UPDATE 4

Dear friends, 

This is the fourth “Right to Food Update”, with news from the Right to Food campaign around the country. For those who are new to the list, earlier Updates are available on the campaign website: 

www.righttofood.tripod 

The website also contains wide-ranging information on other aspects of the campaign, with further material to be added soon. Please spread the word about this website, and consider using it from time to time

And now, today’s “headlines”: 

1. Further progress on mid-day meals 

2. State GOVERNMENTS reply to the commissioners 

3. Agitations planned on Children’s Day (14 November) 

4. Public hearings on hunger and the right to food 

5. Maharashtra: “Anna Adhikar Abhiyan” LAUNCHED 

6. Recent additions to the website 

1. Further progress on mid-day meals 

There have been many developments relating to mid-day meals. Some of them are summarised below, for further details please consult the website (www.righttofood.tripod): 

1.1. More states introduce MDMs 

Andhra Pradesh has finally decided to introduce mid-day meals in primary schools. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was due to inaugurate the scheme on 2 October, but this has been postponed due to last-minute hurdles. Meanwhile, Karnataka has introduced mid-day meals in 7 districts on a pilot basis, with encouraging results so far. 

After the rapping received in the Court a few weeks ago, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has also decided to introduce cooked mid-day meals in its “sarvodaya schools”. Until now, glucose biscuits of dubious quality were being given. A biscuit scam rocked the Assembly a few years back, in 1995-96. Last year, officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi admitted publicly that they were serving biscuits from the previous year’s stock. 

Times of India reports that UP’s Chief Minister Mayawati had discussed the mid-day meal scheme with the PM during her visit to Delhi on 29 June 2002. The report says, “Vajpayee was urged to ‘remove the anomaly’ following a November 28, 2001 judgment regarding cooked mid-day meals in schools which has cost UP government an additional Rs 644 crores recurring expenditure and Rs. 684 crores as non-recurring expenses every academic year”. Mid-day meals, however, are still nowhere to be seen in UP (see also below). 

1.2. Financing issues 

Lack of financial resources has emerged as the crucial reason for delay in implement the Supreme Court order on mid-day meals in many states. State governments constantly claim that they do not have the money to implement the scheme. However, this objection does not stand close scrutiny. The Karnataka experience suggests that a well-designed MDM programme costs around Re 1 per child per day to the state government (the central government provides the grain, free of cost). Knowledgeable economists consider this to be well within the fiscal capabilities of state governments, if they give mid-day meals the priority they deserve. This was, for instance, the view taken by Dr. Manmohan Singh in a private discussion with members of the Right to Food campaign. Similarly, Dr. John Kurian of the Planning Commission pointed out that a small surcharge on liquor taxes would be quite enough, in most states, to finance mid-day meals. 

On the specific case of West Bengal (where the state government is facing a serious fiscal crisis), we received the following comment from a well-known economist who recently participated in an expert review of WB’s finances: “It is indeed ridiculous for the West Bengal government to object to the midday meal scheme on financial grounds. Yes, they are going through a budget crisis (largely of their own making) and they are even delaying paying some salaries and pensions… West Bengal's inferior finances compared to other states is largely due to the laxity of the government in tax collection…”

2. STATE GOVERNMENTS REPLY TO THE COMMISSIONERS 

As mentioned in earlier Updates, the Supreme Court has appointed Dr. N.C. Saxena and Mr. S.R. Sankaran as “Commissioners” for the purpose of monitoring the implementation of recent orders relating to the right to food. The Commissioners are hoping to be helped by an “advisor” in each state. The advisors are expected to watch the implementation of SC orders in the state, foster the development of suitable accountability procedures, liaise with the state government, and coordinate with the Commissioners on various other issues. 

Various states have started replying to letters sent by the Commissioners. Primarily, they have been sending information on the allocation and use of funds and foodgrain under the SGRY scheme. In the days to come this may prove useful in tracking the plans of the governments regarding drought relief and other employment programmes. A summary of the replies from state governments will be sent in a separate mail. 

