Caste politics limiting access to nutritional food under Bommai govt: Report

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: A civil rights group has released a report card on the pluses and minuses of nutrition indicators in Karnataka under the Bommai government. Their fourth report validates the performance of the Bommai government in different sectors.

Activists say they will release more such reports. In this report, the group has alleged that the Bommai government has failed to ensure a social food security scheme for its public. Schemes like the Public Distribution System (PDS) and Midday Meal are supposed to cater to some of the poorest communities in the state.

While these may address hunger, they do not address the nutritional requirements of their beneficiaries as mandated by the National Food Security Act 2013. The report also states that since the NFSA uses the 2011 census, many eligible families are not mentioned in them.

The situation has worsened with the government not providing midday meals to students even after school reopened after the Covid-imposed lockdown. Taking suo moto notice, the High Court of Karnataka intervened and said the state government need not wait for the Centre’s decision, and added that it is abdicating its responsibility to provide food that was affecting attendance and enrolment in schools. It also highlighted that access to nutrition in Karnataka is affected due to caste, communalism and ideology.

Talking about the Akshayapatra scheme, the report said it promotes sattvic food, which excludes onion, garlic, meat, poultry and eggs, affecting nutrient-dense and culturally appropriate foods to children from marginalised communities.Coming down hard on the government, the report called the Bommai government to have an inadequate attempt to document or address malnutrition in the state.