[eebill] [NAFRE right to CSS & right to work campaign, etc, in right to food ml]

Sun Nov 14 05:18:19 CST 2004

[btw, we *won* the dmp css pil, seems purely academic i know, but will post 
the order as soon as we have the certified copy, rgds, gita]

>From: "Right to food" <righttofood at gmail.com>
>To: <purplepapaya36 at hotmail.com>
>Subject: Update 33 (2): Recent and forthcoming events
>Date: 13 Nov 2004 18:04:07 -0800
>
>UPDATE 33 (part 2): RECENT AND FORTHCOMING EVENTS
>
>Dear friends,
>
>This is the second part of our two-part Update (an additional "Diwali 
>bonus" will follow soon, to accommodate further items that are pouring in). 
>  The first part, focusing on "employment guarantee", was sent a few days 
>ago.  This part begins with a few items relating to children, in 
>anticipation of Children's Day (14 November).  This is followed by an 
>update on employment guarantee, recent developments around the country, and 
>some info on forthcoming activities.  As usual, further information can be 
>found on the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org), or by sending a 
>line to righttofood at gmail.com (please note the new contact address).
>
>Today's headlines:
>
>1. SUPREME COURT ORDERS ON ICDS
>
>2. MID-DAY MEALS UPDATE
>
>3. NAFRE LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN ON COMMON SCHOOLING AND THE RIGHT TO WORK
>
>4. EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE UPDATE
>
>5. UPDATE ON THE "BANNERS PROJECT"
>
>6. ALL INDIA PEOPLES DIGNITY RALLY ON 5 DECEMBER
>
>7. RECAP OF FORTHCOMING EVENTS
>
>
>1. SUPREME COURT ORDERS ON ICDS
>
>Another long Supreme Court hearing on the Integrated Child Development 
>Services (ICDS) took place on 7 October.  To refresh your memory, an 
>earlier order dated 28 November 2001 directed the state and central 
>governments to univeralise ICDS.  This means ensuring that there is an 
>anganwadi in every settlement, and that all children under six, all 
>adolescent girls and all pregnant or lactating women are covered.  There 
>has been little official action on this front during the last three years, 
>leading the Supreme Court to issue another order in April 2004, reaffirming 
>in no uncertain terms that ICDS is to be universalised as soon as possible. 
>  The order gave the central government three months to specify the time 
>frame within which this is to be done.  (For details of these and other 
>orders, see the "legal action" section of the campaign website, 
>www.righttofoodindia.org).
>
>As it turned out, it took six months for the government to submit its 
>affidavit, and the content is far from impressive.  The affidavit 
>essentially states that requests for 1.7 additional ICDS centres have been 
>received from the state governments, "in pursuance of Supreme Court 
>orders".  With 6.6 lakh centres already operational, this marginal 
>expansion would fall far short of the total 14 lakh centres required for 
>universalisation in rural areas alone, as per Supreme Court orders.  The 
>laid-back response of the central government is all the more disappointing 
>as the universalisation of ICDS is part of the Common Minimum Programme of 
>the UPA government: "The UPA will also universalize the Integrated Child 
>Development Services (ICDS) scheme to provide a functional anganwadi in 
>every settlement and ensure full coverage for all children."  The National 
>Advisory Council has formulated detailed recommendations on this, in line 
>with the Supreme Court orders, but these recommendations are yet to be 
>considered by the government.
>
>On a more positive note, the government's affidavit informs the Supreme 
>Court that the expenditure norms for supplementary nutrition under ICDS 
>will be increased for all user categories with immediate effect. The norms 
>have been increased from 95 paise per day to Rs. 1.9 per day for infants, 
>from Rs. 1.35 per day to Rs. 2.70 per day for severely malnourished 
>infants, and from Rs. 1.15 to Rs. 2.3 per day for pregnant and nursing 
>mothers and adolescent girls.
>
>The campaign for universalisation of ICDS continues, and Children's Day is 
>a good opportunity to reiterate this demand.
