Arrange jobs, not relief, to mitigate monga

They said jobs, not relief goods, will be more useful to mitigate monga in the country's northern region. At least one member of an extreme poor family should be given the assurance of job for around 100 days a year either in the form of agricultural or non-agricultural activities.

Economists, agriculture experts and NGO officials, who took part in the roundtable, said the large area under the command of Teesta Barrage could be used for promoting both agricultural and non-agricultural activities.

They said such a step will greatly help mitigate monga through facilitating irrigation, pisciculture, social afforestation and implementing agro-based projects in the areas with extreme poverty.

Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) organised the roundtable on "Food Security in Bangladesh Legal Obligation" at the Cirdap auditorium to present some research works on different aspects of food security.

BLAST vice-chairman Justice Naimuddin Ahmed presided over the roundtable.

Noted economist Prof MM Akash, agriculturist Dr Korban Ali, Executive Director of VOICE, an NGO, and Barrister Sara Hossain.

Director General of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Dr Quazi Shahabuddin and Deputy Director of BLAST Soma Islam presented two keynote papers on "Food Security in Bangladesh" and "Legal Perspective on Right to Food" while BLAST researcher Abu Ala presented a research study on monga.

According to the participants, input subsidy is more beneficial than output subsidy in the economic context. They said support to economic activities instead of direct feeding system will ensure proper use of the local resources and help stop pilferage of food aid by social influential or unscrupulous public representatives.

Terming the social disparity as one of the main reasons for monga, the speakers said the northern region does not face any food shortage during such annual phenomenon. Only the poor, particularly the landless agricultural labourers, marginal farmers and char people are the worst victims of monga, they said.

They also upheld the "Right to Food" as a basic right of the people enshrined in the Constitution but the monga gripping more than 40 lakh people every year in the region broadly violates that fundamental right.

Justice Naimuddin in his roundup speech said the people are not all hungry for the 'food for work' rather they want the government supports towards producing more food.

He suggested increasing food distribution in rural areas by reducing it in urban areas to protect the extreme poor from monga-like situation.

He said other facilities like power should be made available in rural areas by drastically restraining the luxurious use of it in urban areas.

"A strong local government system with total accountability and transparency can check the irregularities and drawbacks in the implementation of government food security policy and programmes," Justice Naimuddin said.