R E S O L U T I O N passed at the First Visa-Free and Peaceful South Asia Convention, New Delhi, 7-8 August 2005
RESOLUTION passed by delegates from India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan in the `Visa-free and Peaceful South AsiaConvention' held in New Delhi from August 7 to August 8, 2005 :
We, the delegates of this convention hereby resolve that the following steps be taken both by civic society and the governments of South Asia:
1. Relations among the countries of South Asia be further strengthened and the peoples of these countries be given full freedom to meet each other. For this, these countries should become visa-free so that the common socio- cultural and historical heritage of the region is taken forward, trade is enhanced and the countries of SAARC
move towards giving shape to the idea of an economic union. It is further resolved that in the present circumstances students and teachers of schools, colleges and universities be given top priority in the granting of visas, keeping in view the above stated objective.
2. Democratic values be strengthened in these countries and rights of the people be protected especially in the context of women, and deprived sections of society. Laws discriminatory towards these sections in these countries be repealed forthwith and positive steps be taken in this direction.
3. Steps should be taken to restore democracy in Nepal and Bhutan, for, in our opinion, monarchy is a major hurdle in the overall sustainable development of these countries. We whole heartedly support the struggle for democracy and for the formation of a constituent assembly being carried out by the political parties in Nepal. The problems of Nepal should be resolved in a peaceful and people-friendly manner. Further, the citizens of Bhutan waging a struggle for democracy in their country and forced to live in exile should be unconditionally allowed back into Bhutan.
4. We believe that what is stated above is possible only if there is peace in the region. For this, it is imperative that all countries of South Asia resolve to stop the militarization of the region, and India and Pakistan put an end to all nuclear weapons. All the countries should stop any increase in their defense budgets; they should take steps to bring about a decrease of a minimum of 10% per annum in this budget and allocate the resources thus saved for issues of concern to the common man such as health and education. Moreover, the expenditure on defense should be publicly transparent.
5. India and Pakistan should agree on the creation of a Nuclear-Weapons Free Zone in South Asia on a time bound basis. Further the SAARC states should conclude a South Asian No-War pact to facilitate South Asian economic cooperation.
6. No country of the region should get into any agreement with any super power that is likely to create a danger for the autonomy and sovereignty of any of these countries.
7. All the problematic issues among the SAARC countries should be resolved by way of talks without resorting to arms. In this context, the problem of Jammu and Kashmir be resolved after taking into consideration the wishes and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
8. Given the common socio-cultural and historical heritage of the region, the activities of communal and fundamentalist forces in any of these countries are likely to have repercussions for the rest of the region. We therefore resolve that for peace and friendship to be sustained in the region, the nefarious designs of all such forces be challenged and all progressive forces be strengthened in the region.
9. We believe that the processes of globalization go against the rights of the common man and create hurdles in the way of the autonomy of the region. The multinational companies, propped up by these processes, use the natural resources of water, land and forests of these countries for their own profit and thus encroach upon the legitimate rights of the people. We therefore resolve to support all pro-people movements in their struggle against the forces of globalization acting under the directions of WTO, World Bank and IMF. We also oppose the veto powers of representatives on bodies like IMF, World Bank, UNO and WTO, for they go against the spirit of democracy.
Love is the missing link in War-on-Terror
Published in:
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh, India: 10 October 2007
Nagaland Page, Nagaland, India: 11 October 2007
The Daily Star, Dhaka, Bangladesh: 11 October 2007
The Seoul Times, South Korea: 12 October 2007
Kashmir Newz, Jammu & Kashmir, India: 22 October 2007
.
.
Love
is the missing link in War-on-Terror
.
Shobha Shukla
The recent declaration by the United Nations to commemorate October 2 ( birthday of Mahatma Gandhi) as ‘International Day of Non violence’ is simply a reassertion of the need for a violence free society. The year 2007 is the centenary year of the Satyagrah Movement launched by the Apostle of Peace.
Nothing much seems to have changed on this front. The world today has become a cauldron of hate and strife. As our aspirations scale new economic heights and our possessions multiply, our tolerance and sensitivity levels get reduced.
