Food rights activists, including National Advisory Council member, Aruna Roy, have called upon all Members of Parliament and political parties to reject the Parliamentary Standing Committee’s recommendations on the National Food Security Bill.
Tearing into the Standing Committee’s report, submitted to the Lok Sabha Speaker on January 17, the Right to Food Campaign (RFC), an umbrella of civil society organisations, said the report was a “let-down”, as it undermined the goal of food security for all.
“Instead of moving forward, the Committee’s recommendations are a leap backward by removing even existing entitlements,” RFC said, while acknowledging the panel’s recognition of the failure of targeting by recommending removal of the new avatar of the above and below poverty line categories called “priority” and “general”.
RFC said it had appeared before the panel with its recommendations but was disappointed that the panel’s final recommendations undermined the food rights of children and pregnant and lactating women by not guaranteeing them ICDS services through Anganwadis, as also the disabled and the elderly.
It said the proposed provisioning for only 5 kg foodgrain per person to only 67 per cent of the population was about half of what was required on an average in a month, according to the stated norms in this regard.
“By setting ‘caps’ on coverage, the Committee is continuing with targeting, which has proven to be divisive, unreliable and impractical,” the RFC said.
RFC demanded that the public distribution system be universalised, with possibly some simple, transparent and easily verifiable exclusion criteria, as done in the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act.
On the farmers’ plight, the RFC said the House panel’s recommendations did not guarantee Minimum Support Price as a right or any other incentive and protection for growing food.
The RFC includes National Federation for Indian Women, New Trade Union Initiative, Breast Feeding Promotion Network of India, National Alliance of People’s Movements, Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, National Campaign for People's Right to Information, National Conference of Dalit Organisations, Human Rights Law Network, Rashtriya Viklang Manch, National Campaign Committee for Unorganised Sector workers, among others.