13736 - Govt of India reacted to just 2 of 20 starvation deaths in a yr: 7 weren't issued ration card, 5 had aadhaar issues - Counter View

Govt of India reacted to just 2 of 20 starvation deaths in a yr: 7 weren't issued ration card, 5 had aadhaar issues

June 23, 2018

By Our Representative

Close on the heels of a series of reports on starvation deaths Jharkhand, the Right to Food Campaign (RFC) has revealed that over the past year, at least 20 persons have succumbed to starvation across the country – 12 in Jharkhand, three in Karnataka, three in Uttar Pradesh and two in Odisha. The deceased range from 11-year-old Santoshi Kumari to 67-year-old Etwariya Devi. 

"All the victims were either Dalit, Adivasi, Other Backward Class (OBC) or Muslim. In at least 11 cases, Aadhaar-related failures directly contributed to starvation. In all the cases, the victims’ intake of food drastically reduced due to disruptions in access to subsidised foodgrains and social security pensions", says RFC.

According to RFC's analysis of the 20 deaths, "Seven of the starvation victims were not issued a ration card. In the latest case of Chintaman Malhar in Ramgarh (Jharkhand) the entire village had not been issued ration cards. Ration cards of two families were cancelled as they were not linked with Aadhaar."

In an email alert to Counterview, it adds, "In five of the cases, either no member of the family could authenticate his/her identity through Aadhaar-based biometric authentication (ABBA), or the one who could was unable to go to the ration shop due to old age or illness. In one case, the dealer did not give ration even after successful Aadhaar-based biometric authentication."

RFC further says, "At least seven of the victims were entitled to social security pension." However, it regrets, "Premani Kunwar’s widow pension amount of a few months was transferred into the bank account of some other person which was linked with her Aadhaar number. A few days before her death when Etwariya Devi attempted to withdraw her pension, she was told that the electronic transaction for withdrawal of her pension has failed. However, her bank records show a transaction of Rs 600 (the monthly old age pension amount in Jharkhand) on the same day."

Then, RFC adds, "Savitri Devi was sanctioned a widow pension in 2014, but did not receive her first pension instalment till four years later as her bank account was not linked with Aadhaar. It is quite likely that the other victims who were to receive social security pension could not access this entitlement for one reason or another." 

RFC points out, "Except the probe ordered into the death of Santoshi Kumari and post-mortem for Meena Musahar, the Union government has not reacted to any of these tragic deaths. Instead of taking corrective measures, state government and local administration expend their energy in denying starvation as the cause of these deaths – even harassing the surviving members of the family in some cases."

It adds, "For every person who has died, hundreds other languish with hunger, undernutrition and illness. Instead of expanding people’s legal entitlements to social support, the last few years have seen a brutal attack on people’s right to food, work, employment, natural resources, education etc."

In the light of this, RFC has demanded, as immediate measure, criminal proceedings against officials and functionaries whose lapses have led to the starvation deaths; strict implementation of all social and economic legislations and Supreme Court orders; universalization of the Public Distribution System and social security pensions; amendment of the National Food Security Act to make subsidised pulses and edible oil legal guarantees under the PDS and mandatory inclusion of eggs in midday meals and Anganwadis extended to holiday periods; and delinking of Aadhaar from all public services. 

List of 20 starvation deaths, released by RFC

13734 - In Jharkhand, Suspected Starvation Deaths Indicate Failure of Governance: Right to Food Campaign - The Wire

In Jharkhand, Suspected Starvation Deaths Indicate Failure of Governance: Right to Food Campaign

While the Campaign has released details of 12 starvation-related deaths in the last ten months, the state government has denied hunger as a cause, absolving itself of any blame.

                      Raghubar Das. Credit: PTI

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

GOVERNMENTRIGHTS

21/JUN/2018

New Delhi: Revealing details of at least 12 starvation-related deaths over the past ten months, the Right to Food Campaign (Jharkhand) has pulled up the Raghubar Das government for its “lack of seriousness to address the issue of starvation in the state”.