Whether it is the cruelty of the military junta in Myanmar, the suppression of democracy in Pakistan, the threat of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the continued hostilities between Palestine and Israel , the dangerous rise of Hindu fundamentalism in India or a world wide scare of terrorism / violation of human rights, we are in the grip of an acute fear psychosis. This constant fear and distrust of our fellow beings is nurturing hatred leading to violence.
Human beings, the so called superior creation of God, are destroying each other (and nature too ) with a ruthlessness which is scary. We are bullying and killing each other in the name of religion and/or racial or social superiority. This is strange indeed as love and peace are common to all religions and not one of them is based on the premise of hate and violence. In Christianity Jesus comes to reveal God’s love for humankind. The very word Islam means ‘a religion of peace’. Almost all Hindu prayers end with the word Om Shanti ( let there be peace). One of the main preachings of Buddhism is ‘they do not follow dharma ( righteousness) who resort to violence to achieve their purpose’. Yet our primodal urge to rule over the minds, bodies and thoughts of others has made religion a potent tool in our insatiable quest of power.
The power hungry politicians and fundamentalists are using religion to provoke group mentality, leading not only to loss of character but also of rational thinking. The communal violence in the Indian state of Gujarat saw the elite middle class looting shops and houses of a particular community. This was reciprocated in good measure later on in Mumbai and elsewhere. This grouping together in the name of religion ( a religion about which we might be knowing very little actually) , throwing all sanity to the winds, makes a mockery of our sense and sensibility.
We stubbornly refuse to learn from past mistakes. A survivor of a concentration camp in Germany said, ‘ I have seen gas chambers built by engineers, children poisoned by physicians and nurses, men and women shot dead by college graduates. This has made me a little wary of our education which is producing learned monsters and skilled psychopaths.’
Yet this is exactly what is still happening. Most terrorist outfits are manned by highly qualified people. Many of our scientists and others think it is beneficial for India to have the atom bomb to protect themselves from Pakistan. While discussing this issue with my students I pointed out to them that if we ever used this weapon against our neighbour then we would also be wiped out. They said that it should be there just to scare them, there is no need to use it. This is the general perception all around. So we are ready to spend millions to manufacture deadly weapons simply to put fear in our neighbours as if ‘those who desire peace must prepare for war’.
But peace can never be a balance of terror. It can be realised only if there is a shift from the present Culture of Power to a Culture of Love.
Non violence is the need of the hour. And this can stem only from love and compassion of our fellow beings.
Hate has alienated nations and provoked war and cruelty. By forsaking the path of Ahimsa ( non violence) we are punishing others as well as ourselves. Karma (action) needs always to be combined with Dharma.
I believe in the power of love. Love for others alone can make us respect human life and fight the forces of terrorism, fanaticism and communalism. Love alone can create a communion with life. We must love and live and let live. An ‘eye for an eye’ is making the world blind. Unless we live in peace and harmony with nature and with others ,this reckless drive of the human race towards self destruction cannot be stopped. In this endeavour we need to be more tolerant of unfamiliar neighbours, more wary of the violence of popular media and more aware that manufacture / trade of deadly weapons has no place in a world of peace. Our blue planet, (as seen from outer space) is the only home we have to care for and share in. Let us protect it with love and tolerance.
Love that caresses but not smothers. Love that gives a breathing space to all. Love that realises that my freedom ends where your begins. Love that lets no one remain unwanted, unloved and uncared for---- for that is a much greater hunger than of a person who has nothing to eat. Love that wipes out the inhuman acts of ‘road rage’, ‘violence for fun’ and ‘honour killings’ from our society.
There is no way to love for love is the only way to a non-violent and peaceful world.
The recent declaration by the United Nations to commemorate October 2 ( birthday of Mahatma Gandhi) as ‘International Day of Non violence’ is simply a reassertion of the need for a violence free society. The year 2007 is the centenary year of the Satyagrah Movement launched by the Apostle of Peace.
Nothing much seems to have changed on this front. The world today has become a cauldron of hate and strife. As our aspirations scale new economic heights and our possessions multiply, our tolerance and sensitivity levels get reduced.
Whether it is the cruelty of the military junta in Myanmar, the suppression of democracy in Pakistan, the threat of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the continued hostilities between Palestine and Israel , the dangerous rise of Hindu fundamentalism in India or a world wide scare of terrorism / violation of human rights, we are in the grip of an acute fear psychosis. This constant fear and distrust of our fellow beings is nurturing hatred leading to violence.
