Press Release
As the West Bengal yatra on Right to Food and Work in West Bengal finished second day today, some positive
results were reported from two blocks in Nadia
district. In Tehatta II block,
450 people submitted their applications to the Food Inspector during a meeting
with the BDO, where the former was also present, along with the CDPO of the
ICDS program. When the yatra moved to the next block in Nakashipara, and met the BDO with the demands, where he instructed
the Food Inspector, to accept applications and issue new ration cards keeping
aside panchayat's recommendation and party affiliations.
Purulia district saw local
people taking interest and distributing handbills and poster-ing walls on their
own. Today, the yatra started from Manbazar I block, and after covering several
panchayats entered Barabazar, one of
the important blocks, where it raised slogans and campaigned outside the BDO's
office. The yatra then moved to Berada Gram Panchayat and had two pathayatras,
which included a meeting with Panchayat office members and the village pradhan.
Balarampur block was covered after that where street corner meetings were held
in important landmarks such as the bus stop and bazaars. Finally, it moved to
Purulia 1 block, where meetings were organised in haats. In Manara gram
panchayat, the yatra was stopped by people assuming that it was taken out on
behalf of a political party, and objective was to garner votes before the
forthcoming panchayat elections.
South 24 Parganas district,
an island district affected by Cyclone Aila in 2009 and subsequent floods every
year, is one of the poor areas where food security is a crucial question. The
yatra in the district is co-organised by Gosaba Anwesha for Science, New Trade
Union Initiative (NTUI), Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity (PBKMS), Shramajivee
Mahila Samity (SMS), Sundarban Bonadhikar Sangram Committee and Udayani Social
Action Forum. The yatra started from the bazaar in Kakdwip block, covering several gram panchayats, and moving to Namkhana block where a rally was taken
out. It will commence from here tomorrow.
Binpur 2 in the Jhargram sub-division of Paschim Medinipur
district, is a naxal affected area where the state is giving foodgains for
Rs. 2 under the Public Distribution System, continues to be a hunger-zone area.
A padayatra was taken out there of more than 200 people.
More updates from Bankura district will come in as they are reported.
For more details, please contact:
Saradindu Biswas
Ph: 9433342488
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