Since the states typically claim that they are complying with the orders of the Supreme Court, follow-up queries have been sent asking for some pinpointed details. Like the affidavits submitted by state governments to the Supreme Court, the responses received often speak volumes about the attitudes of state governments towards the right to food. For instance, a recent reply from the Government of Maharashtra to queries relating to mid-day meals begins by explaining that “10 districts have been covered so far” under the mid-day meal scheme, acknowledges further down that 28 blocks are covered out of 341 blocks, and ends up admitting that only 1321 primary schools out of 74,000 are actually providing mid-day meals. This is no great surprise since the state government contributes only Re 0.25 per child per day towards mid-day meals

3. AGITATIONS PLANNED ON CHILDREN’S DAY (14 NOVEMBER) 

In Uttar Pradesh, a coalition of organisations is planning a massive rally for mid-day meals on 14 November (Children’s Day). This event is informally coordinated by “Awaaz”, a Lucknow-based organisation of media activists. For further details, please write to awazlko@hotmail.com. 

Discussions have also been held in other states regarding the possibility of MDM-focused agitations on Children’s Day (14 November) and/or on 28 November, the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s interim order. Further details are awaited and will be announced in future Updates. If you are planning anything in your own state or locality, please inform right2food@yahoo.co.in

4. Public hearings on hunger and the right to food 

A wave of public hearings on hunger and the right to food is expected during the next few weeks/months. Here again, details are awaited (particularly from Karnataka and West Bengal), but some initial information follows: 

ORISSA: Public hearings will be held in Bolangir on 20 October, and in Thuamul Rampur (Kalahandi) on 22 October, with a follow-up programme in Bhubaneswar on 24 October. The public hearing in Thuamul Rampur is convened by Lok Adhikar Samukhya, a coalition of about 50 local organisations. Further details can be obtained from Rajkishor Mishra (rajkishor_mishra@hotmail.com) and Dilip Das (secretary, Lok Adhikar Samukhya, tel 06670-32038). 

JHARKHAND: Agitations in response to recent reports of starvation deaths in Palamau continue. Dharnas have been held in Ranchi on 4 October and in Daltonganj (Palamau) on 7 October. We are informed that these activities “may be followed by an indefinite dharna in Palamau if the government fails to speed up relief work”. “Awareness padyatras” will be taking place in different parts of Jharkhand from mid-November until 10 December. A large demonstration is also expected to take place in Ranchi on 22 December. Further details are awaited. 

MAHARASHTRA: A series of public hearings has been planned for mid-November. See below

5. Maharashtra: “Anna Adhikar Abhiyan” LAUNCHED 

On 12 September, 40 representatives from Mumbai, Pune, Nasik, Sangli, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Beed, Raigad, and Thane districts participated in a meeting organized by Jan Arogya Abhiyan (state unit of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan). A significant cross-section of people's organisations, groups working on food security and womens' groups from various parts of the state were represented. The groups decided to start ‘Anna Adhikar Abhiyan’ as a nodal point for groups working on right to food. The groups have also decided to go ahead with some of the following activities:

(1) A series of public hearings, to be conducted across Maharashtra in mid–November. These public hearings will focus on nutrition-related schemes and the corresponding Supreme Court orders. 

(2) A survey of the food-related schemes in October. 

(3) A comprehensive dialogue with the government at various levels. 

(4) Six groups have been designated to monitor the functioning of the schemes and to coordinate with the Commissioners. 

This would be one of the first set of events organized under the banner of Right to Food Campaign in Maharashtra this year. A large number of organizations participated in the events of action day on April 9, 2001. But this step will hopefully step up the campaign activities in a large way 

6. Recent additions to the website 

The website is being improved regularly with more information and features for easier navigation. The following are now available on the site: 

i) Updates 

ii) Events, both past and present. You can post details of upcoming events (pertaining to the campaign) and read the posts, by others. The titles of events and the contact persons are posted now. We hope to make it more descriptive soon 

iii) Links to newspaper articles on mid-day meal scheme. Check this out under useful links. We will have sections on drought, food for work, etc. soon 

iv) A paper by Dr N C Saxena on food schemes, their promises and problems (access it from useful links)