Dear friends,
We wish to share with you the following statement from the Steering group of the Right to Food Campaign.
Asian Human Rights Commission
Hong Kong
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A Statement from Steering group of the Right to Food Campaign forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission
INDIA: “GODAMO KE TALE KHOLO” unlock the gates of the food godowns
NATIONAL ACTION WEEK
PROTESTS OUTSIDE GOWDOWNS
(AND DISTRICT COLLECTORATES AND STATE SECRETARIATS)
FROM THE 22nd to the 28th of SEPTEMBER, 2010
DEMANDING FROM THE GOVERNMENT
• DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FOR FREE OR AT SUBSIDISED RATES TO ALL THE POOR AND VULNERABLE IN THE COUNTRY, INSTEAD OF LETTING GRAINS ROT
• LEGISLATION OF A COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY ACT WITH A UNIVERSAL PDS AND ENTITLEMENTS FOR CHILDREN, OLD AND THE SOCIALLY VULNERABLE.
Dear friends,
As you are aware in the concluding session of the 4th National Convention of the Right to Food and Work at Rourkela on the 8th of August, 2010, we passed a resolution that we would not allow food grains from being wasted due to the misguided policies of the Government of India and that we would build public pressure to ensure its distribution widely. We also took a decision that we would work towards mounting pressure on the Government to bring a comprehensive National Food Security Act.
We would like to bring to your notice that the holdings of food stocks in the FCI as of June 1st 2010, had reached a record level of 608.79 lakh metric tonnes (MTs). This is the second highest procurement since 2002, when the stocks in possession of the Government of India had reached 648.30 lakh MT. Since the FCI is holding double the capacity of buffer stocks, almost a third of the stocks are lying in the open under temporary cover. About 50,000 M Tons of grain is already unfit for human consumption in just Punjab and there are similar reports from almost all states in North India.
The Right to Food Campaign is shocked at the Union Government’s callous attitude of allowing such a large magnitude of food stocks to rot when there is a food emergency in this country with hunger, starvation, malnutrition and child mortality being rampant. The Right to Food Campaign would like to call this act of criminal negligence on the part of the Government genocidal.
In order to ensure that not a single grain is wasted, a national public action week has been planned all over the country. Making the Godown as the symbol of our campaign we are plan to protest outside a large number of godowns in in districts across the country.
In Rourkela, we concluded the Convention by marching to the Godowns outside the city. where we gave a call for this national public action week
From this Platform of protest we will demand the:
• DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FOR FREE OR AT ANTYODAYA PRICES TO
All Landless, Agriculture Labourers, Marginal and Small Farmers, Rural Artisans/Craftsmen, Slum Dwellers, Daily Wage Earners In Rural and Urban Areas, Dalits, Tribals, Single Women Headed Households, Homeless, Children Or Terminally Ill Persons Or Disabled Persons
We urge that all these households receive the full quota of 35 kgs for 3 Rs. without any restriction on the numbers of such households.
• LEGISLATION OF A COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY ACT where:
– Production of Cereal, Pulses and Oil is linked to Procurement, Storage and Distribution
– A Legal Guarantee for a Universal and Inclusive Public Distribution System is provided, Nutritional support and social security to diverse vulnerable groups and children is guaranteed and Strict measures of Transparency, Accountability and Penalties for non-compliance are put in place
All of you are requested to call meetings at State and District level and plan this protest during the week of 22nd to 28th September. We would also like you to get back to the Secretariat to share details of the places where protests are happening in the District and the State along with the date and contact persons of the programme. Please ensure that the local media is informed.
The demand charter, a model pamphlet and a poster for this programme will be released soon.
In solidarity,
Steering group of the Right to Food Campaign
We are,
Annie Raja (National Federation for Indian Women),
Anuradha Talwar (New Trade Union Initiative),
Arun Gupta& Radha Holla (Breast Feeding Promotion Network of India),
Arundhati Dhuru and Sandeep Pandey (National People’s Movement of India),
Ashok Bharti (National Conference of Dalit Organizations),
Anjali Bhardwaj,
Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey (National Campaign for People’s Right to Information),
Asha Mishra and Vinod Raina (Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti),
Colin Gonsalves (Human Rights Law Network),
Kavita Srivastava (People’s Union for Civil Liberties),
Mira Shiva and Vandana Prasad (Jan Swasthya Abhiyan),
Paul Diwakar (National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights),
Subhash Bhatnagar (National Campaign Committee for Unorganized Sector workers),
Jean Dreze (Former support group),
V.B.Rawat (Former support group)
For more information, please contact:
Kavita Srivastava (+91 141-2594131 or +91 9351562965),
Dipa Sinha (+91 9650434777)
Deepika (+91 9560923178)
Sejal Parikh (+91 9533819903)
Anuradha Talwar (+91 9433002064)
Secretariat – Right to Food Campaign
C/o PHRN
5 A, Jungi House,
Shahpur Jat, New Delhi 110049.
India
Website: www.righttofoodindia.org
Email: righttofood@gmail.com
Phone: +91 11 2649 9563
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About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984. The above statement has only been forwarded by the AHRC.
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