A draft bill has been submitted to the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives, Lumbini province on December 18 for the formation of a province level food council by INSEC, FIAN Nepal, and NGO Federation among other organizations
Coordinator of FIAN Nepal of Lumbini province, Suresh Gautam has requested the new government and agriculture ministry to prioritize ensuring the right to food as it is the state’s responsibility.
Gautam also stated that Karnali province has already established the food council while other provinces are also doing the same therefore it is necessary for Lumbini province to initiate the formation process.
Anil Marasini, Head of the Land Resources Mapping Division of the Ministry, said that the Ministry had prepared a draft and sent it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He said that there was a problem in the formation of province level councils when the federal government did not make regulations
Article 36 of the Constitution of Nepal 2072 enshrines the right to food as a fundamental right of citizens, and for the implementation of this right, the Government of Nepal has issued the; Food Rights and Food Sovereignty Act 2075
Section 3 (2) of this Act has entrusted the Lumbini Provincial Government with the legal responsibility that the federal government, the state government, and the local level will make necessary arrangements in mutual coordination for the respect, protection, and fulfillment of the right to food.
Similarly, Section 34 of the Food Rights and Food Sovereignty Act 2075 provides for a provincial-level institutional mechanism to protect, promote and fulfill the rights under this Act at the provincial level.
On the basis of the rights provided by the Act, a draft prepared by the civil society has been submitted to immediately establish the Lumbini Province Food Council and implement the fundamental rights of the citizens.