India’s Bishops to teach poor ‘right to food’

(March 03, 2010) The Catholic bishops in India recently released a trainers’ kit as part of its campaign to educate people on their right to food. “Although India is rich, its people live below the poverty line,” said Father Nithiya Sagayam, secretary of the Commission for Justice, Peace and Development of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI).
He said the Food Corporation of India stores are overflowing with food grains but many die because of inadequate relief. In 2006, some 100,000 farmers committed suicide because of starvation and debts.
The priest said such incidents made him realize that the old charity methods of the Church were not appropriate for modern challenges. The Church official pointed out that the Indian government has several schemes for the welfare of the poor, but few have access to them because of their illiteracy. He said the worst affected are tribal people, slum dwellers and rural poor. These groups have to be taught their basic rights,” he said, and added that the Church project also aims to help the poor utilize government welfare schemes.
The kit includes a trainers’ manual on the use of such schemes and a PowerPoint CD for training. The commission aims to have the content available in 10 languages. Father Sagayam said his commission next plans to educate children from the sixth to twelfth grade. “If the children are motivated, they will fight for their rights when they grow up, besides pressuring their parents to assert their rights,” he added.