Formulation of right to food law urged
Development activists at a discussion here yesterday demanded formulation of a right to food law to ensure adequate food and nutritional security for the countrys all people, reports. They said it is urgent to formulate a law to ensure peoples right to food and their nutritional security, and the State is responsible to address poverty and hunger by ensuring adequate supply of food. Right to Food Bangladesh, a network of Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), arranged the discussion, titled Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Seventh Five Year Plan: Right to Food Perspective, at Cirdap auditorium in the capital. Palli Karma Shohayok Foundation (PKSF) chairman Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad said despite having some achievements in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Bangladeshs poverty rate
still will go up to some extent if it is measured considering multiple indicators.
In the context of right to food, emphasis must be given on reduction of extreme poverty, protecting agricultural land and boosting productivity, checking population growth and addressing climate change impacts as well, he added. Economist Prof MM Akash said the proposed Seventh Five Year Plan has given priority to food availability and its use to ensure food security, but it should give more emphasis on access to food issue so that poor people can get food easily. India has already enacted a law in this regard, he said, the government should consider seriously to pass such a law in the country to ensure poor peoples access to food. Senior research fellow of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Dr Naznin Ahmed, UNDPs climate change specialist AKM Mamunur Rashid and development activist Sujit Chowdhury, among others, spoke at the discussion.
Secretary of Right to Food Bangladesh Mohsin Ali made a power-point presentation on the occasion.
