Death by Starvation of Three Delhi Minors Exposes Chinks in Food Security Programme

While political parties play the blame game, the deaths of the three sisters has highlighted several lacunae in the PDS system and the mid-day meal programme in the capital.

New Delhi: The death of three minor sisters due to starvation at Mandawali in East Delhi yesterday not only kicked up a political storm, but also raised worrying questions about the failure of various social welfare schemes in the capital which, if implemented properly, could have prevented this tragedy.

The post mortem report of the girls, aged two, four and eight, reveals that they had not eaten for eight days and that there was no fat on their bodies. While their mother was mentally ill, their father has not had any stream of income since his rickshaw was stolen a couple of weeks ago.

On July 26, a number of political leaders made a beeline for the home of the deceased girls. Each tried to give the tragedy a political hue. However, what could not be glossed over was the fact that this tragedy has highlighted how the poor implementation of social welfare schemes is a dark reality.

While stepping out of the house where the girls were found dead lying in pools of vomit, Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken questioned how it came to be that the eight-year-old girl, who studied at a government school, did not get a mid-day meal which would have helped save her life.

He stated that the mother told him that the family did not have a ration card. Incidentally, the card would have been no good even if the family had it since there was no money to buy rations. The Congress leader also questioned what happened to the Aam Aadmi Canteen programme under which wholesome meals were to be provided for Rs 10.

Maken also said that the father of the girls was unable to land a job and that this had led to the deaths. Post demonetisation and the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, the job market has shrunk as businesses have suffered financially and have been forced to lay off people.

For his part, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari sought to make political capital out of the tragedy. He stressed on how the deaths had taken place in deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s constituency.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had retweeted a message by Sisodia yesterday in which the latter had said he would visit the family on Thursday, did not offer any comment on the issue.

However, Sisodia visited the family and later admitted that the system has failed. He said a magisterial probe has been ordered.

Meanwhile, Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal, who recently received another three-year term, also issued a show cause to the station house officer and the sub divisional magistrate in the matter.

Initiating an inquiry into the matter, she sought a factual report with the complete details from the police in the matter.

Political posturing apart, Anjali Bharadwaj of Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan tweeted that the death of the three girls showed that both the Centre and the Delhi government had failed to provide food security to the citizens.

Expressing shock and sadness at the tragedy, the Abhiyan said it would also be releasing a fact finding report on the matter. It said the issue of lack of food security and social security of the poor and marginalised in Delhi remains undeniable.

‘Making food security conditional is denial of right to life’

“The situation is especially dire for children, elderly and the homeless – who are the most vulnerable. The Abhiyan has repeatedly stressed the need to seriously strengthen the framework of food security and remove barriers which prevent people from accessing it. Making food security conditional upon peoples’ ability to produce identity proof / residence proof / Aadhaar etc. is inhumane and a violation of the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution,” a statement by the organisation said.

Stating that large scale exclusions were being caused due to insistence on furnishing of identity proof, address proof and Aadhaar, it said even in the ongoing case in the Delhi high court, proof of how children, homeless and elderly have been left out of the purview of the National Food Security Act has been furnished.

‘Set up community kitchens across Delhi’

In light of the existing situation, the Abhiyan has demanded that the Centre and Delhi government immediately establish community kitchens across Delhi which provide cooked food. “The kitchens must not turn away any person desirous of food. Several states have put in place systems to provide hot cooked meals at very nominal costs or free of cost,” it said.

It also demanded that the quota system in PDS be ended and that the scheme be universalised. The need for providing pulses, oil and sugar to all ration cardholders has also been stressed.

Likewise, for children, the provision of providing eggs, fruits and milk through the mid-day meal scheme and ICDS in schools and anganwadis has been sought. The Abhiyan said there should also be coverage for all children under six through ICDS without any conditions.

‘Implement NFSA Act, operationalise grievance mechanism’

The Abhiyan has also called for implementing and operationalising the grievance redress and accountability provisions in the National Food Security Act, including carrying out of periodic social audits and setting up of State Food Commission.

It said the government has failed to put in place this statutory framework despite repeated directions from the Supreme Court and the Delhi high court. “Lack of accountability systems means people’s complaints of denial of food security remain unaddressed. Had the State Food Commission, which is an independent oversight body, been set up, it would have been the appropriate body to lead the inquiry into the deaths,” it said.

Finally, the Abhiyan has also cautioned that no untested mechanism like home delivery of rations should be brought in, saying “disruptions in the PDS cause extreme hardship and exacerbate vulnerabilities of marginalised households”.

It has also demanded that Aadhaar or Aadhaar-enabled biometric authentication should not be made mandatory for any food security or social welfare programme as similar provisions have been the cause of several starvation deaths in Jharkhand.