Human beings, the so called superior creation of God, are destroying each other (and nature too ) with a ruthlessness which is scary. We are bullying and killing each other in the name of religion and/or racial or social superiority. This is strange indeed as love and peace are common to all religions and not one of them is based on the premise of hate and violence. In Christianity Jesus comes to reveal God’s love for humankind. The very word Islam means ‘a religion of peace’. Almost all Hindu prayers end with the word Om Shanti ( let there be peace). One of the main preachings of Buddhism is ‘they do not follow dharma ( righteousness) who resort to violence to achieve their purpose’. Yet our primodal urge to rule over the minds, bodies and thoughts of others has made religion a potent tool in our insatiable quest of power.
The power hungry politicians and fundamentalists are using religion to provoke group mentality, leading not only to loss of character but also of rational thinking. The communal violence in the Indian state of Gujarat saw the elite middle class looting shops and houses of a particular community. This was reciprocated in good measure later on in Mumbai and elsewhere. This grouping together in the name of religion ( a religion about which we might be knowing very little actually) , throwing all sanity to the winds, makes a mockery of our sense and sensibility.
We stubbornly refuse to learn from past mistakes. A survivor of a concentration camp in Germany said, ‘ I have seen gas chambers built by engineers, children poisoned by physicians and nurses, men and women shot dead by college graduates. This has made me a little wary of our education which is producing learned monsters and skilled psychopaths.’
Yet this is exactly what is still happening. Most terrorist outfits are manned by highly qualified people. Many of our scientists and others think it is beneficial for India to have the atom bomb to protect themselves from Pakistan. While discussing this issue with my students I pointed out to them that if we ever used this weapon against our neighbour then we would also be wiped out. They said that it should be there just to scare them, there is no need to use it. This is the general perception all around. So we are ready to spend millions to manufacture deadly weapons simply to put fear in our neighbours as if ‘those who desire peace must prepare for war’.
But peace can never be a balance of terror. It can be realised only if there is a shift from the present Culture of Power to a Culture of Love.
Non violence is the need of the hour. And this can stem only from love and compassion of our fellow beings.
Hate has alienated nations and provoked war and cruelty. By forsaking the path of Ahimsa ( non violence) we are punishing others as well as ourselves. Karma (action) needs always to be combined with Dharma.
I believe in the power of love. Love for others alone can make us respect human life and fight the forces of terrorism, fanaticism and communalism. Love alone can create a communion with life. We must love and live and let live. An ‘eye for an eye’ is making the world blind. Unless we live in peace and harmony with nature and with others ,this reckless drive of the human race towards self destruction cannot be stopped. In this endeavour we need to be more tolerant of unfamiliar neighbours, more wary of the violence of popular media and more aware that manufacture / trade of deadly weapons has no place in a world of peace. Our blue planet, (as seen from outer space) is the only home we have to care for and share in. Let us protect it with love and tolerance.
Love that caresses but not smothers. Love that gives a breathing space to all. Love that realises that my freedom ends where your begins. Love that lets no one remain unwanted, unloved and uncared for---- for that is a much greater hunger than of a person who has nothing to eat. Love that wipes out the inhuman acts of ‘road rage’, ‘violence for fun’ and ‘honour killings’ from our society.
There is no way to love for love is the only way to a non-violent and peaceful world.
.
.
(Shobha Shukla teaches Physics at India's noted Loreto Convent and writes for many publications in India and other countries in Asia as well)
.
Published in:
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh, India: 10 October 2007
Nagaland Page, Nagaland, India: 11 October 2007
The Daily Star, Dhaka, Bangladesh: 11 October 2007
The Seoul Times, South Korea: 12 October 2007
Kashmir Newz, Jammu & Kashmir, India: 22 October 2007
Nagas call for tougher action against junta
Nagas call for tougher action against junta
Tiamerenla Monalisa Changkija
Tiamerenla Monalisa Changkija
Editor, Nagaland Page
6 October 2007
KOHIMA: Naga people today call for tougher action against the generals in Burma by the world community.
KOHIMA: Naga people today call for tougher action against the generals in Burma by the world community.
Protesting the brutal regime of General Than Shwe’s military government here Saturday afternoon, Naga organizations called for tougher action against the junta and restoration of democracy in that country.
