FIAN International - Defendig the Right to Food Worldwide - World Food Day Campaign Success against Starvation Deaths

FIAN International - Defendig the Right to Food Worldwide - World Food Day Campaign Success against Starvation Deaths

India's weaving industry falls victim to globalization

India's weaving industry falls victim to globalization

Report of Right to food of PVCHR :August and Sept.06

Report, August 2006


Number of Petitions made in the month of august 06-There are several issues raised relating to the scattered deprived community of the society & basically of our project area. During the month of august total number of prepared petitions are ten (10). Out of which we got two results in favor of victim, describing as below-

Musahar community of the village Belwa of the block Pindra , district varanasi have been deprived by all the schemes of government since beginning . They are now able to avail the BPL card facility, which thus assure their daily meal at least. Before our intervention the community are basically involved as a bonded labour under the head of the village.
A job loosing weaver Ainul Haq & his family was suffering from hunger. Besides hunger he was unable to take treatment of his three pus-secreting wounds in his abdomen, caused by doctor operation of hernia. Now he has received Yelloo card, then BPL & some food grains by the hand of DSO, varanasi. Order of issuing Red card for the victim has also been passed by the DM varanasi & also he was offered for free treatment from CMO of Shiv Prasad Gupt Hospital, varanasi.

Activities of IRC - IRC, on one hand continuously colleting violation reporting, doing media liosioning along with sharing its experiences with local, national & international level of group, society & even individual on regular basis. We approach to them, ask their opinion & then frame our research work.
IRC, on the other hand sent some booklets, fact-finding reports & some critical views on the burning sensitive issuesto local, national & international thinkers. Such as –
· Voice Of Voiceless Weavers
· Status Of Quality Institutional Care of the state UP, An Overview.
· A critical view on Draft Of Farmer’s Policy

Special Activities Of RTFC- To wake- up Different functionaries of the system/Government, it is needed to be louder at some interval of time. That is why different demonstration were taken place with raising the demand of different issues such as-
Sl. No. Date Participants Place Issue
1. 8/08/06 PVCHR, Villagers of Belwa, Baghwanala, VOP & many more Before DM office Torture imposed by administration of varanasi on Human Rights Activists
Malnutrition & hunger situation of the village Baghwanala

2. 14/08/06 PVCHR with VOP ,, To protect right to education with a demand of removing inequality in present education system.
3. 29/08/06 PVCHR,VOP, VISION, Villagers of Baghwanala& Shivrampur ,, On the Question of Livelyhood of the villagers of Baghwanala.



Liasoning With MLAs/MPs- In order to make aware of the ground reality of the deprived community, IRC used to send self prepared material of the facts, received during our field visits. Voice of Voiceless, & reports of Belwa have been sent to most of the policy makers & now waiting for their response.



Achievement In Different Pockets Of our Project Area-

Si. No. Village District Achievent
1. Phulpur varanasi Yellow & BPL cards distributed among all the beneficiaries.
2. Milkapur ,, BPL card distributed among most of the banaficiaries.
3. Bindwallia Gajipur Gram Panchayat is now willing to provide ‘Aawas’ to all the beneficiaries.
4. Tikuli Bangali Patti Kushinagar Job card has been distributed of number 317200158000 to …8009 respectively.
5. Laxmipur ,, Food grain Bank has been established.
6. Robertsganj Sonbhadra PD shop is now being run according to the laws & conditions.
7. ,, ,, Renewal of ration card .
8. Purwa, Gurgi, Waidha,Chhatardiha, Harsad, Ahugikurd, Sikta, Chakkotar Mirjapur Total 80-widow/ old age pension forms have been filled up.
9 Virpur ,, Matritwa Labh Yojna benefits three women.
10. Waidha ,, ADO Panchayat distributed 10 antyodasy card.
11. Gurgi ,, 5 Antyoday Cards are Distributed.
12. Samwansa Jaunpur 56 beneficiaries are provided job card.
13. Dannipur Varanasi Hand Pipe is set up.
14. Rahimpur basti varanasi Proper Drainage System was done.


Note: If the detail of Job Card & Ration Card is required, we will send to you.

Milestone of the Month-
In the village Laxmipur of the district Kushinagar, Food Grain Bank has been established only by the participation of Musahar community. They are not only contributing 20Kg of grain from each family but also 20 Rs/- from each pockets. This is the great example of the saying “Where there is will, There is a way.”
A tremendous change found in a village Virpur of the district Mirjapur after the intervention of our project fellow named Tirthraj. The villagers involved in NREGA programme are now getting actual wage of 59 Rs/- which they were not getting ever.
Having seen our deep concern towards the of crises of downtrodden society, we were invited in the meeting of Planning commission held on 4th july 2006 in new Delhi. Mrs. Shruti Raghuvanshi participated on behalf of PVCHR & placed the demand the deprived community needed for.
Report of the month of September 06

Petition prepared & their Subjects-:

Subject Send to
Crisis in Panchayati Raj in the village Vajidpur where upper cast community is suppressing Pradhan belongs to dalit community. NHRC & DM varanasi.
Justice asked for miserable condition of a Weaver’s family of Benipur whose bread owner has died. NHRC
Pitiable condition of the Weavers of Kushinagar Saida Hameed
Hunger & Starving Situation of the community of Nakhighat & Meeraghat of varanasi. NHRC
Complaint for curruption found in ICDS programme of Shankarpur, Chiraigaon , varanasi. P.O. ICDS
Starve situation of the village Shankarpur, & Pradhan’s inaction towards them. NHRC & DM varanasi
Complaints of unavailability of safe drinking water in the village shankarpur. DM varanasi, & Block Level.


Information Asked Under RTI

Information Regarding To
PDS of village Belwani of block Chahaniya ADO s.t. Chahaniya
ICDS of shankarpur of block Chiraigaon PO, ICDS
Criteria of listing out voter name in the village Sarai of Pindra block where the whol Musahar community were kept deprived from right of voting. Jila Nirvachan Adhikari
Food Security Plan for Musahars & its implementation in the village sarai. Tahasildar of the sarai
Food Security Plan for Musahars, Bhar, & other deprived community of the village Shankarpur of block Chiraigaon & its implementation.. ADO st of Chiraigaon






Our Complaints taken into consideration by concerned authority-:

NHRC issued an URJENT APPEAL on 19th Sep. 2006, which is an update of starvation death, continue in varanasi. Through its appeal AHRC regrets for starvation death, continue among the impoverished & ruined Weavers family in varanasi.
According to the study on Child Development Scheme done by PVCHR in UP, we made our demand & placed it before Chief Secretary UP. Our Demands were
Increase the number of Anganbaadi
Increase the quota of supplementary Ration provided to the children etc.
The Government agreed with our demands & assured us to take steps for removing the problem.
Sarbari , a girl child of Shivrampur received Rs.1000/- as an emergency assistance, as she was suffering from malnutrition and no one was there to look at their condition. We made a complaint & informed to the concerned authority.
Media Sensitization

On 13th Sep. 2006 Sanat Mohanti interviewed Dr. Lenin on Handloom Crisis & its Impact on Weavers. Several question of continuous hunger death of children in UP, were also answered in this interview.

On 21st Sep. 2006 in an interview by AHRC Dr. Lenin told about the ruined condition of varanasi weavers, their reason of committing suicide& also discus for weavers trust plan which could revitalize the weaving Industry.
On Neelam Raj from the news paper Times of India visited Belwa & Bazardiha to study the situation prevailing there due to inaction of the government & local authority towards their miserable condition. Scanned copy of published report of her study is being attached.
Amosh Malekar form the magazine ‘Agenda’ has visited many villages of varanasi such as Baghwanala & Belwa. In order to make a report on the condition of poor & jobless community he spent two days with PVCHR.
Training Program

On 16th & 17th of Sep. there has been two days training program in Kaithi training center, varanasi. Almost all the fellows of different project areas were received the training on the following subjects
· RTF
· RTI
· Child Sexual Abuse
· ICDS

Apart from the above said subjects we came to know that-
What are the problems the community suffering from,
What is the proper way of addressing such problem,
What should be the procedure of solving out the problem
Achivements in differents pockets of project area

· Only by the initiative of Bhushan Prasad, a fellow of Kushinagar distrct such a huge number of children were get enrolled in Primary School of their respective villages.

Village No of children enrolled
Kurmoul
30

Khirkiya
50
Ramwaliya 40
Nahar Chhapra 103
Baewa Kala 17
Nautan Hardo 20


· It is the continuous effort of Bhushan Prasad by which the the families suffering from hunger & malnourishment, have received Emergency Assistances of Rs 1000/- along with some grain by their local & dist. Authority.

