The Right to Food Campaign has slammed “demonetisation” as a “reckless move” that “serves no clear purpose and is a major attack on the right to food and the right to life”.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Right to Food Campaign, an informal network of individuals and organisations committed to the realisation of the right to food in India, said that economists of all persuasions have “exposed” the government’s claim that demonetisation would curb black money.
Forgotten decisions
Questioning the government’s seriousness about combating corruption, it observed that three years after the Lokpal Act came into force, no Lokpal has been appointed, the Whistleblowers Protection Act (passed in February 2014) awaits implementation, and the government is still to introduce the Grievance Redressal Bill.
Pointing out that “it does not require a PhD in economics to understand that when the bulk of the population is strapped for cash, economic activity and employment take a dip,” it noted: “Farmers have been dumping vegetables on the roads for want of a remunerative price. Traders and vendors have seen their sales dive, often by 50 per cent or more. Sales of durable goods have crashed across the board. Construction activity has slowed own. And most importantly, workers have been laid off on a large scale.”
Pension, wages woes
Observing that pensioners and MGNREGA workers find it difficult to secure their pensions and wages at the best of times, it said: “Now, with the banking system jammed, millions of them are in danger of their lifeline being cut off for weeks or even months.”
Calling upon the government to compensate the people for the hardships caused by demonetisation, the statement laid out a set of demands — an immediate increase in the annual budget of MGNREGA to Rs.60,000 crore with effect from 2016-17, increase of the Centre’s contribution to social security pension for widows, the elderly and the disabled persons from Rs.200 to Rs.1,000 per month, immediate implementation of the National Food Security Act provisions for universal maternity entitlements (Rs.6,000 per child), immediate central assistance for inclusion of milk, eggs and fruits in school mid-day meals and ICDS, immediate compensation for all families of victims of demonetisation-related deaths, and full disclosure of how, when, why and by whom the decision was made to demonetise.
Food insecurity
The right to food protects the rights of all humans to be free from hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. It is derived from the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which India is a party.
