Country grappling with undeclared food insecurity!
A rather gut wrenching account of three young children having died of hunger has occurred in the national capital, New Delhi. This happened just around the time the Prime Minister and his men are trying to project some amazing success India has achieved, only according to them. The post-mortem reports have said the children didn’t have any traces of food or water in their body, and their stomachs were totally empty at the time of death.
Deputy chief minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia has ordered for an inquiry into the matter. The hospital has confirmed that the children died of hunger and impoverishment. Around the time when the ruling dispensation is busy debating what people should eat what they shouldn’t; this gory death of children has posed a big question before us holding up the stark contradiction to the people we are. The government may ask how can it be held responsible for these children who died of hunger. But this is an indicator of a consistent effort to snatch people’s right to live, in a civilized society. The government shouldn’t lose sight of that. Malnourishment is a big menace the country is currently fighting.
Today children are battling more than 40% of the diseases that are caused by lack of nourishment. Hunger is the biggest disease in the nation now. Yet, these deaths are testimony to the fact that the central government has failed to create an efficient programme to tackle hunger and malnourishment among its citizens. In many ways, people are losing food security, owing to consistent use of various tools employed by the government to deny food to people living in poverty and inhuman conditions. That the government should provide them aid is a suggestion that is yet to be considered by the ruling dispensation.
Many instances of people being denied food grains because they didn’t have aadhaar card. Unemployment has increased after demonetization. These incidents happened in Karnataka too. People have been denied treatment and medicines in hospitals for want of Aadhar card.
People are facing dire consequences of note ban, owing to jobs being reduced and unable to return to their villages because they do not have any food security there either. How would they pay attention to anything else when food itself is a premium for them? Dairy farming is on a downhill in villages owing to fake Gau Rakshaks and the violence they have unleashed on the innocent people. These fake Gau Rakshaks claim rights over farmers’ cattle, they are lifted midway reach the Gau Shalas and eventually disappear mysteriously or are reaching slaughter houses for someone’s benefit. This development has startled the people in lower strata of both cities and villages alike. People are unable to provide food for their children to survive.
Even when the malnourishment and hunger is at its peak in the nation, an RSS leader has said people should stop eating beef. A person who lives off someone else’s earnings can give such statements. Beef is a food of the majority of the country. This has kept the poor and impoverished with some stamina and health. It is easy to snatch it from them, but what is the alternative the government is providing for them? Today beef is among the top exported items in the country.
The nation is keen on providing the best of beef for other nations. The nation’s poor will suffer and this would show on the hunger index of the country and eventually on the economic status as well. But the leaders are busy advising the people not to eat beef. This is bound to have adverse effects on the nation because many people are dependent on beef in various ways. For farmers who rear the cows, beef eaters are consumers who provide market for their goods. Which is why they sell the cattle that have outlived their utility. Beef eaters are seen as part of the chain of dairy farming. Lakhs of slaughterhouses work to provide beef. Tanneries work to provide leather extracted from the dead cattle. All these occupations provide livelihoods to people and they would be affected should the government work adversely to the interests of the people.
The rates of beef are skyrocketing since the meat is hardly available in the market. With this, rates of other varieties of meat are also getting beyond the reach of people. The poor are unable to afford nutritious food because vegetables are very costly and cannot be afforded by all. Owing to fake Gau Rakshaks, the country is facing crisis on all fronts. The food has been denied and an insecurity has been created. This is a complete denial of right to live. Today we do not have the luxury of deciding who can eat and what needs to be consumed. The hunger deaths in Delhi are a testimony to that fact. We need to debate on ways of tackling hunger. Just as the Gau Rakshaks have become a point of debate, even the dead children need to rattle our consciousness. And it is imperative that an inquiry reveals who is responsible for this food insecurity, and we need to find solutions for that.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