Name W/O or D/O Village Support of
Gulayachi Rajdev Kurmoul 1000/-40Kg Rice
Sugiya Devi Late Chhattu Kurmoul 1000/-40Kg Rice
Prem S/o Ramraj Nahar Chhapra 500/-, 20 Kg Rice, 5 Kg Sugar,
5 Liter kerosin oil


· People of different villages of Kushinagar received Antyoday card-


Village Card No
Sekhbaniya Antyoday 46
Barwanala ,, 07
Jangal belwa ,, 10
Jangal Khirkiya ,, 05
Jangal Khirkiya BPL 23
Jangal Kurmoul Antyoday 20
Noutan chhedi ,, 12


· In different village of varanasi villagers received following cards-

Village Card
Barghisanda 15 Red cards
Sanghati 05 Red cards


Membership in Mushar Nar Adhikar Manch, Chandauli.
Increased with the number of 200 new members.


Success Story in the month of Sep- 06

Like most of the villages in UP, Samwansa is a village of block a & district Jaunpur where the government plans & schemes were running on the paper only. Similarly the villagers were quite unknown to that schemes & plans which exists to improve their ruined condition. Through our fellow name Tirthraj, we came to know that in the village Samwansa NREGA is being implemented only on the paper & not as itsd real sense. The villagers were continuously compelled for laborer kind of work at a very low wage like 15 to20 Rs in a day. When we asked the villagers about NREGA, they are found totally unaware of that. PVCHR then held a number of awareness programme for the villagers & motivate them to fight for their right. In this way they came to know about the sachems & plans of the government that they can avail very frequently. The villagers were also came to know the real status of the execution of the program.
After knowing all that facts the villagers themselves made several efforts for getting registered in NREGA programe. In spite of getting registered the local authority were not wiling to provide their job card to them. The villagers were wrote to the BDO, CDO, DM & filed their complaints. Finally their complaints were heard & the villagers got their job card.
Now the scenario is quite different. The men along with equal number of women of the village are involved in work under NREGA. They are receiving minimum wage of their work & almost satisfied with their lives. Some nearby villages like Gondalpur & Lamhan are also influenced by the village Samwansa & trying to implimant the act in the same way as implementing in the Samwansa.

Message on International food secuirity Day :2006

Todays is the international food security day with the aim that every person living in this world must get the minimum need i.e required for the survival in this present scenario. As India is a food rich country but there are many states in India who are below poverty line one of them is the state of uttar pradesh where many people die from starvation ,hunger and malnutrition .So here comes the duty of the state Govt to look after its people who are suffering from miserable condition . The villagers uttar pradesh are not receiving any wages even after their participation in food for work scheme and the Govt bureaucrat are giving false impression of the scheme functioning in UP .The PDS{Public distribution shop} are not functioning properly ,There have been charges upon 4 officers ,SP ,district Collector Executive magistrate that they were predent enough to discharge of their duties that would have prevented at least afew deaths from stravtion in their respective Juridiction.

The most miserable condition is of the weavers who have lost their job and working as labors, rag pickers , mechanics etc. Due to this the income of weavers hae reduced a lots which had a great impact on their health and even their family Though district administration formulated the comprehensive plan of action for the developmental and welfare of musahar of Varanasi district Rs 647 lacs scheme were provided to 3613 families ,Case also been mentioned in figures to both state and central Govt .

Malnutrition is the matter of concerned specially in case of children malnutrition campaign was carried by PVCHR , VOP,JMN,FORCE UNICEF to open technical center in the state of Varanasi .Different activist have forwarded petition against malnutrition and starvation death to the various level of the govt in order to open ICDS Center number of case study have been monitored and documented by PVCHR regarding the problem related to the suffering community .Many families are living on the Rozor edge of the survival with no land and food security as a result the children who are the state responsibility and future of country are living on the brink of survival suffering from acute malnutrition and hunger .

As children is the future of our country but they are the becoming the victims of starvation and hunger .Who will be held responsible for the situation ? Is it the Govt who makes powerful policies on the paper but fail to implement it ?or It is the citizens who are asking for their basic right? There are cases which shows that maximum number of death occur in UP . Such as ;A nine month old girl child seema – musahar of Belwa Varanasi died due to hunger from 3rd grade of malnutrition on 28 july 06 but the administration got aware of her death where as AHRC issued hunger 1.30 p.m on 28 july 06 .An 8 year old minor girl of shivrampur had been suffering from malnutrition from 4th grade of malnutrition .

Over 90 cases of hunger death have been reported to the govt but in reply the govt said that thay have implemented food scheme in VARANASI ,SONEDHADRA,JUANPUR,KUSHINAGER, MIRZAPUR district etc. from where death reports had come. In the village Belwa of varanasin dist on 29 may of 2006 muneeb mushar son of Gulab musahar died due to hunger and oriented malnutrition . The death of 18 children between july and sept allegedly due to lack of food ,has sparked concerns about growing starvation in a landless indigenous community in a remote village in northern India . Different movement were also been carried out to provide right to food for every citizens of UP ,So it is an appeal to every person to come forward and raise the voice against their violation of their right .

Report Of The Month Of JULY 2006:Right To Food

Report Of The Month Of JULY 2006
Right To Food


As far as the assessment of CBOs & MBOs are concerned we want to mention here that more CBOs and MBOs are continue to be assessed by the project fellows and the also by concerned persons of the project. We are communicating each other through letters, E-mail & visited them too. This is why already assessed CBOs, MBOs(their name given in my earlier reports) and the newly assessed CBOs, MBOs are placed their vital role in conveying massages to the targeted community. For example,

ä During‘Rojgar Haq Yatra’ organized by PVCHR among 22 villages of U.P.all the CBOs & MBOs took active participation. Also during several demonstration they placed their vital role.

ä During “Health Camp” organized by PVCHR in the village Ghasiyabasti of the sonbhadra district they help a lot in spreading information of organizing health camp, its benefit for the community, and also provide their services with us.

Many petitions have been filed at District, NHRC, & AHRC level. One of the most die hearted case of the death 9 months old girl child Seema, who was died by malnutrition; PVCHR represented its anger against criminal negligence of the Varanasi Administration towards the plight of the victim. In respect of this AHRC issued –

1. Hunger Alert in the state saying that children were starving to death & the Govt. Officials were doing nothing to address the problem.

2. An open Letter to Varanasi Administration by Executive Director, AHRC

Many more Press Statements has done the great job in providing the justce to the victim such as-
Seeking information from Pindra SDM of varanasi regarding Allotment of land in the village Belwa.
.
Apart from that applications have also been filed by our fellows of project area on various issues emerging during their conversation with the villagers relating to their basic amenities like food, education & housing.

1- In the village Barkara of Kushinagar district petition prepared against the secretary as he rejected the form of Matritwa Labh Yojna of two women by saying that unless and until they did not wash their utensils of his domestic use, the form was not approved. Fellows went to the BDO and complained. The BDO assured for prompt action.

2- In the village Bhabhua of the district Sonbhadra complaint against the Pradhan placed before BDO on wage issue.
3- In the village Complaint to the BDO against irregular distribution of PD shop service.
4- In the village Barwakala of Kushinagar district Complaint against PD shop at block level.
5- In the village Rajpur Dehati, Mohaw, Adhru of Gajipur district complaint against midday meal, ration card were made before D.M.
.
Research and consultation on NAMA and impact on weavers –
To raise the question on the condition of weavers, IRC section of Right to Food Campaign published a magazine titled ‘Voice of Voiceless Weavers’ The magazine consists of the description of actual economic and social condition of the weavers and also put their demands for their livelihood. It covers all the communication (Open Letters) taken place among PVCHR & the Policy Makers of the governing body to redevelop weaving industries by keeping Weavers decision in center. Through this magazine PVCHR tries to aware about the need of Master Plan for the development of saari industry and to create share financing and trust financing in the field of Weaving Industry.

State level consultation at Varanasi and Gorakhpur :-
We had a state level meeting held on 12 june 06 in Lucknow where supreme court commissioner Arundhati Dhuru and I.C. Dvivedi were present along with the NGOs, & CBOs & MBOs. All they are working securing rights of every last man of the society. During the meeting it is decided to organize a state level campaign on Right to Food as early as possible where all the victim will be invited to put the injustice imposed on them in different circumstances.

