications between the Commissioners and your state government, please write to
right2food@yahoo.co.in.

To track the plans of state governments on drought relief, the Commissioner has asked the states to place either the "advisor", or some representative of the advisor, in the drought monitoring committee of each state. (Clarification: we are in the process of identifying an "advisor" for the Commissioners in each state. See the summary note below.) We are also hoping that the Commissioners will be represented in the drought monitoring committee at the district level.

SGRY is currently the umbrella programme of the government regarding employment creation. Work is on to collect the details of works that are being planned at the district level, the allocations, etc. This could form a vital tool for monitoring and advocacy for the groups. Once they are ready, they would be available for dissemination on demand. Efforts would also be made to put them on the net.

4. ORISSA: SURVEY OF MID-DAY MEALS AND ICDS

Members of the Right to Food Campaign in Orissa have conducted an extensive survey of the mid-day meal and ICDS programmes in that state. The survey report is being finalised. The initial findings suggest that there are major diversions of foodgrains and possibly money in both programmes. Erratic delivery of foodgrains is another
common problem. Rarely do ICDS centres cater to pregnant and lactating women, or to adolescent girls. The survey documents the dismal functioning of two crucial nutrition schemes in a state with a very poor record of malnutrition.

5. KARNATAKA: STATUS OF MID-DAY MEAL SCHEME

In Karnataka, members of the Right to Food Campaign have been working on the mid-day meal scheme that has begun in 7 of the poorest districts in the State. "Inspection teams" have been formed in various districts to monitor the functioning of the scheme. In the initial round of "inspection", the teams went to schools in 5 out of 7
districts that had started the mid-day meal programme. Karnataka has provided between Rs 30,000 and 50,000 per school (depending on the size) for building kitchens and storerooms. A one-time provision of Rs 5,000 is made for utensils and Rs 6,000 for water storage. In each school, two to five persons are appointed for cooking and serving the meal. One rupee per child per day is provided for vegetables, oils and other ingredients.

In many schools, the survey team found problems regarding the quality of grain. The cooking staff also absconded on certain occasions. In some villages with more than one school, the meal is served in a single "meal centre". In some cases, this has resulted in children having to walk long distances for the mid-day meal. A number of other
relatively minor problems have all been documented in the report.

The biggest issue in Karnataka is that the mid-day meal is presently confined to 7 out of over 25 districts. A petition is being planned by the members of the "caucus for elementary education, Bangalore".

6. WEST BENGAL: OFFICIAL HARASSMENT IN PURULIYA

On 16 August, members of the "right to food and work campaign" in West Bengal met the District Magistrate, Puruliya, to enquire about the status of SGRY in the district. The DM told the group that this was none of their business. When one of the members protested, they were
physically removed from the room. Later in the day, the police rounded up the team and they were kept in the police station between 9 pm and 11 pm.

This is not the first incident of its kind in West Bengal. Earlier this year Kunal, an activist based in the state, was arrested on a fake charge of "parading a SC woman naked", even though he was not even present in the village when the incident allegedly occurred. This incident caused a major stir. 

In other states, too, there have been occasional instances of repression when members of the Right to Food Campaign exposed various irregularities involved in food-related programmes. The campaign may need to develop better protection against official harassment. 


7. UTTAR PRADESH: CHILDREN AGITATE FOR MID-DAY MEALS

In Uttar Pradesh, the mid-day meal campaign is gathering momentum. Feeble noises are beginning to be heard from the state government, suggesting that a mid-day meal programme may soon be introduced on a pilot basis. According to the Department of Education, a full-fledged school-meal programme would cost Rs 680 crores per year, and is not
affordable without central assistance (a familiar argument). The Chief Minister recently declined a request to discuss the issue. On 10 September, parents and children from different parts of the state will be going to Lucknow in another attempt to meet her. Meanwhile, a day
of agitation took place in Shankargarh (a deprived block of Allahabad district) on 27 August, when children in local schools held a dharna and submitted petitions to the Block Education Officer demanding the immediate introduction of cooked mid-day meals in all primary schools.

Sr. Sheeba Jose has prepared a writ petition to the Allahabad High Court, asking for the immediate implementation of all recent Supreme Court orders on the right to food. The petition will be submitted shortly.

8. RAJASTHAN: "AKAL SANGHARSH SAMITI" REVIVED WITH A BANG

A major meeting of Akal Sangharsh Samiti, a network of about fifty organisations working on drought-related issues in different parts of Rajasthan, was held in Jaipur on 13-14 August. The network had gone to sleep after the rains broke out last year, but with the state reeling once again under a ferocious drought, the network is being revived and
revamped. 

First-hand reports of the drought situation in different parts of Rajasthan are very alarming. There are acute water shortages in most places: the state government expects that water will soon need to be supplied by tanker to 16,000 villages. There have been massive crop failures, and migrant labourers have nowhere to go as the neighbouring
states are also drought-affected. Daily wages in Jaipur have already started falling.

Reports were also heard of the hardships caused to the
drought-affected population by large-scale Army deployments in the western districts. Landmines are causing havoc along the entire western border. Large amounts of water are being appropriated by the Army in water-scarce areas. Army camps are also depriving local residents of access to valuable pastures.

On a more positive note, Rajasthan's new mid-day meal programme appears to be doing reasonably well. School attendance is reported to have shot up, particularly in drought-affected areas. One emerging problem is the reluctance of higher-caste parents to let their
children eat with dalit children, or eat food cooked by a dalit person. In village Kolu Pabuji (Jodhpur district), a Rajput parent is reported to have thrown sand in the mid-day meal, which had been cooked by a Meghwal woman.

A whole series of possible actions were discussed at the meeting. The participating organisations are preparing for local events during the next few weeks, followed by a major public gathering in Jaipur on 26 September.