The Campaign has charged that “instead of taking action against functionaries whose lapses have led to these deaths and measures to improve the situation of food security in the state, the BJP government in Jharkhand has denied hunger as the cause of any of these deaths and absolved itself of any blame.”

It added that instead of taking corrective action, state food minister Saryu Roy – who had admitted to government’s mistake in the death of Santosh Kumari last year – has levelled fallacious charges against activists who are highlighting the gross violations of the right to food in Jharkhand.

With three more starvation-related deaths being reported in the current month, (Savitri Devi in Giridh, Meena Musahar in Chatra and Chintaman Malhar in Ramgarh), the Campaign said the government’s lack of seriousness to address the issue of starvation in the state has been exposed. “Even after a spate of deaths before these three victims,” it said, “the government took negligible cognizance of the alarming situation.”

Aadhaar linkage among reasons for denial of ration

Among the causes for the 12 recent starvation deaths, the Campaign said was the denial of subsidised rice due to the absence of a ration card, cancellation of ration card due to the absence of Aadhaar linkage or failure of Aadhaar-based biometric authentication. “It is true that many of the starvation victims were also ill, but they would probably not have succumbed to hunger if they received adequate nutrition and medical care,” it said.

The starvation deaths, the Campaign said, have exposed the exclusion of poor households from the public distribution system (PDS) and the alarming levels of food insecurity in the state. “A highly effective measure of addressing these problems is the universalisation of the PDS in rural areas and inclusion of nutritious items in the PDS. The deaths have also raised questions on the coverage of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) as most of these families, despite living a life of acute poverty, did not have AAY ration cards.”

Lamenting that instead of discussing these moves, the food minister has proposed setting up grain banks. “Even if such banks are established, they will fail to ensure universal access to food security as a matter of right.”

Denial of pension, work under NREGA contributed to starvation

Through its investigation into the death of the 12 citizens, the Campaign also learnt that denial of social security pensions and an absence of work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) further contributed to the destitution of the starvation victims and their families. “At least four victims were eligible for social security pension, but were either not issued a pension or did not receive their pension due to administrative lapses or Aadhaar-related issues.”

State government’s indifference towards food insecurity is also evident in the manner in which it has been dragging its feet on the withdrawal of the direct benefit transfer pilot experiment in Nagri block of Ranchi. According to the Campaign, the results of the pilot have been “disastrous”. “However, the food department is yet to roll back this pilot or compensate ration cardholders who are denied their legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrain in this ill-conceived initiative. In fact, it has even failed to make public the findings of the government’s own social audit of this pilot”.

In light of all the anomalies that have crept into the food distribution system in the state, the Campaign has called for an immediate withdrawal of the direct benefit transfer for food security pilot. It has also demanded the universalisation of the PDS in rural areas and inclusion of pulses and edible oil in the PDS, saying this was a promise made by the food minister himself. “The government should also immediately remove the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar from PDS – and all other public services – and strengthen the grievance redress system to be established under the National Food Security Act,” it said.

The Right to Food Campaign also released the details of the three recent deaths in the state.

Savitri Devi died of hunger, did not know pension was credited to her account

According to the Campaign, Savitri Devi, a 60-year-old widow, died on June 2 after prolonged hunger and inadequate nutrition. “Her family members do not remember the last time they cooked dal. The household did not have a ration card, despite applying for one at the gram panchayat a few months ago,” the Campaign said, adding that this had contradicted the government’s claim that Savitri Devi’s family did not apply for a ration card.

Also, contrary to the claims made by the government, Savitri Devi was never admitted in RIMS Ranchi for treatment. Even though her widow pension was sanctioned in 2014, the first pension instalment was credited only in April 2018 after her Aadhaar was linked with the scheme. Ironically,  Savitri Devi was not informed that her pension was credited.