>
>2. MID-DAY MEALS UPDATE
>
>The outlook for mid-day meals in primary schools is a little more upbeat 
>than for ICDS.  Here again, the Common Minimum Programme includes a 
>specific commitment: "A national cooked nutritious mid-day meal scheme 
>funded mainly by the central government will be introduced in primary and 
>secondary schools. An appropriate mechanism for quality checks will also 
>set up."  In contrast with the continued apathy on ICDS, this pledge on 
>mid-day meals has led to some concrete action.  A large part of the 
>"Education Cess" (expected to fetch about Rs 5,000 crores per year) has 
>been ear-marked for mid-day meals.  Central assistance to the tune of Re 1 
>per child per day is being provided with effect from 1 September, 2004.  
>These additional resources could substantially improve the quality of 
>mid-day meals, provided that they are treated as additional resources by 
>the states governments, and not used by them as an opportunity to reduce 
>their own contributions.
>
>Central assistance has also enabled some of the state governments that had 
>not initiated mid-day meals (in violation of Supreme Court orders) to make 
>a start.  For instance, mid-day meals have finally been introduced in Uttar 
>Pradesh.  However, early reports suggest that the implementation of mid-day 
>meals in UP is very erratic and haphazard. According to a report in Indian 
>Express (dated 29 September), even in the city of Lucknow arrangements are 
>yet to be made for utensils, water, cooking sheds or indeed cooking staff.  
>Head teachers were informed just the day before that they were supposed to 
>provide meals and so they carried cooking pots from their own homes, while 
>the children used leaves from trees as bowls. In rural areas, too, there 
>have been serious teething problems, including much resistance from 
>high-caste parents, especially when the cook is a Dalit.  These report 
>bring back memories of similar problems in the early days of the mid-day 
>meal programme in Rajasthan and elsewhere.  Hopefully they will be 
>overcome, but as of now the situation in UP is quite grim.
>
>As this Update leaves the launchpad, it is learnt that cooked mid-day meals 
>are finally being introduced in Bihar also, based on an expenditure norm of 
>Re 1.64 per child per day.  With Bihar and UP on board, the coverage of 
>cooked mid-day meals in primary schools is now close to universal.  This is 
>an achievement of sorts, but there are miles to go before we sleep, as the 
>quality of mid-day meals still leaves much to be desired in most states.
>
>3. NAFRE LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN ON COMMON SCHOOLING AND THE RIGHT TO WORK
>
>NAFRE (national Alliance for the Fundamental Right to Education) held an 
>important meeting in Hyderabad recently, and decided to launch "a people's 
>campaign for Common
>School System and constitutional right to work". Excerpts from a recent 
>e-mail:
>
>"We have discussed the proposed Employment Guarantee Act at Hyderabad...  
>In our opinion it is not sufficient to provide 100 days of work to 
>unemployed youth of our Nation. We need to address our economic policy and 
>developmental direction in this regard. It is the right of people and not a 
>matter of beneficient privilege to get employment for livelihood and Govt. 
>must do it.
>
>As you know NAFRE has taken the issue of "right to work" with Education 
>right and Equity in Education. We are going to organize a people's campaign 
>for Common School System and constitutional right for Work.  In the first 
>phase of the movement we will observe campaign from 28th of oct. (shiksha 
>adhikar diwas) to 10th of Dec. (human rights day) across the country.  
>Press conferences, seminars, meeting with community people, memorandum 
>submission and rallies will be organized all over country.
>
>At Delhi more than 15 thousand people will come on 29th nov.and make a 
>human chain & will submit a demand letter to govt. We will be concluding 
>the programme on 10th Dec.  During the coming budget session more than 30 
>thousand people are expected to march towards parliament to press the above 
>concerns."
>
>4. EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE:  UPDATE
>
>The draft Employment Guarantee Act (EGA) is winding its way through the 
>system (Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Rural Development, other 
>Ministries, Cabinet, etc.).  It is expected to reach the Cabinet any time 
>this month, and if all goes well it will be tabled in Parliament in early 
>December - in what form it will reach remains to be seen.
