REPORT

Rally for Food Security and PDS in Delhi

Corruption in the PDS system and erosion of food security for the poor is a burning issue, not just in the rural areas but even in the capital city of Delhi. As part of the Delhi unit’s year-long campaign on the question of Public Distribution System, a big rally and mass meeting against Central Government was held on 19 September 2007. The main demands made in the rally’s were that all workers from the unorganised sector and migrant workers be included in the BPL list, that the Quota of Delhi’s PDS allotment be increased, that the recommendations made by the Justice Wadhwa Committee BPL & APL in Delhi be implemented.

Hundreds of people from different localities of Delhi – mainly from Kalyanvas, Khora, NOIDA, Krishna Nagar, Shahadara, Rohtas Nagar in East Delhi, Narela, Rohini, Mangolpuri in North East Delhi and Okhla in South Delhi participated in the Rally and mass meeting. Later, a delegation of the CPI(ML) leaders met the Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar to present their memorandum of demands. One impressive point of the rally was the participation of women in large numbers. The rally proceeded towards Parliament Street from Jantar Mantar where it culminated in a mass meeting upon being stopped by the police. Many leaders of various mass organisations participated and addressed the meeting apart from Com. Rajendra Pratholi, CPI(ML) secretary of Delhi. Among them were the General Secretary of All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) Kumudini Pati, and Delhi incharge Uma Gupta, Santosh Rai of All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), N. M. Thomas and Shankaran from the Delhi Transport Corporation Workers Unity Centre, VKS Gautam, Ardhendu Roy, Ram Abhilash, Shyam Kishore and Nand Kishore of All India General Kamgar Union, Surendra Panchal of Building Workers Union, AISA’s Ravi Rai, General Secretary of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) Sandeep Singh and CPI(ML) Central Committee member Comrade Prabhat Chaudhary. The mass meeting was conducted by Amarnath Tiwary. The main demands of rally were:

Guaranteeing food security for all unorganized sector workers and poor people in Delhi

Ending corruption in Public Distribution System

Reduction of the prices of foodgrains and other commodities provided through PDS. Wheat be given at Rs. 2 and rice at Rs. 3 per kg

Implementing recommendations made by the committee appointed by the Supreme Court on PDS in Delhi

All intentions to cut the APL quota must be stopped and APL families be given food grains at half the current prices

All unorganised sector workers be provided election photo identity cards on the basis of ID cards provided by the Labour department.

The Delhi State Committee has identified issues of PDS, public transport, electricity, water, health and the question of housing in order to launch a wide political campaign as these issues have started affecting every common individual in Delhi as a fallout of the policy of privatisation of State and Central governments. On the question of PDS, for the last one year, party units have taken agitational programmes in local areas – holding mass meetings, gheraoing ration shop owners and the local Food and Supply Officer. On 1 February this year, the party held a large mass rally against the Delhi government and raised issues with Mr Raj Kumar Chauhan, Food and Supply Minister in the Delhi Government. On 12 September this year, a delegation, led by Uma Gupta, AIPWA Delhi Convenor and party’s State committee member, has also met the Secretary, Food and Supply department of agriculture ministry of Government of India. The State Committee of the party has decided to intensify the struggles at local levels. The Party will also raise the questions of deciding urban poverty, so-called illegal dwellers (of slum and unauthorised colonies) and migrant workers with the central government .

— Srikant