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Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

Civil society groups ask for proper implementation of NFSA in Delhi to end starvation deaths in the future
-Press statement by Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan (DRRAA) dated 27th July, 2018
 
The Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan (DRRAA) is shocked and saddened by the news of the deaths of 3 minor girls in Mandawali, East Delhi due to starvation. As per media reports, the post mortem has confirmed that the children aged 2, 4 and 8 died of starvation. While further details about the circumstances are awaited and the Abhiyan is also in the process of doing a fact finding report, the issue of lack of food security and social security of the poor and marginalised in Delhi is undeniable.

The situation is especially dire for children, elderly and the homeless- who are the most vulnerable. The Abhiyan has repeatedly stressed the need to seriously strengthen the framework of food security and remove barriers which prevent people from accessing it. Making food security conditional upon peoples’ ability to produce identity proof/residence proof/ Aadhaar etc. is inhumane and a violation of the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution.

The Abhiyan has repeatedly highlighted the large scale exclusions being caused due to insistence on furnishing of id proof/address proof and Aadhaar. In fact, even in the ongoing case in the Delhi High Court, proof of how children, homeless and elderly have been left out of the purview of the National Food Security Act has been furnished before the court.

We demand that the Central and the Delhi government immediately put in place the following measures:

1. There is an urgent need to establish community kitchens across Delhi which provide hot cooked food. The kitchens must not turn away any person desirous of food. Several states have put in place systems to provide hot cooked meals at very nominal costs or free of cost.

2. End quota system and universalise the Public Distribution System

3. Provide pulses, oil and sugar to all ration cardholders, which was also a poll promise

4. Provide eggs, fruits and milk for children everyday through the mid-day meal scheme and ICDS in schools and anganwadis. Further universal coverage for ALL children under 6 must be ensured through ICDS without any conditionalities.

5. Immediately implement maternity entitlements across all districts of Delhi

6. Implement and operationalize all the grievance redress and accountability provisions in the NFSA Act, including- carrying out of periodic social audits (S. 28) and setting up of State Food Commission (S. 16). The government has failed to put in place this statutory framework despite repeated directions from the Supreme Court and the Delhi Court. Lack of accountability systems means peoples complaints of denial of food security remain unaddressed. Had the State Food Commission, which is an independent oversight body, been set up, it would have been the appropriate body to lead the inquiry into the deaths.

7. No untested mechanisms like home delivery of rations should be brought in. Disruptions in the Public Distribution System (PDS) cause extreme hardship and exacerbate vulnerabilities of marginalised households. Earlier this year, the Delhi government had made Aadhaar based authentication through Point of Sale devices mandatory for all ration shops. This had led to large exclusion of the poorest and marginalised families from their right to food. Government figures showed that nearly 4 lakh cardholders were unable to access their rations.

8. Aadhaar or Aadhaar enabled biometric authentication must not be made mandatory for any food security or social welfare programme. The mandatory requirement of Aadhaar has been the cause of several starvation deaths in Jharkhand.

The Abhiyan demands that a detailed inquiry into the deaths of the 3 minor girls must be undertaken. The inquiry committee must include independent experts and doctors. The inquiry must also examine whether or not the family was covered by the following food security/ social welfare programs-

1. Whether the family received ration under the Public Distribution System?

2. Whether the children below the ages of 5 years were enrolled at the Anganwadi? A team from the Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan which visited the family’s house in Mandawali today found that the Anganwadi was located just 10 meters from the house.

3. Whether the eldest girl aged around 8 was enrolled in school and was receiving the Mid Day Meal in school?

4. Whether the mother was receiving any support/treatment for mental health issues that she was facing as per media reports and the testimony of neighbours

If the family was left out of the purview of these programs, the inquiry must examine the reasons for their exclusion. The inquiry must fix accountability and ensure that officials who were in any way responsible for the exclusion of the family from these programs are held responsible.

These starvation deaths highlight the alarming situation of distress and food insecurity in the capital of India. Immediate steps must be taken by the Delhi government and the Central government.  

Signed/-

Anjali Bhardwaj, Amrita Johri, Koninika Ray, Dipa Sinha, Aysha Khan, Sudeshna, Uma, Krishna Bansal,  Rajender Kumar, Anwar

(On behalf of the Dilli Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyaan)

Ph. 9810273984, 9910009819