Joining the rest of the world in observing the “International Day of Action for a Free Burma”, Naga Hoho, Naga Students’ Federation, Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights, Nagaland Baptist Church Council and several student organizations in unison denounced the brutal crackdown of pro-democracy protesters in Burma recently by the junta.
Hundreds of Naga protestors carried the banners and placards reading, ‘Stop breakdown on the peaceful demonstration in Burma’, ‘Free the Burmese people from the Junta’, ‘We need region change’, ‘Don’t’ repeat 1988 massacre’, etc., they condemned the military crackdown on the peaceful protestors in Rangoon and other cities across Burma recently.
Naga Hoho President, Bengdangmayang Jamir said the international community irrespective of small or powerful nations should condemn the military junta firing upon and arresting monks and peaceful civilian demonstrators and act immediately for prevention of further violence and bloodshed.
He said the brutal repression that took place in 1988 resulting in the deaths of over 3,000 people must not be repeated. “The people of Burma have the right to peacefully express their views and the government of Burma has the responsibility to respect and uphold the right to peaceful protest,” Jamir asserted.
The Naga Hoho urged the members of the United Nations Security Council to immediately intervene and resolve the long-standing human rights problems in Burma, including the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. It also called on China and other Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, especially India and Japan, to use their influence on Burma to allow for peaceful protests and stop any violence against the protesters.
He, however, criticized rthe Government of India for what he alleged double standards in dealing the present crisis in Burma.
The Naga organizations unanimously criticized the Centre for not being adequately vocal on the present crisis in Burma, though it claims to be the world largest democratic nation. They said India’s claim as a vibrant democratic nation has proven to be a farce.
“India proclaims as biggest democratic nation but has remained silent. What is the policy of Government of India?” Jamir questioned.
Dr. Venuh, Secretary General of NPMHR also accused New Delhi of having double standards in the eyes of international community. He also joined his fellow colleagues in saying that Indian democracy is a farce. He said instead of liberating the oppressed people in Burma, Delhi was talking of how to crush the Northeast insurgents in collaboration with junta.
Rev. Kari Longchari, Director Peace Affairs, NBCC, also urged the people to pray for the oppressed people of Burma. He said India us only interested in economic gain from Burma and least bothered about the people there, who are crying for democracy. “India is interested for economic gain, not for the suffering of the people,” he added.
He said military rule in that country should come to an end as people have suffered enough, especially Nagas of Burma.
NSF president, Imchatoba Imchen, said both India and China have given a lukewarm response to the present crisis in Burma. He said the world is watching what India and China are doing at this juncture when Burma is burning. “India should not play double standards games but support Burmese people in restoring democracy” he insisted. He said Nagas as friends of Burmese people cannot remain silent when there is brutality perpetuated on the innocent people.
Today’s protest rally was significant in the sense that Nagas are trying to win the hearts of the managers of National League for Democracy in resolving the Naga issue. Over the years, Nagas have been quite supportive to the Suu Kyi’s movement and vise-versa. Several NLD leaders have come out in support of long pending Naga political issue with New Delhi. Some NLD members are also operating from Nagaland, including Naga National League for Democracy of Burma.
There were 4 Naga MPs who were elected under NLD, prior to the military coup in 1988.
Saigang Division in Burma is the home to the Nagas, but still remains one of the most neglected regions in the world.
Joining the rest of the world in observing the “International Day of Action for a Free Burma”, Naga Hoho, Naga Students’ Federation, Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights, Nagaland Baptist Church Council and several student organizations in unison denounced the brutal crackdown of pro-democracy protesters in Burma recently by the junta.
Hundreds of Naga protestors carried the banners and placards reading, ‘Stop breakdown on the peaceful demonstration in Burma’, ‘Free the Burmese people from the Junta’, ‘We need region change’, ‘Don’t’ repeat 1988 massacre’, etc., they condemned the military crackdown on the peaceful protestors in Rangoon and other cities across Burma recently.
Naga Hoho President, Bengdangmayang Jamir said the international community irrespective of small or powerful nations should condemn the military junta firing upon and arresting monks and peaceful civilian demonstrators and act immediately for prevention of further violence and bloodshed.
