Against Price Rise, For Right to Food & Drought/Flood Relief

After the successful national convention on the Right to Food and Against Price Rise organised by the CPI(M) at New Delhi, the Left parties have decided to intensify their movement against price rise and for the right to food and demanding drought/flood relief.

As part of this movement, state level conventions will be jointly organised at the initiative of the Left parties. State level rallies will be organised in the month of November at state capitals.

Following will form part of the demands being raised by the Left parties, apart from state specific demands:

Demands Against Price Rise

Ban all future trade in essential commodities
Ensure dehoarding and take strong action against hoarders and black marketeers

Withdraw the price hikes in petrol and diesel

In Drought-Affected Areas

Ensure distribution of food grain to all affected families in drought hit areas on an emergency basis
Help State Governments through urgent allocation of resources to start widescale NREGA projects to ensure real incomes of at least rupees one hundred per work day in drought areas.
Arrange for fodder for cattle and drinking water supply

Demands for Food Security legislation

Scrap targeting, make PDS universal; entitlements under this Act must be delinked from Central poverty estimates
35 kg of food grain at Rs 2 per kg per nuclear household to be provided by Central Government
include other items, such as pulses, sugar, cooking oil and kerosene, at subsidized rates in the legal guarantee
incorporate all food and nutrition schemes of the Central Government such as the mid-day meal scheme and ICDS nutrition programme in the proposed legislation
promote national self-sufficiency in production of food grain, pulses, sugarcane, and oilseeds through public investment, provision of extension services and appropriate land use policies with guaranteed fair prices for farmers and expanded public procurement.