Roti Bhaat Satyagraha demanding for a Universal PDS

9 November 2011, Delhi: ‘Roti Bhaat Satyagraha’ of the Right to Food Campaign successfully continued its protest for the second week this month outside Krishi Bhawan and Planning Commission in Delhi yesterday.

As part of the protest, more than 100 members from Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity, a trade union of agricultural workers affiliated to New Trade Union Initiative in West Bengal, along with several other Delhi groups participated. The protest was held outside Krishi Bhawan, with people demanding universal PDS, bringing an end to APL-BPL categories and a complete no to cash transfers in lieu of grains.

A delegation of 7 persons met Mr. K.V.Thomas, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution System and gave him the memorandum. The protestors then marched to the Planning Commission and protested against the irrational poverty line figures of Rs. 26 and 32 in rural and urban areas respectively.

The Satyagraha launched from 1 November to demand will consist of groups from different parts of the country who would come to Delhi every Tuesday for a day to demand:
• A Universal PDS, so that ALL especially the food insecure, the vulnerable, and the deprived get included.
• Appropriate MSPs and decentralised procurement of not just rice and wheat but millets as well
• Reject the proposal of replacing PDS with Cash Transfers,
• Emphasise the removal of Poverty ratio based Caps in allocation of resources
• Universalisation with quality of ICDS including the provision of nutritious locally prepared food for all children.

Last Tuesday, groups from Uttar Pradesh came and did a Khali Thali rally (empty plate rally) at Jantar Mantar and submitted a memorandum with 1000 signatures addressed to Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Chairman of the Planning Commission. The agitation comes in the wake of the inaction of the present government towards food security for all, even as the government is working on a draft Food Security Bill, which aims to cover only about 75% of the population.