Public Distribution System for Sahariyas of Baran, Rajasthan: A Status Check

The legal establishment of Right to Food began in 2001, in the context of deaths of 47 Sahariyas of starvation during a drought in Baran district of Rajasthan. Similar reports in 2004, 2009 and 2011 triggered a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court as a reaction to inadequate government drought relief measures mandated by the Rajasthan Famine Code of 1962 and failure to provide subsidised food through the Public Distribution System to authorised beneficiaries. This was despite the fact that close to 60 million tons of food stocks meant as relief to drought affected areas were rotting in the Food Corporation of India warehouses.