Photo: Community kitchen being run by Socialist Party (India) in Dubagga, Lucknow
On 22nd March, the day of ‘Janta Curfew’, Socialist Party (India)’s Lucknow district president Salman Raini, along with district vice-president Mohammad Ahmed, started using Mr Raini’s two-wheeler to distribute biscuit packets to those in need. Because Mr Raini is the General Secretary of the Young Fruit and Vegetable Farmers and Traders Association he also decided that he would sell vegetables at the same rate at which he purchases them at the wholesale market and bear the costs of transport and handling himself. The Socialist Party (India) then decided to take over the responsibility of carrying out this work so that it can be sustained for a longer period of time. Work under SP(I) started on 27th March through which between 200 and 500 families have started receiving daily assistance. The party has been spending about Rs.2000-4000 per day to carry out this task. Now the administration is also taking Mr Raini’s help in providing vegetables to people living in the Police Stations Talkatora and Saadatganj areas, which have been sealed to outsiders. Here too Mr Raini is selling vegetables at wholesale rates i.e. Rs. 20 per kilo for potatoes and onions and appoximately Rs. 10 per kilo for pumpkin and gourd.
The party initially started distributing packets containing 5 kg of flour, 2 kg of potatoes and 1 kg of onion. But after doing this work for about a week it was noticed that the number of available packets was falling far short of the number of people in need in Sector P, BSUP, Vasant Kunj, Dubagga. We then realised that it would be more effective to distribute cooked food instead of dry ration. This is how we got the idea of starting a community kitchen here and the organisational secretary of SP(I), Zeenat took responsibility for its functioning. Subsequently, Uzma took responsibility for starting a kitchen in Dubagga, Gudiya and Raziya in Madiyaon, Janak Dulari Maurya in Haider Canal, Gauri Yadav in front of Sahara Hospital Gate 3, Meraj Raini in Nayi Basti, Chaudhary Gadiya and Guddi in Hardoiya Deviganj village near Gosaiganj, all in Lucknow district. On 16 April two more kitchens were started in Mirpur village, Barabanki district, and Tirwaganj town in Kannauj district. On 17 April kitchens were started in Chandpur-Faridpur village in Sitapur district and in Kolkata city.
In every kitchen about 100-250 people are receiving food every day. In most kitchens food is being cooked once a day and in a few of them twice a day. The Socialist Party (India) has taken responsibility for keeping these kitchens operational for the full duration of the lockdown. We believe that even in ordinary times, community kitchens can be an effective way of ensuring that people do not go hungry. Just as gurudwaras around the country run langars, all places of worship, religious sites and community centres in India should undertake the task of running such kitchens.
Many people who have been unable to buy medicines due to the lockdown are being provided with medicines by the SP(I).
Apart from this, the SP(I) is also trying to help improve the implementation of the Public Distribution System. Rajaram Yadav, a ration shop owner in Aseni Gram Sabha, Barabanki was found distributing grain to Antyodaya cardholders for 20-100 per kg, even though these families should be receiving grains for free during the period of lockdown, and at double the stipulated price to those holding the Priority Household card. A complaint was made to the District Magistrate, who after an investigation found it to be correct and ordered that the ration shop owner be suspended.
A list of 20 people from Chandpur-Faridpur village, Sitapur who did not have ration cards or job cards because of which they had been unable to receive free grain through the PDS, was prepared and handed over to to the administration. The process of providing ration cards to 7 of these families, which had a female head with both an Aadhaar card and a bank account, has been initiated. It is unfortunate that even though in 5 of the remaining families the husband of the female head has an Aadhaar card, and in one case even has a bank account, they have been refused ration cards. The remaining 8 families do not have Aadhaar cards and bank accounts because of which they are also being denied the benefit of free/subsidised grains.
In Pipri Narayanpur Gram Sabha, Hardoi, applications for ration cards for 3 families have been submitted online, but ration shop owners have informed them that they will only be able to start receiving grain after three months. This when the central government has promised free grain for every family with a ration card for the next three months.
Socialist Party (India) supports the demand to universalise the public distribution system so that any person who comes to a public ration shop receives free grains. Also, all people who have ration cards, job cards issued under the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act and Labour cards issued by the Labour Department, should for the duration of the lockdown receive a minimum daily wage for every day spent under lockdown directly in their accounts. When employees in the organised sector are receiving their regular salaries why should those in the unorganised sector not receive full payments as well?
Sandeep Pandey, Vice President, Socialist Party (India)
Surabhi Agarwal, Spokesperson, Socialist Party (India)
Contact: 9952076367 (Vishal Kumar)
