Callous Indifferent attitude of Statutory Human Rights Bodies in respect of dealing starvation death and Hunger related issues in Odisha (Few case studies)

Human Rights Bodies like National Human Rights Commission, State Human Rights Commission has been constituted to protect human rights of the people in the country.  As  per  Protection of Human Rights Act,1993,  these  statutory bodies   are required to   hear  the  complaint cases  relating to violation of human rights  and give justice  to the  victims by directing appropriate authority  to take  action against the law violator  and  awarding   compensation to the affected persons.  But the callousness and  indifferent attitude  of  these  bodies  has  endangered  the life and  livelihood  of the  common people  and standing as  stumbling  block  for protection  of human rights. I cite  herewith  few examples  in this regard.

A Renewed PDS

Photo:Forbes India

EPW: K R Antony,Yogesh Jain ,Samir Garg 

An efficient public distribution system (PDS) is a life support extended by the State to people living below the poverty line, which, the way it is officially defined, is more like a “starvation line”.

Many states have been supplying essential food items and kerosene to poor households through the PDS with varying degrees of success but supply of only wheat/rice, iodised salt and sugar alone is not adequate to meet the nutrition needs of the people.

India Matters: Bihar - A reality check

India Matters: Bihar - A reality check

Mahadalits is a term coined by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the poorest and most marginalized among Dalits. 21 castes are included in the Mahadalit category, ostensibly for their socio- economic development and for better targetting of government schemes. Bihar has also become the first state to set up a Mahadalit Development Commission. Some view this as Nitish Kumar's attempt to carve out a voter base of his own. But the chief minister says the development of Mahadalits is at the top of his priorities and that his vision of development is an inclusive one. The chief minister has flaunted economic data to show how effective policies and governance have created a resurgent Bihar. But how do these claims translate on the ground, particularly for those at the centre of the state's politics?

Wasted food for thought

The Hindu

That one-third of the food produced annually for human consumption is wasted is in itself unconscionable in a world where 870 million, or one in eight people, go hungry every day. A United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation report now says that this high volume of wastage that occurs right through the food supply chain exerts an adverse impact on land, water, biodiversity and climate change. This impact is in addition to the green house gas emissions that are known to result from current patterns of food production, processing, marketing and consumption associated with global commercial flows.

क्या है राष्ट्रीय खाद्य सुरक्षा कानून

1.प्रस्‍तावनाएं 

यह कानून पूरे देश में 5 जुलाई 2013 से लागू माना जाएगा। (यह वही तारीख है, जिस दिन राष्‍ट्रीय खाद्य सुरक्षा अध्‍यादेश लागू हुआ था)

2.हकदारियां

सार्वजनिक वितरण प्रणाली (पीडीएस)

•  प्राथमिकता वाले परिवारों को प्रति व्‍यक्‍ति पांच किलो अनाज हर महीने।
•  अंत्‍योदय परिवार को महीने में 35 किलो राशन।
•  दोनों को पात्र परिवार मानते हुए 75 प्रतिशत ग्रामीण और 50 प्रतिशत शहरी जनसंख्‍या को कानून के दायरे में लाया गया है।
•  इन्‍हें पीडीएस से 3 रु किलो चावल, 2 रु किलो गेहूं और 1 रुपए किलो के हिसाब से बारीक अनाज मिलेगा।