Oxfam in Action: Community-Based Monitoring to Ensure Right to Food in Bihar

Overview

Koshish and Oxfam have set up justice committees (called nyay [justice] dal [committee]) and vigilance committees at the village level in two districts in the Indian state of Bihar. These committees support the local government (Panchayati Raj) institutions as well as the community. The community is empowered to demand, access and monitor the implementation of food schemes like the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and the Public Distribution System (PDS). Oxfam has supported the village-level judicial system (Gram Kacheris) to solve cases pertaining to food schemes through the justice committee and vigilance committee. Oxfam has been working in Bihar since 2011. A key measure of success is that the Bihar government has adopted the model in its National Food Security Act (NFSA) rules.