Linking with state, National and International Groups on Right to food campaign: -
We are continuously the link of several state level groups like TSA, AAK, VOP etc. In our every activities they all have been participating out either it is demonstration before DM or to raise voice against violation of rights. On 12th june 06 a demonstration taken place by RTFC before DM varanasi where VOP & other organizations took their active participation. We are regular in the contact of NHRC, AHRC & all other concerned authorities in the context of several issues occurred in our project area. Like-.
ä HRLN in June 2006 sent in house news letter to us.

Some more Achievements in several villages are as follows-
Sveral villages are now get enrolled in primary schools of their This is the effort of our Project Fellows by which a number of children of respective villages. As they were being deprived by their rights due to feudal mentality of the society since very beginning.
.
Sl.No.. Village District No. of children Enrolled
1. Khirkiya Kushinagar 48
2. Kurmoul Kushinagar 25
3. Naharchhapra Kushinagar 110


· In Barkara of the district Sonbhadra, a new MBO has been established by the effort of our Project Fellow aimed at fighting against violation of rights. It has its own constitution to run the organization to fulfill its aim & objective. It has its own decision-making & policy making body.
Prepared by Manisha Tiwary,Field Coordinator,PVCHR

Sub Divisional Magistrate was present to ensuring fare selection of PDS shopkeepers of village Dadera District Barabanki.

Sub Divisional Magistrate was present to ensuring fare selection of PDS shopkeepers of village Dadera District Barabanki.

An Open meeting was being organized for the selection of PDS Shopkeeper of Sarah Shewaz village of Dadera Panchayat on Dated 1st August’06. This meting was decided by District Magistrate. Which is impact of six months advocacy for ensuring the food rights of the poor villagers of Dadera. Before that another meeting was held at 3rd. July 06 for the deciding shop keeper of PDS Shop of Dadera Villagers. Some of anti social element disturbed the meeting and meeting abounded. It was the first time in history of village when SDM was present in the open meeting of gram panchayat. SDM with Circle officer Fatehpur and Station Officer Ghughter, Assistant Vikas Khand Officer (Panchayat), Pradhan of Nindura Gram and Dadera Distt Development officer were also present. The nominees for the post of shopkeeper were Kalpana Singh w/o Sushil Singh and Mr. Nattha Ram.

SDM requested to Convener of Rozi-Roti Samiti to facilitate meeting as per rules and regulation of Panchyati Raj. Rules and regulations were being told to the community and was also motivated by S.D.M.

On the request of The Rozi-Roti Samiti SDM ephasis in this meeting that whosoever may be the shop keeper he/ she has to make up his mind that he/ she has to distribute the food grains in every village of Dadera panchayat so that distribution may not get any hindrances and every citizen may get this benefit including this he said that during distribution of food grains, Supply Inspector, Law Officer and Nayab Tehsildar have to be present so that during distribution process there must not be any problem and if any problem has been found then the said person due to which problem occurred will be severely punished and strict action will be taking against him/ her

The counting of majority was being held in the next proceeding of the meeting and this was pre decided that whosoever gets the highest number of persons will be the shop owner. In a very peaceful manner counting process was started. Firstly counting process was started in favour of Mr. Nattha Ram and in this 4,41 people registered their satisfaction with him. After this counting started in favour of Kalpana Singh and here 526 people registered their satisfaction with him and according to the rule Kalpana Singh was declared as a shop owner. After the end of the meeting the villagers were sending back to their destinations along with police security. In this regard S.D.M. Fatehpur appreciated the work of organization and gave full credit for this open meeting to the Rozi-Roti Samiti. Aim/ Rozi-Roti Samiti gifted three books published by our organization. They viewed the books carefully and highly appreciated the publishing material. He said that books are very helpful for the whole organization as it contains lots of facts.

This meeting was the first meeting in this whole block in which S.D.M. Was present during the full meeting for deciding shop owner of PDS shop. Ultimately Panchayati raj system also strengthens for deciding the shop owner of Dadera Village. This happen only for the continuous efforts of the Rozi-Roti Samiti ___________________________

