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UNU-WIDER Rights-based Approach to Development: Lessons from the Right to Food Movement in India

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Rights-based Approach to Development: Lessons from the Right to Food Movement in India

rp2007-04.pdf rp2007-04.pdf (134.47 kilobytes)
In April 2001 the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) approached the Supreme Court of India arguing that the government has a duty to provide greater relief in the context of mass hunger. The litigation has now become the best known precedent on the right to food internationally. This paper reviews the litigation with a view to understand various strategies used by the litigants to create and enforce far-reaching entitlements in a near legal vacuum on the right to food. This is followed by a discussion on the lessons from this case for a rights-based approach to development at large.
Publisher:
UNU-WIDER
Series:
WIDER Research Paper
Volume:
2007/04
Title:
Rights-based Approach to Development: Lessons from the Right to Food Movement in India
Authors:
Basudeb Guha-Khasnobis and S. Vivek
Publication date:
January 2007
ISSN Web:
1810-2611
ISBN Web:
9291909432
ISBN 13 Web:
9789291909438
Copyright holder:
© UNU-WIDER
Copyright year:
2007
Keywords:
right to food, development, public interest litigation, food policy, law
JEL:
H11, H3, H4, H53, I12, I3, K19, K41
Project:
Hunger and Food Security: New Challenges and New Opportunities
Sponsor:
The governments of Denmark (Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Finland (Ministry for Foreign Affairs), Norway (Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Sweden (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency-Sida) and the United Kingdom (Department for International Development).
Format:
online
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