He said the brutal repression that took place in 1988 resulting in the deaths of over 3,000 people must not be repeated. “The people of Burma have the right to peacefully express their views and the government of Burma has the responsibility to respect and uphold the right to peaceful protest,” Jamir asserted.
The Naga Hoho urged the members of the United Nations Security Council to immediately intervene and resolve the long-standing human rights problems in Burma, including the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. It also called on China and other Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, especially India and Japan, to use their influence on Burma to allow for peaceful protests and stop any violence against the protesters.
He, however, criticized rthe Government of India for what he alleged double standards in dealing the present crisis in Burma.
The Naga organizations unanimously criticized the Centre for not being adequately vocal on the present crisis in Burma, though it claims to be the world largest democratic nation. They said India’s claim as a vibrant democratic nation has proven to be a farce.
“India proclaims as biggest democratic nation but has remained silent. What is the policy of Government of India?” Jamir questioned.
Dr. Venuh, Secretary General of NPMHR also accused New Delhi of having double standards in the eyes of international community. He also joined his fellow colleagues in saying that Indian democracy is a farce. He said instead of liberating the oppressed people in Burma, Delhi was talking of how to crush the Northeast insurgents in collaboration with junta.
Rev. Kari Longchari, Director Peace Affairs, NBCC, also urged the people to pray for the oppressed people of Burma. He said India us only interested in economic gain from Burma and least bothered about the people there, who are crying for democracy. “India is interested for economic gain, not for the suffering of the people,” he added.
He said military rule in that country should come to an end as people have suffered enough, especially Nagas of Burma.
NSF president, Imchatoba Imchen, said both India and China have given a lukewarm response to the present crisis in Burma. He said the world is watching what India and China are doing at this juncture when Burma is burning. “India should not play double standards games but support Burmese people in restoring democracy” he insisted. He said Nagas as friends of Burmese people cannot remain silent when there is brutality perpetuated on the innocent people.
Today’s protest rally was significant in the sense that Nagas are trying to win the hearts of the managers of National League for Democracy in resolving the Naga issue. Over the years, Nagas have been quite supportive to the Suu Kyi’s movement and vise-versa. Several NLD leaders have come out in support of long pending Naga political issue with New Delhi. Some NLD members are also operating from Nagaland, including Naga National League for Democracy of Burma.
There were 4 Naga MPs who were elected under NLD, prior to the military coup in 1988.
Saigang Division in Burma is the home to the Nagas, but still remains one of the most neglected regions in the world.
Tiamerenla Monalisa Changkija
Editor, Nagaland Page
Editor, Nagaland Page
India ranks 72 in 180 countries on Corruption Index
Published in:
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh (8 October 2007)
Asian Tribune, Sri Lanka/ Thailand (7 October 2007)
Scoop Independent News, New Zealand (7 October 2007)
The Seoul Times, South Korea (8 October 2007)
Nagaland Page, Nagaland, India (8 October 2007)
.
India ranks 72 in 180 countries on Corruption Index
The 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) Report in 180 countries merits India at rank 72.
CPI Report looks at perceptions of public sector corruption, scoring countries on a scale from zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten indicating low levels of perceived corruption. India was scored at 3.5 for the year 2007. CPI report is prepared by Transparency International (TI), the global coalition against corruption.
India has further slipped down 2 ranks. In 2006, CPI report ranked India at 70.
However all is not that gloomy. There is increased recognition by people and government systems in place to fight corruption.
The ongoing Lead India Initiative which is highlighting people who have demonstrated leadership in India has also selected 33 years old Gaurav Krishna Bansal, an IRTS officer working as Divisional Operations Manager, Northern Railways, who has been spearheading a drive to uproot corruption at different levels. Bansal is one of the top eight finalists for Lead India.
Bansal had organised and led a drive against black-marketing of railway tickets. He succeeded in arresting the proprietor of the travel agencies running the rackets.
A strong correlation between corruption and poverty continues to be evident. The poorest countries suffer most under the yoke of corruption.
Public institutions are heavily compromised. "We need to improve transparency in financial management, from revenue collection to expenditure, as well as strengthening oversight and putting an end to the impunity of corrupt officials" said another senior governmental official on condition of anonymity.
Corruption remains an enormous drain on resources sorely needed for education, health and infrastructure.