Mounting Suicides and National Policy for Farmers

Open Letter
From: Bhaskar Save, 'Kalpavruksha' Farm,
Village Dehri, via Umergam,
Dist. Valsad, Gujarat – 396 170
(Phone: 0260 – 2562126 & 2563866)
To: Shri M.S. Swaminathan,
The Chairperson, National Commission on Farmers,
Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India
July 29, 2006
Subject: Mounting Suicides and National Policy for Farmers
Dear Shri Swaminathan,
I am an 84-year old natural/organic farmer with more than six decades of personal experience in growing a wide range of food crops. I have, over the years, practised several systems of farming, including the chemical method in the fifties – until I soon saw its pitfalls.
I say with conviction that it is only by organic farming in harmony with Nature, that India can sustainably provide her people abundant, wholesome food. And meet every basic need of all – to live in health, dignity and peace.
You, M.S. Swaminathan, are considered the 'father' of India's so-called 'Green Revolution' that flung open the floodgates of toxic 'agro' chemicals – ravaging the lands and lives of many millions of Indian farmers over the past 50 years. More than any other individual in our long history, it is you I hold responsible for the tragic condition of our soils and our debt-burdened farmers, driven to suicide in increasing numbers every year.
As destiny would have it, you are presently the chairperson of the 'National Commission on Farmers', mandated to draft a new agricultural policy. I urge you to take this opportunity to make amends – for the sake of the children, and those yet to come.
I understand your Commission is inviting the views of farmers for drafting the new policy. As this is an open consultation, I am marking a copy of my letter to: the Prime Minister, the Union Minister for Agriculture, the Chairperson of the National Advisory Council, and to the media - for wider communication. I hope this provokes some soul-searching and open debate at all levels on the extremely vital issues involved. – So that we do not repeat the same kind of blunders that led us to our present, deep festering mess.
The great poet, Rabindranath Tagore, referred not so long ago to our "sujhalam, sufalam" land. Ours indeed was a remarkably fertile and prosperous country – with rich soils, abundant water and sunshine, thick forests, a wealth of bio-diversity, … And cultured, peace-loving people with a vast store of farming knowledge and wisdom.
Farming runs in our blood. But I am sad that our (now greyed) generation of Indian farmers, allowed itself to be duped into adopting the short-sighted and ecologically devastating way of farming, imported into this country. – By those like you, with virtually zero farming experience!
For generations beyond count, this land sustained one of the highest densities of population on earth. Without any chemical 'fertilizers', pesticides, exotic dwarf strains of grain, or the new, fancy 'bio-tech' inputs that you now seem to champion. The many waves of invaders into this country, over the centuries, took away much. But the fertility of our land remained unaffected.
The Upanishads say:
Om Purnamadaha
Purnamidam Purnat Purnamudachyate
Purnasya Purnamadaya Purnamewa Vashishyate
"This creation is whole and complete.
From the whole emerge creations, each whole and complete.
Take the whole from the whole, but the whole yet remains,
Undiminished, complete!"
In our forests, the trees like ber (jujube), jambul (jambolan), mango, umbar (wild fig), mahua (Madhuca indica), imli (tamarind), … yield so abundantly in their season that the branches sag under the weight of the fruit. The annual yield per tree is commonly over a tonne – year after year. But the earth around remains whole and undiminished. There is no gaping hole in the ground!
From where do the trees – including those on rocky mountains – get their water, their NPK, etc? Though stationary, Nature provides their needs right where they stand. But 'scientists' and technocrats like you – with a blinkered, meddling itch – seem blind to this. On what basis do you prescribe what a tree or plant requires, and how much, and when…?
It is said: where there is lack of knowledge, ignorance masquerades as 'science'! Such is the 'science' you have espoused, leading our farmers astray – down the pits of misery. While it is no shame to be ignorant, the awareness of such ignorance is the necessary first step to knowledge. But the refusal to see it is self-deluding arrogance.
.
Agricultural Mis-education
This country has more than 150 agricultural universities, many with huge land-holdings of thousands of acres. They have no dearth of infrastructure, equipment, staff, money, … And yet, not one of these heavily subsidized universities makes any profit, or grows any significant amount of food, if only to feed its own staff and students. But every year, each churns out several hundred 'educated' unemployables, trained only in misguiding farmers and spreading ecological degradation.
In all the six years a student spends for an M. Sc. in agriculture, the only goal is short-term – and narrowly perceived – 'productivity'. For this, the farmer is urged to do and buy a hundred things. But not a thought is spared to what a farmer must never do so that the land remains unharmed for future generations and other creatures. It is time our people and government wake up to the realisation that this industry-driven way of farming – promoted by our institutions – is inherently criminal and suicidal!
Gandhi declared: Where there is soshan, or exploitation, there can be no poshan, or nurture! Vinoba Bhave added, "Science wedded to compassion can bring about a paradise on earth. But divorced from non-violence, it can only cause a massive conflagration that swallows us in its flames."
Trying to increase Nature's 'productivity,' is the fundamental blunder that highlights the ignorance of 'agricultural scientists' like you. Nature, unspoiled by man, is already most generous in her yield. When a grain of rice can reproduce a thousand-fold within months, where arises the need to increase its productivity?
Numerous kinds of fruit trees too yield several hundred thousand kg of nourishment each in their lifetime! That is, provided the farmer does not pour poison and mess around the tree in his greed for quick profit. A child has a right to its mother's milk. But if we draw on Mother Earth's blood and flesh as well, how can we expect her continuing sustenance!
The mindset of servitude to 'commerce and industry,' ignoring all else, is the root of the problem. But industry merely transforms 'raw materials' sourced from Nature into commodities. It cannot create anew. Only Nature is truly creative and self-regenerating – through synergy with the fresh daily inflow of the sun's energy.
The Six Self-renewing Paribals of Nature
There is on earth a constant inter-play of the six paribals (key factors) of Nature, interacting with sunlight. Three are: air, water and soil. Working in tandem with these, are the three orders of life: ' vanaspati srushti' (the world of plants), 'jeev srushti' (the realm of insects and micro-organisms), and 'prani srushti' (the animal kingdom). These six paribals maintain a dynamic balance. Together, they harmonise the grand symphony of Nature, weaving the new!
Man has no right to disrupt any of the paribals of Nature. But modern technology, wedded to commerce – rather than wisdom or compassion – has proved disastrous at all levels... We have despoiled and polluted the soil, water and air. We have wiped out most of our forests and killed its creatures; … And relentlessly, modern farmers spray deadly poisons on their fields. These massacre Nature's jeev srushti – the unpretentious but tireless little workers that maintain the ventilated quality of the soil, and recycle all life-ebbed biomass into nourishment for plants. The noxious chemicals also inevitably poison the water, and Nature's prani srushti, which includes humans.
The Root of Unsustainablity
Sustainability is a modern concern, scarcely talked of at the time you championed the 'green revolution'. Can you deny that for more than forty centuries, our ancestors farmed the organic way – without any marked decline in soil fertility, as in the past four or five decades? Is it not a stark fact that the chemical-intensive and irrigation-intensive way of growing monoculture cash-crops, has been primarily responsible for spreading ecological devastation far and wide in this country? – Within the lifetime of a single generation!
Engineered Erosion of Crop Diversity, Scarcity of Organic Matter, and Soil Degradation
This country boasted an immense diversity of crops, adapted over millennia to local conditions and needs. Our numerous tall, indigenous varieties of grain provided more biomass, shaded the soil from the sun, and protected against its erosion under heavy monsoon rains. But in the guise of increasing crop production, exotic dwarf varieties were introduced and promoted through your efforts. This led to more vigorous growth of weeds, which were now able to compete successfully with the new stunted crops for sunlight. The farmer had to spend more labour and money in weeding, or spraying herbicides.
The straw growth with the dwarf grain crops fell drastically to one-third of that with most native species! In Punjab and Haryana, even this was burned, as it was said to harbour 'pathogens'. (It was too toxic to feed farm cattle that were progressively displaced by tractors.) Consequently, much less organic matter was locally available to recycle the fertility of the soil, leading to an artificial need for externally procured inputs. Inevitably, the farmers resorted to use more chemicals, and relentlessly, soil degradation and erosion set in.
Engineered Pestilence
The exotic varieties, grown with chemical 'fertiliser', were more susceptible to 'pests and diseases', leading to yet more poison (insecticides, etc.) being poured. But the attacked insect species developed resistance and reproduced prolifically. Their predators – spiders, frogs, etc. – that fed on these insects and 'biologically controlled' their population, were exterminated. So were many beneficial species like the earthworms and bees.
Agribusiness and technocrats recommended stronger doses, and newer, more toxic (and more expensive) chemicals. But the problems of 'pests' and 'diseases' only worsened. The spiral of ecological, financial and human costs mounted!
The 'Development' of Water Scarcity and Dead, Salty Soils
With the use of synthetic fertilizer and increased cash-cropping, irrigation needs rose enormously. In 1952, the Bhakra dam was built in Punjab, a water-rich state fed by 5 Himalayan rivers. Several thousand more big and medium dams followed all over the country, culminating in the massive Sardar Sarovar. And now, our government is toying with a grandiose, Rs 560,000 crore proposal to divert and 'inter-link' the flow of our rivers. This is sheer 'Tughlaqian' megalomania, without a thought for future generations!
India, next to South America, receives the highest rainfall in the world. The annual average is almost 4 feet. Where thick vegetation covers the ground, and the soil is alive and porous, at least half of this rain is soaked and stored in the soil and sub-soil strata. A good amount then percolates deeper to recharge aquifers, or 'groundwater tables'.
The living soil and its underlying aquifers thus serve as gigantic, ready-made reservoirs gifted free by Nature. Particularly efficient in soaking rain are the lands under forests and trees. And so, half a century ago, most parts of India had enough fresh water all round the year, long after the rains had stopped and gone. But clear the forests, and the capacity of the earth to soak the rain, drops drastically. Streams and wells run dry. It has happened in too many places already.
While the recharge of groundwater has greatly reduced, its extraction has been mounting. India is presently mining over 20 times more groundwater each day than it did in 1950. Much of this is mindless wastage by a minority. But most of India's people – living on hand-drawn or hand-pumped water in villages, and practising only rain-fed farming – continue to use the same amount of ground water per person, as they did generations ago.
More than 80% of India's water consumption is for irrigation, with the largest share hogged by chemically cultivated cash crops. Maharashtra, for example, has the maximum number of big and medium dams in this country. But sugarcane alone, grown on barely 3-4% of its cultivable land, guzzles about 70% of its irrigation waters!
One acre of chemically grown sugarcane requires as much water as would suffice 25 acres of jowar, bajra or maize. The sugar factories too consume huge quantities. From cultivation to processing, each kilo of refined sugar needs 2 to 3 tonnes of water. This could be used to grow, by the traditional, organic way, about 150 to 200 kg of nutritious jowar or bajra (native millets).
While rice is suitable for rain-fed farming, its extensive multiple cropping with irrigation in winter and summer as well, is similarly hogging our water resources, and depleting aquifers. As with sugarcane, it is also irreversibly ruining the land through salinisation.
Soil salinisation is the greatest scourge of irrigation-intensive agriculture, as a progressively thicker crust of salts is formed on the land. Many million hectares of cropland have been ruined by it. The most serious problems are caused where water-guzzling crops like sugarcane or basmati rice are grown round the year, abandoning the traditional mixed-cropping and rotation systems of the past, which required minimal or no watering.
Since at least 60% of the water used for irrigation nowadays in India, is excessive, indeed harmful, the first step that needs to be taken is to control this. Thus, not only will the grave damage caused by too much irrigation stop, but a good deal of the water that is saved can also become available locally for priority areas where acute scarcity is felt.
Conservative Irrigation and Groundwater Recharge at Kalpavruksha
Efficient, organic farming requires very little irrigation – much less than what is commonly used in modern agriculture. The yields of the crops are best when the soil is just damp. Rice is the only exception that grows even where water accumulates, and is thus preferred as a monsoon crop in low-lying areas naturally prone to inundation. Excess irrigation in the case of all other crops expels the air contained in the soil's inter-particulate spaces – vitally needed for root respiration – and prolonged flooding causes root rot.
The irrigation on my farm is a small fraction of that provided in most modern farms today. Moreover, the porous soil under the thick vegetation of the orchard is like a sponge that soaks and percolates to the aquifer, or ground-water table, an enormous quantity of rain each monsoon. The amount of water thus stored in the ground at Kalpavruksha, is far more than the total amount withdrawn from the well for irrigation in the months when there is no rain.
Thus, my farm is a net supplier of water to the eco-system of the region, rather than a net consumer! Clearly, the way to ensure the water security and food security of this nation, is by organically growing mixed, locally suitable crops, plants and trees, following the laws of Nature.
Need for 30% Tree Cover
We should restore at least 30% ground cover of mixed, indigeneous trees and forests within the next decade or two. This is the core task of ecological water harvesting – the key to restoring the natural abundance of groundwater. Outstanding benefits can be achieved within a decade at comparatively little cost. We sadly fail to realise that the potential for natural water storage in the ground is many times greater than the combined capacity of all the major and medium irrigation projects in India – complete, incomplete, or still on paper! Such decentralized underground storage is more efficient, as it is protected from the high evaporation of surface storage. The planting of trees will also make available a variety of useful produce to enhance the well-being of a larger number of people.
Even barren wastelands can be restored to health in less than a decade. By inter-planting short life-span, medium life-span, and long life-span crops and trees, it is possible to have planned continuity of food yield to sustain a farmer through the transition period till the long-life fruit trees mature and yield. The higher availability of biomass and complete ground cover round the year will also hasten the regeneration of soil fertility.
Production, Poverty & Population
After the British left, Indian agriculture was recovering steadily. There was no scarcity of diverse nourishment in the countryside, where 75% of India lived. The actual reason for pushing the 'Green Revolution' was the much narrower goal of increasing marketable surplus of a few relatively less perishable cereals to fuel the urban-industrial expansion favoured by the government.
The new, parasitical way of farming you vigorously promoted, benefited only the industrialists, traders and the powers-that-be. The farmers' costs rose massively and margins dipped. Combined with the eroding natural fertility of their land, they were left with little in their hands, if not mounting debts and dead soils. Many gave up farming. Many more want to do so, squeezed by the ever-rising costs. This is nothing less than tragic, since Nature has generously gifted us with all that is needed for organic farming – which also produces wholesome, rather than poisoned food!
Restoring the natural health of Indian agriculture is the path to solve the inter-related problems of poverty, unemployment and rising population. The maximum number of people can become self-reliant through farming only if the necessary inputs are a bare minimum. Thus, farming should require a minimum of financial capital and purchased inputs, minimum farming equipment (plough, tools, etc.), minimum necessary labour, and minimum external technology. Then, agricultural production will increase, without costs increasing. Poverty will decline, and the rise in population will be spontaneously checked.
Self-reliant farming – with minimal or zero external inputs – was the way we actually farmed, very successfully, in the past. Barring periods of war and excessive colonial oppression, our farmers were largely self-sufficient, and even produced surpluses, though generally smaller quantities of many more items. These, particularly perishables, were tougher to supply urban markets. And so the nation's farmers were steered to grow chemically cultivated monocultures of a few cash-crops like wheat, rice, or sugar, rather than their traditional polycultures that needed no purchased inputs. [See Annexure 5 on an old, six-crop integral system (of cotton, 2 millets and 3 edible pulse legumes) which successfully provided farmers in low-rainfall regions with more diversity and continuity of yield round the year – without any irrigation or external inputs.]
In Conclusion:
I hope you have the integrity to support widespread change to mixed organic farming, tree-planting and forest regeneration (with local resources and rights) – that India greatly needs. I would be glad to answer any query or doubt posed to me, preferably in writing. I also welcome you to visit my farm with reasonable prior notice. Since many years, I have extended an open invitation to any one interested in natural/organic farming to visit Kalpavruksha, on any Saturday afternoon between 2.00 and 4.00 pm., which continues till date.
I may finally add that this letter has been transcribed in English by Bharat Mansata, based on discussions with me in Gujarati. (The annexures hereto are excerpted from his forthcoming book, 'The Vision of Natural Farming,' Earthcare Books, which draws largely on my experience.)
Whether or not you agree with my views, I look forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely,
Bhaskar H. Save
Copy to: (i) The Prime Minister of India, (ii) The Union Minister for Agriculture, (iii) The Chairperson, National Advisory Council, (iv) The media.

