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Dhaka, May 12 (UNB) – Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)  Prof. Mizanur Rahman has voiced grave concern over the government’s move to keep a provision in the upcoming national budget to whiten black money.

“Keeping such a provision (whitening black money) means legitimising corruption,” he said addressing a seminar titled ‘Political Economy on Rights to Foods’ at Cirdap Auditorium here on Saturday.

Campaign for Rights to Food and Social Security, an NGO, organised the seminar.

Speaking on the occasion as the chief guest, Prof Mizan said it is a matter of concern that measures have been taken again to whiten black money in the next budget and this is how a corrupt society would be built by the state.

Terming the initiative to whiten black money a corruption by the state, the NHRC Chairman said it goes against the interests of people and it is also against the spirit of the Liberation War.

He said the farmers who produce food for all have no black money to whiten.

The NHRC Chairman said it is the responsibility of the state to save its people from hunger, provide them with sufficient nutritious food items and ensure their accessibility to food. “The state should create job opportunities and ensure people’s rights to employment,” he said.

Prof MM Akash, a teacher of Dhaka University's Economics department, presented the keynote paper at the seminar, which was addressed, among others, by BIDS research director Binayak Sen and Bangladesh Legal and Services Trust (BLST) director Barrister Sara Hossain.

Prof. Akash, in his paper, said food is the basic rights of people and a civilised society needs to employ its entire strength to fulfill the need.

“Many economic, social, political and cultural impediments stood in the way of fulfilling the rights of people to food. So, programmes to solve the problems should be holistic and diversified ones,” he said, adding, "The one-fourth of the country's people are still hungry and our situation in is the most vulnerable in the South Asia."

Prof. Akash suggested the government to procure paddy instead of rice from the farmers. “It’s essential to preserve some 10-15 percent of the total production of crops as buffer stock in the country.”

Civil society members, lawyers, leaders of farmers’ organisations and  others also took part in the seminar, moderated by Zakir Hossain, member secretary of Campaign for Rights to Food and Social Security.