Existence of multiactor bodies governing or decision making bodies for food policy at national, subnational and/or local level with diverse participation of civil society organizations

The Supreme Court decided in 2002 to appoint two Commissioners of the Court for the purpose of monitoring the implementation of all orders relating to the right to food. The Commissioners are empowered to enquire about any violations of these orders and to demand redress. They may enlist the assistance of non-governmental organizations and individuals. Resident Commissioners have also been appointed in each state to assist the Commissioners and the Supreme Court.

India’s food-security context is formed by several public programmes related to various governmental sectors, but these initiatives are not organised into a single, strategic framework and their interactions are not coordinated in a common structure. Currently, the main mechanism for dialogue among the sectors involved in food security is the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM), entrusted with analysing the proposed National Food Security Act (NFSA) and additional food-related issues such as import duties and bans on exports. The Group was established in 2009 with the participation of the Ministries of Finance, Agriculture, Rural Development, Defence, Commerce, Textiles, Railway, and Home Affairs, along with the Planning Commission. However, a permanent and structured dialogue and coherence among the food-security actions as a whole are yet to be fully realised. Similarly, broad multi-stakeholder engagement is limited. The participation of the different levels of government and local civil society is shaped by the scope of specific programmes, with a strong focus on implementation mechanisms. Local governance bodies, known as panchayat raj, are important stakeholders of this regard.

Participation in decision making on the conception and design of national food-security schemes is not structured or formalised within participatory bodies, despite the strong organisation and active engagement of civil society—whose main locus is the Right to Food Campaign—in the debate on food-security policy. The Campaign has been active on various fronts, such as public hearings, rallies, media advocacy and political lobbying .