Taking strong note to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India highlighting the State Food & Civil Supply and Consumers Department as one of the worst performing department, the MPHRC said the government as a matter of urgency should have identified as to what actions were needed to ensure full respect for the right to adequate food to the 14,600 poor families who have been deprived of the benefit of the subsidised foodgrains.
''Governments cannot remain passive in the current crisis.
Passivity or inappropriate reaction would, in such circumstances, constitute a violation of the right to food, whether by omission or by commission,'' MPHRC Secretary General Dino D G Dympep said.
The current crisis vividly illustrates the need for the government to adopt measures which will better shield the most vulnerable segments of the population in future from shocks which may affect either the availability of food in quantity and quality sufficient to satisfy the dietary needs of individuals or the accessibility of such food, both economic or physical, in ways that are sustainable and that do not interfere with the enjoyment of other human rights, the MPHRC added.
The soaring of the food prices will affect most severely the population since the public distribution system (PDS) has no such strategies in place to mitigate the rapid increase of prices in the markets.
Mr Dympep said the adoption of a comprehensive strategy, including a framework law implementing the right to food, should therefore, be identified as a priority by the government which have not taken steps towards developing such a strategy in line with the recommendations agreed upon under the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Voluntary Guidelines to support the progressive realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security.