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Campaign seeks clarity on grain entitlement by Gargi Parsai

Dissatisfied with the recommendation of the National Advisory Council (NAC) for “phased, time-bound universalisation of foodgrains entitlements” across the country, the Right to Food Campaign has announced its decision to mobilise people for a “comprehensive” Food Security Act.

“A nationwide call will be given towards this at the national convention being held in Rourkela, Orissa, from August 6,” the Campaign, a conglomeration of activists and civil society groups, said in a press release issued here on Thursday.

Rejecting the NAC's suggestion of time-bound universalisation of the Public Distribution System (PDS), the Campaign asserted that unless the time frame was made explicit, the commitment to fully universalise the PDS seemed “wishy-washy.” It questioned the capping of entitlement to 35 kg per family.

The NAC, chaired by Sonia Gandhi, said on Wednesday: “While a time-bound universalisation of foodgrains entitlement across the country may be desirable, initial universalisation in one-fourth of the most disadvantaged districts or blocks in the first year is recommended, where every household is entitled to receive 35 kg foodgrains a month at Rs. 3 a kg.”

The Campaign sought clarity on the foodgrains entitlements of those areas that will not be universalised in the initial phase:

“The Campaign would like to know whether the socially vulnerable would replace the Below-Poverty-Line (BPL) families or would it be an addition to the BPL along with inclusion of the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes, who get the present entitlement of 35 kg?”

Pointing out the ambiguity in the NAC recommendations with regard to the cost of foodgrains for the “other” (Above-Poverty-Line) category, the Campaign expressed the apprehension that “much higher cost could be imposed on them, which would convert this exercise of universalisation into a farcical exercise.”

Questioning the basis on which the NAC suggested an entitlement of 35 kg per family, the Campaign said that grain entitlement ought to be per individual, rather than per household. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) norm required an individual to be provided 14 kg of cereal, 1.5 kg of dal and 800 g of edible oil for an average adult to survive, and half the amount for a child. “Thus this capping of 35 kg is not acceptable to us. It does not suffice even for a week for an average family.”

According to the Campaign, the “complete silence” on the part of the NAC on the distribution of pulses and oil showed that food security was only being looked upon as cereal security and not as nutrition security. The suggestions on urban beneficiaries based on the Hashim Committee's yet-to-be-submitted report were “vague,” it said.

The Campaign bemoaned that the press release put out by the NAC on its decisions made no mention of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana beneficiaries and demanded that they be given foodgrains and pulses at Re. 1 per family as is being given in Chhattisgarh.

The rights of children to meet the nutritional needs of breastfeeding infants and schemes such as ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services), maternity entitlements, crèches, and Mid-day Meals needed to be strengthened through the proposed Act.

NO ROAD MAP

The Campaign regretted that there was no road map given by the NAC regarding the increase in food production required for universalisation, universal procurement, that of pulses, millets, and storage and fiscal commitments.

The activists reiterated their demand for a ban on export of foods before meeting domestic needs and stressed the need for doing away with subsidies to corporations at the cost of the health and nutrition of the people.

Among the signatories to the press note are Annie Raja (National Federation for Indian Women),Arun Gupta and Radha Holla (Breast Feeding Promotion Network of India), Arundhati Dhuru and Sandeep Pandey (National Alliance of People's Movement), Anjali Bhardwaj, Nikhil Dey (National Campaign for People's Right to Information), Kavita Srivastava (People's Union for Civil Liberties) and Mira Shiva and Vandana Prasad (Jan Swasthya Abhiyan).