Press Release
15 October 2012
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Focusing on Hunger, West Bengal Government decides to distribute free rations on the occasion of ᗯrld Food Day⠴omorrow
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The yatra forced the state government to acknowledge hunger and distribute free rations of 5 kg foodgrains to 5000 units for each district i.e. around 278 units from each blocks / municipalities on the occasion of ᗯrld Food Day⠯n 16 October 2012, something which has never been done before in the state. The Minister of Food and Supplies is himself visiting two tea plantations in Jalpaiguri district, which were recently rocked by reports of hunger and starvation deaths.
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The yatra on its last chapter, before it converges with the yatras of all the Eastern states in Jamshedpur tomorrow, has covered 16 districts in the state.
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Public meetings were held in Tangra and Boral in Kolkata, organized by Griha Adhikar Manch, Jiban o Jeebika Uchhed Protirodh Committee (Prostuti), Nari Sanghati Committee (Boral), New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI), Right Track, Ragpickers Association, Tiljala Shed and Calcutta Samaritans on 12 and 14 October respectively. Both the meetings were attended predominantly by women slum dwellers living in the city along rail-lines, many working as rag-pickers. Living in the peripheries of the city, most of these slum dwellers have to face the challenge of displacement against the state and are constantly on the edge of food insecurity.࠼/span>
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On 12th and 14th October the yatra touched Birbhum district. A street corner was organised by the Sangrami Jan Manch in a busy market place at Rajnagar, right in one corner of the district, just a few hundred yards away from the Jharkhand border. This was followed on 14th October by a meeting organised by Uthnau, a member organisation of the campaign and the Bharat Jakat Majhi Mandwa in Mollarpur, which was attend by 35-40 activists of these Santhal organisations. Discussions were also held with members of the district level Santhal organsiation, Birbhum Adivasi Goanta, at both Rajnagar and Mollarpur on the next phase of the programme. The Birbhum programmes were attended by NTUI, PBKMS and SMS members from other districts. In Birbhum the issue of hunger among unorganised workers in stone quarries, stone crushers, rice mills, brick fields as well as agricultural work were prominently the issues discussed, as well as the problem of people's control over forests and land, and the impact of this on food security.
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On 13th October, MASUM, another member organisation of the campaign organised a mass meeting at Char Durgapur in Raninagar block of the Murshidabad district, right on the Bangladesh border. A number of organisations and individuals supporting the campaign attended the meeting - the PHE Pump Operators Contract Workers' Union, NTUI, PBKMS, SMS, Pallabh Goswami, a retired Government official and Anant Moitra, a playwright. At Char Durgapur, a picture of great deprivation came up. The usual problems of a dysfunctional PDS, and non functioning Anganwaris was compounded by the stories of atrocities of the BSF and by the way in which the Government treats these citizens with great suspicion, making them the subject of constant survelliance and recurring midnight raids in their houses. Just getting a ration card was a big struggle for the people of this region. ༯span>
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12 Gram Panchayats were covered in Dhaniakhali Block and Hoogli blocks of Hooghly district on 12 and 13 October 2012, by༯span>Udayani Social Action Forum. The main slogans raised by women were, Სtion churi bondo koro⠨Stop stealing ration). The main issues raised were less than the allocated quantity of foodgrains being given to BPL and AAY cardholders, and none to Annapurna cardholders. The rally walked to the ration shops demanding the dealers to give them the right quantity and cash memo. Some women in fact came with their ration cards to collect their due as per the State orders from the dealers and got their rationing as per the order.
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Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity (PBKMS), Shramajivee Mahila Samity (SMS) Shramajivee Samanvay Committee and NTUI concluded the North 24 Parganas district chapter of the yatra, with pathasabhas and public meetings in Hasnabad, Minakha, Basirhat 1 and 2, Sandeshkhali 1 and 2, Bagda and Bongaon blocks from 11-14 October 2012. ༯span>
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Photographs of the yatra in Murshidabad district are attached
For more details, please contact:༯span>ࠠࠠࠠࠠࠠࠠࠠࠠࠠࠠ
Saradindu BiswasଠPh: 9433342488 ࠦnbsp; ࠠ༯span>
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