50,000 people submit petitions to Kejriwal, demand long-pending state food commission

The petitions were gathered under a people’s movement tiled ‘Campaign against hunger and malnutrition’ by several city-based organisations working for child rights.

More than a year after three minor siblings died of starvation in Mandawali, over 50,000 people from 35 slum clusters across the city on Thursday submitted signed petitions to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office, demanding setting up of the long-pending state food commission and improvement in nutrition standards of the mid-day meal scheme.

A view of a locality in Mandawali, where three minor girls allegedly died of starvation on July 24 last year. (HT File)

The petitions were gathered under a people’s movement tiled ‘Campaign against hunger and malnutrition’ by several city-based organisations working for child rights.

Following the deaths of the three minor girls who died of starvation in a room in a three-storey building in an urban slum in East Delhi on July 24 last year, the petitioners have demanded the constitution of a state food commission in Delhi, which has been pending with the government since the National Food Security (NFS) Act, 2013 came into force. The Act provides transparency and accountability, under which a food state commission has to be set up in each state for grievance redressal.

However, the Public Grievance Commission (PGC) was notified to function as the state food commission for Delhi under a gazette notification when the Act came in 2013.

“We have been seeking an appointment with the CM for a long time and had to finally submit signed petitions to his office. The food commission has still not been set up by the Delhi government. Several people in the city are being denied their right to food and nutrition in the absence of a regulatory authority. Malnutrition is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in children across the country,” Arvind Singh, social activist and convener of the campaign, said.

According to a senior government official, “The constitution of a full-fledged food commission is under process and active consideration of the government.”

Under the Act, the state government is also required to conduct periodic social audits of affected areas and low-income settlements where instances of poor nutrition are the highest, such as in the case of the three siblings who died of hunger. However, these measures are yet to be implemented, Singh said.

They also demanded including foods such as boiled eggs and bananas as supplementary nutrition in the mid-day meal provided in schools as well as in the Anganwadi centres, which cater to children between the ages of 0-6 years, under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).

Besides, they also urged the government to extend the mid-day meal scheme for students up to Class 12. At present, the scheme is only applicable up to Class 8.

“The nutrition standards of food provided to children under different schemes need to be improved to address the deficiency of protein and calcium in the early childhood years. The government could consider establishing community kitchens to provide healthy meals to children that will create more employment opportunities. as well as encourage more community participation. and hence ensure healthy food,” Mahi Bora, a campaign member, said.

Earlier this year, the Delhi government had proposed introducing milk and eggs to meals provided under the ICDS, but the plan is yet to take off.