The 2007 CPI report highlights the need for governments to engage more actively with civil society in fighting corruption. "Partnering with civil society and citizens is another essential strategy for developing countries seeking to strengthen the accountability of government. Civil society organisations play a vital watchdog role, and can help stimulate demand for reform" said Cobus de Swardt, TI's Director.
Agrees senior social activist and Magsaysay Awardee (2007) Dr Sandeep Pandey. "In a new democratic culture building up in the country since the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 has been implemented, it is a chance for citizens to intervene and check the rampant prevalent corruption and irregularities in the system" says Pandey.
To stem-out corruption, state governments like in Andhra Pradesh have been facilitating social audits with active partnership of civil society. "The advantage of Government itself facilitating such a social audit process is that the government documents become easily accessible to the people, a right for which the country had to wait for 58 years since independence. Since most of the corruption takes place by fudging figures on paper, once documents start becoming public there will be a natural check on corruption" explained Sandeep Pandey.
Social Audit is a process where in an open meeting of the people, physical verification of the government records is done with the help of officials, civil society representatives and the people themselves. The entire atmosphere of transparency forces the officials to take corrective action whenever a discrepancy is discovered.
"However, if the initiative of social audit remains in the hands of the government or administration, there is a danger that ultimately it'll be subverted" cautioned Pandey.
The government department's role should be limited to creating public awareness and facilitating the social audits where there are some obstacles.
"The two landmark Acts in 2005 – RTI and NREGA- when properly implemented and used in conjunction with each other have the potential to eliminate corruption at all levels on the one hand, and ensure food security for the poorest sections of the society, on the other" says another senior social activist with Narmada Bachao Andolan Arundhati Dhuru.
"An empowered citizenry is the only key to ensuring transparency and accountability in the system" says she.
With ongoing Lead India recognizing young leaders like Bansal who are fighting corruption within the government system, the tumultuous media and public support to operationalize RTI and NREGA to decimate corruption and empower the most under-served communities, and increasing public outrage against corruption, malpractice and realizing their rights for transparency and accountability, there is certainly a hope for a positive change.
The 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) Report in 180 countries merits India at rank 72.
CPI Report looks at perceptions of public sector corruption, scoring countries on a scale from zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten indicating low levels of perceived corruption. India was scored at 3.5 for the year 2007. CPI report is prepared by Transparency International (TI), the global coalition against corruption.
India has further slipped down 2 ranks. In 2006, CPI report ranked India at 70.
However all is not that gloomy. There is increased recognition by people and government systems in place to fight corruption.
The ongoing Lead India Initiative which is highlighting people who have demonstrated leadership in India has also selected 33 years old Gaurav Krishna Bansal, an IRTS officer working as Divisional Operations Manager, Northern Railways, who has been spearheading a drive to uproot corruption at different levels. Bansal is one of the top eight finalists for Lead India.
Bansal had organised and led a drive against black-marketing of railway tickets. He succeeded in arresting the proprietor of the travel agencies running the rackets.
A strong correlation between corruption and poverty continues to be evident. The poorest countries suffer most under the yoke of corruption.
Public institutions are heavily compromised. "We need to improve transparency in financial management, from revenue collection to expenditure, as well as strengthening oversight and putting an end to the impunity of corrupt officials" said another senior governmental official on condition of anonymity.
Corruption remains an enormous drain on resources sorely needed for education, health and infrastructure.
The 2007 CPI report highlights the need for governments to engage more actively with civil society in fighting corruption. "Partnering with civil society and citizens is another essential strategy for developing countries seeking to strengthen the accountability of government. Civil society organisations play a vital watchdog role, and can help stimulate demand for reform" said Cobus de Swardt, TI's Director.
Agrees senior social activist and Magsaysay Awardee (2007) Dr Sandeep Pandey. "In a new democratic culture building up in the country since the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 has been implemented, it is a chance for citizens to intervene and check the rampant prevalent corruption and irregularities in the system" says Pandey.
To stem-out corruption, state governments like in Andhra Pradesh have been facilitating social audits with active partnership of civil society. "The advantage of Government itself facilitating such a social audit process is that the government documents become easily accessible to the people, a right for which the country had to wait for 58 years since independence. Since most of the corruption takes place by fudging figures on paper, once documents start becoming public there will be a natural check on corruption" explained Sandeep Pandey.