>
>Meanwhile, organizations across the country are getting ready to agitate 
>for the right to work, including a full-fledged EGA, on 10 December (Human 
>Rights Day).  As mentioned in Part 1 of this update, a unanimous decision 
>to demonstrate for the right to work on 10 December was taken at a 
>convention on EGA held in Delhi last month (a report on this convention has 
>just been published in Frontline).  All-India organisations involved in 
>this effort already include the All India Agricultural Workers Alliance, 
>All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU), All India Democratic Women's 
>Association (AIDWA), Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS), National Alliance of 
>People's Movements (NAPM), National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), New 
>Trade Union Initiative (NTUI), among many others - the list is growing 
>fast.  The participating organizations are planning to agitate 
>independently or jointly, but in any case on the same date - 10 December.  
>In case you haven't planned anything yet for 10 December, it is not too 
>late!
>
>5. UPDATE ON THE "BANNERS PROJECT"
>
>Among many activities that are planned for 10 December, one is to collect 
>signatures (demanding an Employment Guarantee Act) on banners all over 
>India.  After 10 December, the banners will be brought to Delhi and tied 
>together for a creative public display of "people's voices from around the 
>country".  An effort is being made to collect at least one banner with 
>signatures from each district - this will also be a useful way of ensuring 
>that the movement spreads to new places.
>
>For effective display in Delhi, it would be useful to have banners of 
>similar size. It has therefore been suggested that old light-coloured saris 
>be used for this purpose.  Please consider joining this effort and planning 
>a signature campaign in your own area.  In fact, there is no need to wait 
>for 10 December - the collection of signatures can start any day.  Further 
>details about this initiative will follow soon (and be posted on the 
>website also).  Meanwhile, for further advice and information you can send 
>a line to rozgar at gmail.com or contact any of the following persons in 
>Delhi: Vivek (3091 7116), Rajan (2371 1276), Subhash Bhatnagar 
>(9810810365), Suneet Chopra (2307 3666).
>
>6. ALL INDIA PEOPLES DIGNITY RALLY ON 5 DECEMBER
>
>The following announcement has been received from the World Dignity Forum:
>
>"The World Dignity Forum along with eight mass organisations in India are 
>organising an All India Peoples Dignity Rally at Ramlila Grounds in Delhi 
>on 5 December. There is going to be worldwide demonstrative action on this 
>day by solidarity groups who would like to stand up and mobilize for the 
>sociopolitical inclusion of Dalits and other discriminated sections of the 
>world. For further details please contact Deepa Menon (india at hbfasia.org)." 
>  Further details are available in 
>www.righttofoodindia.org/wdignitiyforum.html
>
>
>7. RECAP OF FORTHCOMING EVENTS
>
>Much action is on the cards during the next few weeks.  Some forthcoming 
>events of interest are listed below:
>
>18 November onwards: National conference of the All India Democratic 
>Women's Association (AIDWA) in Bhubaneswar.
>
>21 November: National convention of All India Agricultural Workers Alliance 
>in Delhi. Contact: Swapan Ganguly, Convener, All India Agricultural Workers 
>Alliance (tel 033-25380386, fax 033-25384779, e-mail jsk at cal2.vsnl.net.in).
>
>26-28 November: National convention of the Coalition for Nuclear 
>Disarmament and Peace (CNDP) in Jaipur.  Contact: Kavita Srivastava (tel 
>0141-2706 483, kavisriv at yahoo.com).
>
>28 November: Shiksha Adhikar Diwas. Launch of  NAFRE's campaign for Common 
>Schooling and the Right to Work (see above).  Contact: Ambarish Rai 
>(amb1857 at yahoo.com).
>
>29 November: NAFRE's human chain in Delhi (see above).
>
>5 December: All India Peoples Dignity Rally at Ramlila Grounds in Delhi 
>(see above).  Contact: Deepa Menon (india at hbfasia.org).
>
>10 December: Human Rights Day.  Country-wide demonstrations for the right 
>to work and "employment guarantee now" (see above).
>
>

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