'Ensure food security during emergency'
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 12 2012:
The State should come up with a workable mechanism to ensure the availability of food during emergency periods such as prolonged blockade and bandh so that public avoids food crisis during such period.
This was one of the recommendations adopted during a State level public hearing on Right to Food, PDS held yesterday at Lamyanba Shanglen, Palace Compound under the aegis of Sustainable Livelihood Forum Manipur.
Briefing media persons today at the Manipur Press Club, Kavita Srivastava, National Secretary of People's Union for Civil Liberties, one of the panellists of the hearing, said all the recommendations adopted during the public hearing would be put in the Supreme Court.
She said a total of 56 cases relating to non-issuance of ration card, non-access to entitlement and irregular and inadequate supply of PDS items; non-functioning of Fair Price Shop in every polling station, improper conduct of BPL survey, removal of politically appointed nominees, lack of awareness on PDS and son-storage of PDS items in godowns were filed during the public hearing.
The hearing deposed 16 selected cases and came out with some landmark recommendations, Kavita said.
Among others, the recommendations included that the State must ensure entitlement of AAY card to each and every People Living With HIV/AIDS who is on ART medication and to make the AAY card a life-long validity once it is issued.
Kavita also said that the hearing also recommended that the State should issue ration card to every household irrespective of newly established or old village, and the public redressal mechanism for PDS should be set up and made accessible to the community as it should be the prime duty of the State to redress the grievances of the people who are deprived of their right to food/PDS.
Ration card should be issued considering the urgency of the genuine demands of the needy people by conducting immediate survey by the concerned authority and there is no need for leaving the complaints unattended just waiting for the completion of the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), the hearing, which was attended by the Additional Chief Secretary, Director of CAF&PD, DCs of all districts excluding Bishnupur DC, further recommended.
Kavita Srivastava said that Harsh Mander, Right to Food Commissioner of Supreme Court, who was one of the panellists, met the Chief Secretary and all officials of the State dealing with the right to food this morning where assurance was given to comply with many rights to food commitments.