An unprecedented economic growth during the last decade has also seen increasing malnutrition, hunger and starvation amongst certain sections of society. India ranks 66 in the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO’s) World Hunger Index of 88 countries (Inter-national Food Policy Research Institute). More than 200 million people in this country are denied the right to food. One-third of all underweight children (57 million) in the world due to lack of...
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Civil rights groups rally round Sharmila
-The Hindu Demanding that the government engage in a dialogue with Irom Sharmila who has been on a hunger strike since 11 years demanding repealing of AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act), many civil rights groups, activists and student groups on Friday evening held a protest march at the Marine Drive here as a part of the ‘Irom Sharmila Solidarity Campaign'. “She [Irom Sharmila] is the symbol of non-violence. You [the government]...
More »Addressing India’s hunger gap by NC Saxena
The word ‘hunger’ does not appear in the 12th Plan Approach Paper even once, whereas according to the latest Global Hunger Index Report, India continues to be in the category of those nations where hunger is ‘alarming’. What is worse, India is one of the three countries where the hunger index between 1996 and 2011 has gone up from 22.9 to 23.7, while 78 out of the 81 developing countries...
More »HRC directs Orissa to report on 'man-made' flood, civil society for flood plain management by Nageshwar Patnaik
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Orissa government asking it to submit a detailed report on the alleged "man-made" floods in the last in August-September. The disaster had officially claimed over 80 lives and damaged houses and agricultural lands in 21 districts. The NHRC's direction came following petition filed by Bhubaneswar-based India Media Centre, a voluntary organisation. Water resources secretary, chief engineer of irrigation department and Hirakud...
More »Picked up in July for ‘rioting,’ three Muslim schoolchildren still in jail by Vidya Subrahmaniam
Hope in sight finally with NHRC sending notice on the matter to SSP of Moradabad Nearly four months after they were detained by the police, three Muslim schoolchildren are still in the District Jail here, unable to get bail for an offence their distraught families claim they never committed. The children have been charged, among other things, with rioting and attempt to murder. But now, finally, hope seems in sight with the...
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