INDIA: Rights groups blame local officials for starving baby deaths

INDIA: Rights groups blame local officials for starving baby deaths

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE
AHRC-PL-059-2006

INDIA: Rights groups blame local officials for starving baby deaths

(Hong Kong, July 28, 2006) Human rights groups on Friday blamed local government officials in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state for the starvation deaths of babies under their administration.

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) issued a "hunger alert" appeal on the July 28 death of 9-month-old Seema Musahar in Belwa village, Varanasi after local officials had ignored the plight of her family, despite repeated pleas and the earlier death of her grandfather also from malnutrition.

The Hong Kong-based regional group accused the local officials of deliberately ignoring starving people in Belwa because of "caste hatred". The Musahar community is traditionally a so-called "untouchable" group.

"The district magistrate of Varanasi, Rajiv Agarwal, is directly responsible for this child's death," Bijo Francis, a programme officer of the AHRC who visited the affected area, said.

"I was shocked to find that people everywhere are on the verge of starvation, some said to be cooking only once every four or five days, despite the conditions in Belwa being known to the local officials and general public," Francis said.

"There must be immediate action to prevent further deaths and to inquire into the willful negligence of the feudal landlords, including Mr. Agarwal, who are running the local administration," he urged.

Francis is visiting the area together with staff of the local People's Vigilance Committee for Human Rights (PVCHR), which on Friday also sent a letter to the National Human Rights Commission of India expressing its anger at the "inhuman behaviour" of the district administrators.

"Who are accountable for this death? Earlier in [the] same village there had been two more deaths due to malnutrition. We wrote to you but found no change [in the situation]", Lenin Raghuvanshi, PVCHR convenor, said in the letter.

"How many deaths do [the local officials] want to see in this deprived and marginalized village?" Raghuvanshi asked.

"This time please take necessary steps and actions... on these deaths," he urged.

Meanwhile, the executive director of the AHRC wrote an open letter to the district magistrate, asking whether he had "anything to share by way of law, justice and humanism" to help the affected families.

"Whether or not you have any morality, human decency or capacity to recognise your obligations is what you must now prove," Basil Fernando said in the letter.

Fernando informed the district magistrate that the AHRC was taking the case worldwide, to UN officials, the media and other rights groups.

The AHRC had previously issued a number of appeals on cases of starvation deaths in Varanasi but has continued to receive reports of further hunger and government inaction.

It has also issued appeals on orders to arrest members of PVCHR made by the district magistrate in response to the appeals on hunger and starvation in the region.

# # #

About AHRC The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.



Posted on 2006-07-28
Back to [2006 AHRC Press Releases]

INDIA: Failure of Public Distribution System in Barabanki District, Uttar Pradesh

Asian Human Rights Commission - Urgent Appeals

[Hunger Alert] INDIA: Failure of Public Distribution System in Barabanki District, Uttar Pradesh

HUNGER ALERT HUNGER ALERT HUNGER ALERT HUNGER ALERT HUNGER ALERT

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM

9 May 2006

---------------------------------------------------------------------
HA-04-2006: INDIA: Failure of Public Distribution System in Barabanki District, Uttar Pradesh

COUNTRY: Hunger and starvation; government neglect; threats against human rights defenders
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) and Aim, Lucknow regarding the acute situation of hunger and failure of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Nindura Block, Barabanki District, Uttar Pradesh. On May 5, 2006, a group of nearly 200 villagers gathered at the district headquarters, under the banner of the Rozi Roti Sammittee, a community based organization which enables the poor to come forward and raise their concerns and issues on a larger scale. The next day, it was reported that human rights defender, Ms. Neerja Rawat, was threatened by local officials due to her work with the Rozi Roti Sammittee during the last ten months.
The 200 villagers from Nindura congregated in response to a promise made by local block officials to resolve the problems of the PDS shop and its functionality by April 19, 2006. The group additionally called on the local authorities not only to provide ration cards to those who are not receiving any assistance, but to also allot new Ration Shops in the Dadera and Odoria villages (gram panchayat). Furthermore, the villagers also complained that the local village council leaders (gram pradhan) and Secretary were demanding bribes for the distribution of Anntoyoda, Annapurna, and Below Poverty Line ration cards in those villages, as well as in Munimpur. To date, no ration cards of any kind have been provided to the victims, who are all suffering from the lack of food, despite their eligibility.

Local officials in the district are also responsible for implementing other welfare schemes that should already be in effect in the district. Barabanki is one of the two hundred districts identified in India for the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, which assures 100 days of manual work to villagers living in the area. The Mid Day Meal Scheme is to provide one meal to those children enrolled at government or government-assisted primary schools and child-care centers. Thus far however, the Mid Day Meal Scheme has not been implemented in the Barabanki District either.

