Ambika bhardwaj
Published On: January 18, 2022 at 16:49 IST
The Supreme Court today directed the Central Government to provide information on starvation deaths, hunger, and malnutrition across the country by collaborating with the States.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli considered the same while hearing a plea seeking instructions to the Centre, States, and Union Territories (UTs) to establish a scheme for community kitchens to battle hunger and malnutrition.
The Court was informed that the Centre had created a Policy to that effect which had been put on Affidavit during today’s hearing.
Attorney General KK Venugopal, who appeared for the Centre, notified the Bench that even a single state had not given information on starvation deaths. A recent Case was cited by the AG in which a 5-year-old boy in Tamil Nadu was accused of dying of starvation.
The Court ultimately stated that it would not make a scheme today and would instead allow time for the Centre to give information on starvation deaths.
CJI Ramana emphasized that States such as Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, and West Bengal operate community kitchens but rely on the Centre for funding.
The Judge made recommendation of a combined affidavit to be lodged which would include the information provided to the Centre by the States.
It was told by CJI Ramana to the Attorney General that they are not on the verge of starvation, nor are people dying of hunger. Their priority is to ensure that people do not go hungry. They must consult with their officers in order to devise a nodal scheme.
The case will be heard in two weeks and at that point the states must file additional Affidavits revealing data on malnutrition, hunger, and other issues.