Chapter 13: Common and Differentiated Entitlements: Pathway for Food Security for All

Pranab Mukherjee in his budget speech delivered on 26 February 2010 announced: “We are now ready with the draft Food Security Bill which will be placed in the public domain very soon”. Although no official draft has so far been placed on the website of the concerned Ministry, several leading organisations and individuals have questioned the adequacy of the steps proposed to be taken under the Bill for achieving the goal of a hunger-free India. Based on Article 21 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court of India has rightly regarded the right to food as a fundamental requirement for the right to life. Many steps have been taken since Independence to adopt Mahatma Gandhi's advice for an antyodaya approach to hunger elimination. In spite of numerous measures and social safety net programmes, the number of undernourished persons has increased from about 210 million in 1990–1992 to 252 million in 2004–2006. About half of the world's under-nourished children are in India. Also, there has been a general decline in per capita calorie consumption in recent decades. Grain mountains and hungry millions continue to co-exist…