It was also reported that on May 6, 2006 Ms. Neerja Rawat, an activist working with the Rozi Roti Sammittee, was repeatedly threatened by the local administration. Ms. Rawat, who also belongs to the Dalit community, had previously been questioned and warned, however the most recent event was most aggressive. The victim was on her way to meet with Mr. Rajat Kumar, Block Development Officer of Nidura (after submitting a Charter of demand to Mr. CK Pandey, Chief Development Officer, Barabanki) when she was verbally intimidated by Papu Singh, a local village council leader in Kamipur Village, Nindura. Singh not only scolded her, but also made lude remarks and threatened her life if she continued to report violations on the PDS shops of Odoria and Dadera.


SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please send a letter to the concerned authorities below urging them to immediately investigate the situation and provide the necessary assistance programmes to the villagers in Nindura Block. The villagers under this block must be provided with a well functioning ration shop in Dadera and Odoria that adheres to all guidelines under the PDS. Furthermore, Anntodaya, Annapurna and Below Poverty Line ration cards must be given to those eligible families who are in need of food assistance. Additionally, other assistance programmes such as the Mid Day Meal Scheme and National Rural Employment Guarantee Act must be implemented. Finally, investigations and appropriate action should be undertaken into the local village governments (gram Pachayat) and alleged bribery in Dadera, Odoria and Munimpur as well as into the threats made by Papu Singh, village leader in Kamipur.

Suggested Letter:

Dear ____________

RE: INDIA: Failure of Public Distribution System in Barabanki District, Uttar Pradesh

Location: Odoria, Dadera and Munimpur in Nindura Block, Barabanki District, Uttar Pradesh
Persons affected:
1. 200 villagers in Nindura suffering from hunger
2. Ms. Neerja Rawat, social activist threatened by local village leaders
Alleged Perpetrators:
1. Local village leaders (Gram Pradhans) who are bribing villagers for the distribution of ration cards
2. Papu Singh, local village council leader in Kamipur

I am writing to you to voice my concerns over the failure of food assistance schemes in the Nindura Block in Uttar Pradesh. It has recently come to my attention that despite promises made by local village leaders in Odoria, Dadera and Munimpur to ensure that the local Public Distribution System (PDS) shops in the areas are well functioning and providing assistance by April 19, 2006, the PDS is still failing.

On May 5, 2006, nearly 200 villagers suffering from the lack of food gathered at the district headquarters of Barabanki to pressure the local government to allot new PDS shops in the area. The victims further called for the distribution of Anntoyoda, Annapurna and Below Poverty Line ration cards for those eligible for food assistance. The group also made claims that several local village council leaders (Gram Pradhan) and secretaries were bribing the villagers for the provision of ration cards.

It has also come to my attention that on May 6, 2006, a human rights defender working with the villagers in Nindura was threatened by a local village leader. Ms. Neerja Rawat, who has been working on behalf of the victims for over ten months, was verbally intimidated by Papu Singh, village council leader (Gram Pradhan) in Kamipur Jamulia. Ms. Rawat was on her way to meet with Mr. Rajat Kumar, Block Development Officer, when she was approached by Singh, who scolded and abused her. Singh also threatened Ms. Rawat’s life and warned her to stop reporting violations of the PDS shops in Dadera and Odoria.

I am extremely disappointed to hear of the failings of welfare schemes in India, and the local government’s active role in denying the right to food and other forms of assistance. I strongly urge you to investigate the PDS in Barabanki, and ensure that new shops are established that provide adequate food assistance, in quality and quantity, to the villagers. I also urge you to ensure that proper distribution of ration cards occurs to all eligible families, and to immediately implement other welfare schemes approved for the district, such as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Finally, I am extremely disturbed to learn of threats and bribes made by local government officials. Therefore, I suggest an immediate investigation is undertaken into the intimidation and bribery claims against Papu Singh and the other village leaders from Dadera, Odoria and Munimpur so that they may be prosecuted.


I trust you will take immediate action in this matter.

Yours sincerely,

---

PLEASE SEND LETTERS TO:

Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister's Secretariat
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: + 91 52 2223 0002/2223 9234
Email: csup@up.nic.in

PLEASE SEND COPIES TO:

1. Mr. Rama Shankar Sahu
District Magistrate
Barabanki District
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Tel: +91 52 4822 2730
Fax: +91 52 2222 2629

2. Mr. CK Pandey
Chief Development Officer
Barabanki District
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Tel: +91 52 4822 3103

3. Dr. Ranjana Bajpayee
Chairperson
State Women Commission
7th Floor, Indira Bhawan
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
INDIA

4. Justice A. S. Anand
National Human Rights Commission
Sardar Patel Bhaven, Sansad Marg,
New Delhi - 110 001
INDIA
Tel: + 91 11 23346244
Fax: + 91 11 23366537
E-mail: ionhrc@hub.nic.in or chairnhrc@nic.in

5. Justice A P Mishra
Chairperson
Uttar Pradesh Human Rights Commission
6-A Kalidass Marg
Lucknow Uttar Pradesh
INDIA

6. Mr. Jean Ziegler
UNCHR, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food
c/o Mr. Carlos Villan Duran
Room 4-066
OHCHR,
Palais Wilson,
Rue des Paquis 52,
Geneva
SWITZERLAND
Fax: +41 22 917 9010
Email: sect.hchr@unog.ch

7. Mr. Anthony Banbury
Regional Director
World Food Programme
Unit No. 2, 7th Floor
Wave Place Building
55 Wireless Road
Lumpini, Patumwan
Bangkok 10330
THAILAND
Tel: +66-2-6554115
Fax: +66-2-6554413
Email: Anthony.banbury@wfp.org or Bkk.unescap@un.org

8. Mr. Gian Pietro Bordignon
Country Director
World Food Programme
2 Poorvi Marg, Vasant Vihar,
New Delhi 110057
INDIA
Tel: +91-11-26150000
Fax: +91-11-26150019
Email: wfp.newdelhi@wfp.org

9. Dr. N.C. Saxena and Mr. S.R. Sankaran
Commissioners
Supreme Court of India
SAMYA, R-38A, 2nd floor
South Extension - part 2
New Delhi - 49
INDIA
Fax: +91-11-5164 2147
Email: commissioners@vsnl.net

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme -- Hunger Alert
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)


Posted on 2006-05-10
Back to [2006 Urgent Appeals]

Where People Live and Die with Empty Stomachs : MANOJ KUMAR DAS

Saturday, April 15, 2006
Where People Live and Die with Empty Stomachs

BY MANOJ KUMAR DAS
Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh), March 23, 2006 :By the time we reached Damahi Tola, it was 5.00 in the evening. And 65 year old Bichinia Musahar still hadn’t had her breakfast. She doubts whether she will have any before she goes to bed tonight. Almost 24 hours have passed since she had eaten last - she had shared one litti (a baked version of Indian bread) with her seven year old granddaughter last evening. Bichinia displayed us her stomach and she was almost doing a Ramdev with it- pulling her loose skin with both hands and fanning it from one side to the other – to show the state of her empty stomach. Bichinia’s had lost her son who had died of starvation some five years back.


Makhnaha is around 50 years old, but looks 20 years older. Last night she had eaten khuddi (broken rice) which she had bagged it from the Patel tola. She had been starving since then. She is a single woman- her son had died few years back out of starvation. And her daughter-in-law had subsequently deserted her to her fate.

Bichnia and Makhnaha were just two of the women- selected randomly- from the gathering whom we talked to. A woman activist, Pushpa, of Shikhar Prasikshan Sanstha (SPS) based in Chunar had discovered the five cases of starvation deaths in this small sleepy hamlet of 53 Musahar families. That was last November, almost a month after the deaths had occurred. Part of Jangal Mahal Panchayat in Rajghar Block of Mirzapur district, Damahi tola is around 75 kilometers away from the district Headquarters. The Musahar are known for their poverty and are placed in the lowest rungs of the highly caste based society in north India. Though traditionally known for their occupation of making leaf plates and storing the leftovers from eaten plates -gathered from community feasts- to be taken as daily food, livelihood of the Musahars is today primarily based on minor forest produce.

The discovery of the deaths, though, didn’t make much news. Except for one or two small snippets on the visit of the district police and medical chiefs to the village, the local newspapers didn’t find newsy about the incident- ostensibly because it was just another case. But for the letters written to the National and Asian Human Rights Commissions by SPS and Dr. Lenin, an activist from nearby Varanasi, the panjandrums would have hardly cared to visit the hamlet.


Mahender is 27. He had had lost his mother and in one months time lost his elder brother as well. We went to his house to see what he had for the evening. He took out a pot to show a handful of cooked rice which he had preciously saved for the dinner for him and his family (see picture). We asked little children what they ate last night and in the day today. “Last night I had rice and tomato chatni, and today I had rice with salt and chilly” said seven year old Rikku. But not all were fortunate like Rikku; some hadn’t any answer!

