Shiv Kumar Padha
There are many days like Hindi Day, Save Girl Child Day, Yoga Day, Valentine Day, World Health Day, Mother Day, Women Empowerment Day Red Cross Day, Flag Day, Nutrition Day, Anti Tobacco Day, AIDS Day and the like observed every year in the country but it is regretful that there is no day like Roti Day observed in India where it has bcome difficult to provide access to food to its large number of people, especially women and the children, with the result, many cases of death due to hunger are reported every day from different states of the country
Since independence dawned in the country, nation has never looked back and has always taken big strides in order to keep pace with the advancing caravan of the developed nations. If we compare today’s India will what it was just after the Independence we find heaven’s difference there. Now India has surpassed almost all those countries which were once considered invincible in the field of international diplomacy, science and technology, industrialization, economic and defense field. It is definitely the result of the undaunted leadership and farsightedness of our national leaders who could carve out a prestigious place for India in the international fora. India, with a population of over 1.3 billion, has seen a tremendous growth in the past two decades. its GDP has increased 4.5 times and its per capita consumption 3 times. India’s food grain production has increased two times. Despite industrial and economic growth, India needs sufficient production of food to feed its starving population. Many poor women and children, from the food insecure states of UP (eastern and south eastern parts), Bihar, Jharkhand, Orisa, West Bengal, MP, Maharashtra and other states of the country are seen feeding over the waste food collected from the heaps of garbage. One cannot help taking pity on these creatures competing with their animal companions for food on the heaps of garbage. Majority of the food collectors from the garbage are women and children of the nomads, tribesmen and the daily workers. Kids and children who do not go to school come out of their houses in search of food when their parents leave for work. The children spot the heaps of garbage and start segregating the waste and collect edibles in the plastic bags or discarded boxes. They find a comfortable corner or wall where they eat anything that is edible. For a hungry child battling every day for survival hygiene and health matter least.
According to FAO estimates 195.9 million or 14.8% people are unnourished in India, 51.4% women in reproductive age (in the range of15 to 49 years) are anemic. The global hunger index ranks India at 100 out of 119 countries. India has made significant progress in science and technology, agricultural produce, human development, raised the standard of living of its people even then 1/3 rd of people suffer over the past 60 years, but it is a matter of great surprise that the benefits of its growing economy are not equally shared by the people. The privileged people became more rich than the under privileged who, instead of, bettering their economy could not escape from the clutches of poverty.
As it is said, India is a country where the stomachs of the poor are stuffed with tempting slogans, rights and acts, where everything is politically motivated, where poor and needy are remembered during the election days. Nothing solid has ever been done on the ground except assurances because poverty is a fertile land for the Indian politicians. There are rights like right to education, right of healthful living, right to food but there is no such slogan, Right, Act or Day which speaks about the eradication of poverty and discourage the garbage eating which is a blot on any nation howsoever advanced it claims. There are no instances where the MLAs and the MPs have ever hot exchange, walk outs, stalling the works of the Assemblies and Parliament over the matters of ensuring two times meals for the Indian citizens, eradication of poverty, discouraging the feeding of the human beings over the heaps of garbage except on the matters pertaining to their personal interest, their salaries and perks.
Our politicians talk vociferously about the Right to Food which is not more than a political gimmick just to lure the poor and befool the countrymen. The Right to Food nowhere guarantees free meals to those who are penniless and homeless. Right to food is a human right protecting the rights of the people to feed themselves in a dignified way by making sufficient food available so that they can have access to it. The Right to Food protects the rights of all human beings to be free from hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. According to the much hyped Right to Food, the law doesn’t imply that the Government has an obligation to provide free food to everyone rather the right to food says, ” the right to food will be applicable to those who are deprived of access to food due to the detention in the times of war, disaster, and days of natural calamities”.
According to one estimate 40 percent food from the house kitchens, banquet halls, hotels and restaurants goes waste which is sufficient to feed 1/3 rd of the poor. According to Hindustan Times survey around 67 million tones of food worth 92,000 crore rupees is wasted in India every year which, if, utilized properly can save many lives from the hunger. Hunger is not a matter of charity but an issue of justice. The food waste can be judiciously converted into food security for those collecting food from the heaps of garbage. The extra food which we throw in the trash bins can become the next meal for someone who has not seen for many days. Collecting food from the garbage by the human beings is a heinous crime towards the humanity, a sin and blot over the nations they belong to which must be done away with once for all. It is not the duty of the Government alone but a joint venture of both the society and the Government. The habit of the hungary people to collect edibles from the garbage can be unlearnt and discouraged if the society and the Governments exhibit their personal and political will by:
– Bringing a legislation to curb the menace of collecting the edibles from the garbage.
– Discouraging the habit of food wastage in the society, identifying the group, providing them two times free nutritious meals and encouraging the NGOs to come forward for their help.
– Starting a crusade against collecting edibles from the garbage by the poor, like the one for the eradication of malaria, small Pox and the plague in the past.
– There should be sufficient budgetary allocation for such groups so that they can be rehabilitated properly.
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