Chitaman died of hunger, son tricked into signing statements telling different story

The Campaign said 50-year-old Chitaman of Mandu, Ramgarh lived a life of extreme deprivation and died a hungry man. “He too did not have a ration card. Rather than admitting the alarming situation of the family and its neighbours, government officials tricked Chintaman’s son into signing a statement that told a different tale. Not surprisingly, the food minister later claimed that the son himself admitted that his father died a natural death. His insensitivity towards the issue was also reflected when he suggested that the victim’s body be exhumed for post-mortem. He interpreted the son’s refusal for this as a proof that the victim did not die of starvation,” the Campaign said, pointing to the insensitive approach taken by the government in the case.

Ragpicker died of hunger a week after her infant

The third case was that of Meena Musahar, a ragpicker, who also died due to similar conditions. “According to her neighbours, she was so malnourished that she could not feed her infant, who died a week before her. She did not have a ration card. Jharkhand government has conveniently absolved itself of any responsibility as she may have come from Gaya, Bihar in search of a livelihood. The food minister even said that his department was not responsible for the starvation death of persons who did not have ration cards,” the Campaign said.

13730 - ‘7 hunger deaths related to Aadhaar’-Times of India

‘7 hunger deaths related to Aadhaar’

Damica Mawlong | TNN | Jun 22, 2018, 14:09 IST

Ranchi: Over 12 cases of alleged hunger deaths have been reported from across Jharkhand in over 10 months and seven of them are linked to the victims not getting any ration because of Aadhaar-related issues, an activist has said. 

Addressing the media on Thursday, developmental economist and activist Jean Dreze said the government is yet to admit that the deaths occurred due to starvation. “The recent deaths of Savitri Devi in Giridih, Meena Musahar in Chatra and Chintaman Malhar in Ramgarh show the government’s lack of interest to address the issue of alleged hunger deaths in the state,” Dreze said, adding, “The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for the pilot project of the Food Security Act in Nagri block was a fiasco. Instead of accepting the flaw in the system, the government said it will conduct a survey of their own to find out where things went wrong.” 

Nagri residents had protested against the government’s DBT system in ration distribution and were reluctant to follow it. “The government started this pilot project in Nagri thinking it would be favourable and successful and later they want to extend it to the entire state,” Dreze told TOI. 

Savitri Devi, a 60-year-old resident of Dumri in Giridih, allegedly died of starvation on June 2. A survey conducted by members of the Right to Food Campaign Jharkhand found that no food was cooked in Devi’s house for three days preceding her death. “Devi’s pension was sanctioned four years ago. But she did not receive the money as her bank account was not ‘linked with Aadhaar’,” Dreze said. “She kept going to the bank, asking if her money has been credited or not, to which she always received a negative comment. She last went to inquire about it in March this year,” he added. 

However, Devi’s pension money was credited to her bank account in April, but she was not aware that she had money in her account as no one informed her.

Union secretary of food and public distribution Ravi Kant had on Wednesday said under no circumstances, should public distribution system (PDS) beneficiaries be deprived of food grains because of Aadhaar-related problems. Governor Droupadi Murmu had also clearly mentioned the direction issued by the Centre that failure to link Aadhaar with ration card should not be made a ground for rejection of allotting foodgrains to any beneficiary under any circumstances. 

Dreze said, “That is a statement of intent. No one is doing anything about it. The eligibility for a ration card in Jharkhand is not bad, unless you have a four-wheeler, a pucca house with three rooms, a government job and five acres of land.” He added, “All of the seven victims, who died due to Aadhaar-related hunger issues, were all eligible to procure a ration card. The government needs to take responsibility and cater to the need of the poor.”

“If the government thinks that it does not have the capability to go through the identification process (in relation with Aadhaar), then it should just resolve the problem by universalizing the PDS in rural areas and include nutritious items in the PDS,” the economist said.