Rikku along with a few kids go to the nearby primary school in the influential Patel tola. Far from providing statutory free education and scholarship to the children, that comes to the school in the name of the children, the Headmaster had extorted 36 Rupees from each parent as admission fee last year. And still the community mustered up all hopes to send their kids to the school- in a hope that the kids would get kichidi (a mix of rice and pulses) to eat. But it is only at times that these children have the fortune as often nothing is left over after distribution of mid-day meals to the children of the privileged communities.

An Anganwadi Centre is there in the tola- but floats in mere paper. The Anganwadi worker,Sarika Devi, who comes from the influential Patel community, apparently runs the show from her own house- five Kms. away from the Musahar hamlet. People of the hamlet have never seen Sarika. Neither do they know that an Anganwadi centre is sanctioned in their name.

“We have to work each day for living. But there is no work these days. If we get work for 10 days, we are left unemployed 20 days in a month” tells Massali 35. “All of us are victims of huge loans that ranges from 10,000 to 15,000; we take these from the thekedar (contractor) or owners of the stone quarries where we work to repay old debts- at an exorbitant rate of 20 percent per month”, he adds. But none could tell us how much money the village Shylocks owe to them. “Would you be able to redeem your loan in this life time?”, I asked an elderly man. “Me…. no… not even my grand children”, replied he with a heavy frown in his brow.

“What about the land of your own; do you have any?”, we asked the people. Replied Dhani 45: “We had land, though little, where we used to grow crops. That was 20 years back when life was not so bad. The government had since than taken over our land for constructing the dam (on river Jargo). They snatched away our lands with no compensation in return. Since last few years, the river has been going dry. And the powerful people in the village has taken over the land and are growing crops there. We are helpless”

We inquired as to how the sarkar (government) had responded after cases of starvation deaths reached their ears. The visiting officials came with some quilts, dhotis and slate- pencils for the children. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate had averred of: building houses for 46 families from Indira Awas Scheme, providing red ration cards to all 53 families, and sanctioning four hand-pumps. Almost half a year has passed since than, and most of these seemed to be administrative gimmicks; except for the ration cards, the community has never heard of anything till date. And even in the case of the ration cards, though all have one each in hand by now, none of them have been able to use them yet. If only the government realized that ration cards without enough purchasing power means nothing but mockery with the poor.



As we were moving out of the village with a heavy heart, Pushpa insisted that we see a woman who is likely to die in a few days time. We went to Kewli’s house. We lifted her from the ground to the cot. She is less than 50 but has run out of energy -even to speak as she has not eaten for long. We took some photographs of her shoulder, back, leg and arms to capture the degree of malnourishment (see her photograph alongside). Kewli’s daughter-in-law was one of the five starvation victims who paid with her live in September last.

When we came out of the hamlet, we saw large number of villagers- man, women and children- from nearby villages lifting mud into a truck. That was part of construction work of the road, undertaken by the Panchayat. “Enough of work, isn’t it!” I exclaimed- wondering why the Musahars just besides the road were not working here. Masali explained “The payment here is made at the end of every week. We can’t afford to wait for that long. So gathering firewood from the jungle or working at the quarry is preferred to working in Panchayat works.” But why can’t the Panchayat pay them daily in that case- I thought.


Death due to malnutrition seems not to be a new phenomenon in this small hamlet, according to the community elders. And the community has learnt to accept their destiny. Since the last three-four years, drought situation has particularly worsened and starvation as a phenomenon has become the order of the day. Acute poverty, lack of employable work and provisioning of basic services to the community- all have added qualms in the community. And if sincere efforts are not urgently made to rescue the community from the impending misfortune, Kewli would leave us and so would many more Kewlis.
Please Visit:
http://www.manojdasstories.blogspot.com/

[Hunger Alert] INDIA: Starving Musahar community face exploitation in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh

[Hunger Alert] INDIA: Starving Musahar community face exploitation in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh
HUNGER ALERT HUNGER ALERT HUNGER ALERT HUNGER ALERT HUNGER ALERT

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM

5 March 2006---------------------------------------------------------------------
HA-02-2006: INDIA: Starving Musahar community face exploitation in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh
COUNTRY: Hunger and starvation; government neglect; bonded labour; police intimidation
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) regarding the acute hunger and exploitation of villagers belonging to the Musahar community in Mirzapur District, Uttar Pradesh. A fact finding team, consisting of members from PVCHR and the Right to Food Campaign, visited the villagers in November 2005 and subsequently produced a report highlighting several starvation deaths that have occurred in the area, as well as the continuous and consistent denial of assistance programmes, welfare schemes, and government aide. The team also reported that exploitation, discrimination and police torture still persists against the Musahar community.

The AHRC requests that you to write letters to the local administration, asking them to immediately address the hunger concerns of this community and ensure that all assistance schemes are functioning to prevent further starvation deaths from occurring. Moreover, persons, police officers and other concerned government authorities who have been found to be exploiting and torturing villagers of the Musahar community must be charged and punished.

Urgent Appeals Desk - Hunger Alert
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
-----------------------------------------------------------

DETAILED INFORMATION:

Location: Damahi village, Mahal Jungle, Rajgarh Block, Mirzapur District, Uttar Pradesh
Persons affected:
1. Ramchander, age 18, and his four brothers; their mother died from starvation
2. Amravati, age 12
3. Krishnavati
4. Ramdulari and her family
5. Ramshakal and his family
6. Heerawati, who died of starvation
7. Kevali, age 55, who also died of starvation along with her two daughters in-law, and her family
8. Sarju, who died of starvation, his son Phunnu, and their family
9. The hundreds of families who live in the Damahi Village and suffer from hunger, malnutrition and starvation.

On 1 November 2005, a fact finding team consisting of members from the Right to Food Campaign and PVCHR visited the Damahi Village in Mirzapur District, Uttar Pradesh. The group heard from numerous families and found that the majority were suffering from acute hunger and malnutrition; several starvation deaths were also reported.

The severe hunger situation in the village exists for several reasons. First, although the families are entitled to be under Below Poverty Line (BPL) welfare schemes, no one has received BPL red ration cards. Furthermore, while some families do possess white ration cards, which allow villagers to buy food at slightly higher prices than with red ration cards, many families are unable to purchase food. The rations are either too costly or the public distribution shops that supply the food refuse to sell their goods. A lack of job opportunities also adds to the minimal wages most families earn, particularly those who are landless. Women also tend to be more affected by the hunger as the patriarchal society often means that their needs are secondary to their sons, brothers, fathers and husbands.

Second, the village also lacks most basic amenities. There are no Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) centers in the village, no health centers or hospitals, and no potable water facilities. The lack of all these facilities coupled with the lack of food directly violates the Supreme Court order that safeguards the right to life of all Indian citizens. Additionally, many people have had to work in unfavorable conditions such as in stone quarries, which provides far less than the daily minimum wage per day. Thus, several people have had to take loans out from their employers in order to provide for their basic necessities, which binds them to this work until the debt is paid off. Under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, all persons living below the poverty line are entitled to 100 days of minimum wage labour. However, the scheme has not been implemented in Mirzapur and no alternative means of work exist currently.

Third, many villagers have also alleged that the Musahar community in Mirzapur have been continuously exploited, threatened and intimidated by feudal lords and the police. There have been instances of land grabbing, where feudal lords have forcibly taken property owned by the villagers and destroyed their land. Violence is often used against daily wage labourers as well, particularly stone quarry workers who are bonded to their jobs, and work in intolerable conditions for well below minimum wage. Finally, the villagers are often intimidated by police officers who label them as Naxalites, when the victims are just trying to fight for their rights.

Below are several personal statements from victims of hunger in the area, highlighting these human rights abuses and violations that are occurring against the Musahar community.

Ramchander: “I have four brothers, one of them is handicapped. We have no land. My mother was ill and had been suffering from a hunger-related illness. In order to fund her medical treatment, I had to take out loans of Rs. 10,000, but no officials or doctors came to my house. She passed away without having eaten food for five days. There is no hospital in the village or even nearby. In an emergency, we have to go to Ahraura, the nearest market, and often people die half way. There is no drinking water in the village so we have to bring water from the river.

