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Update - 7 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 KARNATA 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 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
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