“The village head has bought his votes and does not care about the poor people. Our livelihoods depend upon my work, which is to collect dry wood from the jungle. Every morning, we go into the jungle, often times without food, collect wood, and then travel to the market to sell the bundles. I can normally make Rs. 50 - 70 for two days of work. I also work in the stone quarries, under Rakesh Patel. He only pays Rs. 5 - 6, which is half of the normal wage rate. If one dares to leave the work, they would certainly be beaten.”

Amravati: “I go to the jungle to collect dry wood. I do not have food on a daily basis and often, I have to go through long periods of no food.”

Krishnavati: “When the Musahars and Kols demand our rights, we have been called Naxalites. So many innocent people have been beaten badly and have been arrested because they consider us to be terrorists, when all we are doing is asking for assistance.”

Ramdulari: “I belong to the Chamar community. There is a piece of agricultural land in my mother’s name. But Lallan Patel, one of the feudal lords in the area, has taken possession over that land. He destroyed our entire crop of Parval (an Indian vegetable) which was valued at up to Rs. 10,000. However, the police have taken no action against this man, who has clearly stolen and destroyed our property.”

Ramshakal: “I have a white ration card, which allows me access to partially subsidized food; I can buy up to 35 kg in rice and wheat. However, I never get any food grains. I work as a labourer in a stone quarry belonging to Krishna Kumar. I took a loan of Rs. 7,000 - 8,000 from this man and now I cannot stop working as a labourer there until I pay back my debt. If I leave, I will be severely beaten.”

Daughter of Heerawati: “My mother died of hunger some time back. Now all we can manage to eat is some dry bread. Mostly though, I just collect barja from the fields and eat it raw, without roasting or cooking it.”

Kevali: “My family and I don’t have ration cards. Due to extreme hunger and the lack of food, my daughter in-law (Heerawati) died of starvation three years ago. My other daughter in-law, Munga, also recently passed away due to hunger. Munga did not eat for four days before she died.

“My son, Vishnu, has even taken a loan from his employer, Rakesh Chauhan, in order to get medical treatment and food for the rest of us. But it only provided temporary help and we are now living with almost no food again.” Please note, Kevali also died of starvation after the visit.

Phunnu: “My father, Sarju, died of starvation on 8 October 2005. He had not eaten anything for five days before he died. I work at a stone quarry belonging to Rampos and had to take a loan of Rs. 850 from him because on average, I only earn about Rs. 25 daily. It is not enough money for me to support my family but I have no option to leave.”

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write to the relevant authorities below urging them to immediately investigate the situation and provide the necessary assistance programmes to the starving Musahar community. Immediate relief should be provided to the victims, which includes red ration cards and functioning public distribution shops. ICDS and medical centers should also be provided in the long-run. Furthermore, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 must be implemented in the village, and those in bonded labour need be released, and rehabilitation and compensation provided under the Bonded Labour Act, 1976. Finally, those feudal lords, police officials and stone quarry owners found to be exploiting and intimidating the villagers and their land must be reprimanded and prosecuted for their abuses.

Suggested Letter:

Dear ____________

RE: INDIA: Starving Musahar community face exploitation in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh

Location: Damahi village, Mahal Jungle, Rajgarh Block, Mirzapur District, Uttar Pradesh
Persons affected:
1. Ramchander, his family, mother and four brothers
2. Amravati, age 12
3. Krishnavati
4. Ramdulari and her family
5. Ramshakal and his family
6. Heerawati, who died of starvation
7. Kevali, age 55, who also died of starvation along with her two daughters in-law, and her family
8. Sarju, who died of starvation, his son Phunnu, and their family
9. The hundreds of families who live in the Damahi Village and suffer from hunger, malnutrition and starvation.

I am writing to draw your attention to the severe hunger situation that currently exists in Damahi Village, Mirzapur. On 1 November 2005, a fact finding team consisting of members from the Right to Food Campaign and the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) visited the village and found that the majority of villagers were suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Many families also reported starvation deaths in their families.

I was given detailed information on several personal stories of villagers who have been seriously affected by the hunger. One woman, Kevali, told of how her two daughters in-law died of starvation. Kevali died not long after she was interviewed after not eating for days. Another young girl informed the team that she did not eat on a daily basis, while another talked of how when her family does eat, it is only dry bread or barja collected from the fields. Although everyone in the village should be under Below Poverty Level (BPL) assistance schemes, no one has a red ration cards. Some villagers have white ration cards, as Ramshakal does, however, food cannot be bought because it is either still too costly or the Public Distribution Shops (PDS) do not sell the grain.

I was also informed that the villagers also lack all basic necessities in the area. There are no ICDS centers or schools in the village, and no access to potable water. Medical facilities are also lacking, people must travel to a market to get to the nearest hospital, which is expensive. Often times in emergencies, the patient dies en route to seeking medical attention. Additionally, many people have had to work in unfavorable conditions, such as stone quarries, which provides far less than the daily minimum wage per day. Thus, several people have had to take loans out from their employers in order to provide for their basic necessities, which further binds them to this work until the debt is paid off. Under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, all persons living below the poverty line are entitled to 100 days of minimum wage labour. However, the scheme has not been implemented in Mirzapur and no alternative means of work currently exist.

Finally, members of the Musahar community continue to be exploited and intimidated by feudal lords and police. I was told of numerous cases where labourers were scared to leave their jobs for fear of being beaten. Feudal lords have also been accused of land grabbing and destroying the crops of what little property the villagers own. Ramdulari informed us that her family owns a plot of land in her mother’s name, yet one feudal lord took possession of it and then proceeded to destroy the family’s crops. Moreover, it wa s brought to my attention that many of the villagers who complain or fight for their rights then become labeled as Naxalites, which then categorizes them as terrorists. Police often times will use violence against these villagers who are only trying receive assistance.

I strongly urge you to investigate this hunger situation and the other circumstances causing the starvation deaths and suffering in the village. Immediate relief should be provided to the victims, which includes red ration cards to those living below the poverty line and fully-functioning public distribution shops. ICDS and medical centers and wells should also be provided in the long-run. Furthermore, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 must be implemented in the village to provide alternative sources of income for the families. Those villagers currently in bonded labour need be released, and rehabilitation and compensation provided under the Bonded Labour Act, 1976. Finally, those feudal lords, police officials and stone quarry owners found to be exploiting and intimidating the villagers and their land must be reprimanded and prosecuted for these violations.

I trust you will take immediate action in this matter.

Yours sincerely,

---

PLEASE SEND LETTERS TO:

Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister's Secretariat
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: + 91-522-2230002/2239234
Email: csup@up.nic.in

PLEASE SEND COPIES TO:

1. Mr. Umesh Kumar Mittal
District Magistrate
Mirzapur District
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Tel: +91 54 4225 2480, 7400
Fax: +91 54 4225 2552
Email: mir@up.nic.in

2. Sub Divisional Magistrate
Chunar, Mirzapur District
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Tel: +91 54 4222 2413

3. Justice A. S. Anand
National Human Rights Commission
Sardar Patel Bhaven, Sansad Marg,
New Delhi - 110 001
INDIA
Tel: + 91 11 23346244
Fax: + 91 11 23366537
E-mail: ionhrc@hub.nic.in or chairnhrc@nic.in

4. Justice A P Mishra
Chairperson
Uttar Pradesh Human Rights Commission
6-A Kalidass Marg
Lucknow Uttar Pradesh
INDIA

5. Mr. Jean Ziegler
UNCHR, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food
c/o Mr. Carlos Villan Duran
Room 4-066
OHCHR,
Palais Wilson,
Rue des Paquis 52,
Geneva
SWITZERLAND
Fax: +41 22 917 9010
Email: sect.hchr@unog.ch

6. Mr. Anthony Banbury
Regional Director
World Food Programme
Unit No. 2, 7th Floor
Wave Place Building
55 Wireless Road
Lumpini, Patumwan
Bangkok 10330
THAILAND
Tel: +66-2-6554115
Fax: +66-2-6554413
Email: Anthony.banbury@wfp.org or Bkk.unescap@un.org

7. Mr. Gian Pietro Bordignon
Country Director
World Food Programme
2 Poorvi Marg, Vasant Vihar,
New Delhi 110057
INDIA
Tel: +91-11-26150000
Fax: +91-11-26150019
Email: wfp.newdelhi@wfp.org

8. Dr. N.C. Saxena and Mr. S.R. Sankaran
Commissioners
Supreme Court of India
SAMYA, R-38A, 2nd floor
South Extension - part 2
New Delhi - 49
INDIA
Fax: +91-11-5164 2147
Email: commissioners@vsnl.net

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme -- Hunger Alert
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)