Social Audit is a process where in an open meeting of the people, physical verification of the government records is done with the help of officials, civil society representatives and the people themselves. The entire atmosphere of transparency forces the officials to take corrective action whenever a discrepancy is discovered.
"However, if the initiative of social audit remains in the hands of the government or administration, there is a danger that ultimately it'll be subverted" cautioned Pandey.
The government department's role should be limited to creating public awareness and facilitating the social audits where there are some obstacles.
"The two landmark Acts in 2005 – RTI and NREGA- when properly implemented and used in conjunction with each other have the potential to eliminate corruption at all levels on the one hand, and ensure food security for the poorest sections of the society, on the other" says another senior social activist with Narmada Bachao Andolan Arundhati Dhuru.
"An empowered citizenry is the only key to ensuring transparency and accountability in the system" says she.
With ongoing Lead India recognizing young leaders like Bansal who are fighting corruption within the government system, the tumultuous media and public support to operationalize RTI and NREGA to decimate corruption and empower the most under-served communities, and increasing public outrage against corruption, malpractice and realizing their rights for transparency and accountability, there is certainly a hope for a positive change.
.
SMS LEAD GAURAV to 58888 to vote for Gaurav Krishna Bansal, IRTS officer who is fighting corruption in India - the leader India deserves... now!
.
Published in:
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh (8 October 2007)
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh (8 October 2007)
Asian Tribune, Sri Lanka/ Thailand (7 October 2007)
Scoop Independent News, New Zealand (7 October 2007)
Scoop Independent News, New Zealand (7 October 2007)
Young professionals in US bring Agri-issues under spotlight
Young professionals in US bring Agri-issues under spotlight
More than 3000 young professional NRIs in 58 locations across US and other countries including India, participated in a global vigil for farmers.
"The tragic farmers' suicides are, finally, an extreme symptom of a much deeper rural distress - the result of a decade-long onslaught on the livelihoods of millions. The crisis now goes way beyond the families ravaged by the suicides” says senior journalist P Sainath, who was also awarded the 2007 Magsaysay Award.
Just in Vidarbha, 836 farmers had committed suicide in 2007. Undoubtedly it is a wake-up call after years of neglect the farmers have been facing.
Remarkably, these vigils drew thousands from urban India and NRI community who are typically very distant from the realities confronting rural India, and they spoke out in a strong voice: "Thousands of suicides, hundred millions in distress – the farmers' crisis is unacceptable!"
“I strongly believe that this new energy in the Agri campaign among students and Young Professionals will certainly help farmers' cause to some level” said Somu Kumar, a young professional settled in US.
Policies which are deepening the crisis for farmers were in the spotlight, in response to the call for this coordinated global vigil by Association for India's Development (AID).
In New Delhi, 2 days of street plays Connaught Place, Dilli Haat and other popular locations were followed by a Photo Exhibition. Delhi events were joined by farmers from Mehndiganj village in Varanasi (UP), Vidarbha, Tamil Nadu and AP.
The vigil at Hyderabad saw the participation of about 40 organizations. "We are all with you!" was the simple message to the farmers from a large crowd of IT professionals and students.
18 districts in India witnessed considerable mobilization of young professionals voicing support for farmers’ causes.
In the US, candlelight vigils were held in 39 locations including cities such as Seattle, San Diego, Bay Area, New York and Washington DC, as well as university campuses such as such as Cornell, Texas, Maryland, and West Virginia.
The government policies in the past fifteen years have consistently removed support structures for Indian farmers while promoting unsustainable, high-input agriculture which farmers, especially in dry areas, cannot afford to practice.
There is a need for strengthening the minimum support price system to cover the real cost of production, waiver of debt and proactive support to low-input sustainable agriculture especially in rain-fed areas.
Developed countries like US have heavily subsidized their agriculture. It is estimated that nearly 25,000 cotton growers in America receive $3.2 billion subsidy per year, which affects the cotton prices world over.
If the American government can act for its farmers, why is the Indian government allowing our farmers to kill themselves?
for more information, please go to:
http://www.aidindia.org/
Published in:
The Central Chronicle 6 October 2007 (Madhya Pradesh, India)
The Seoul Times 5 October 2007 (South Korea)
Assam Times 5 October 2007 (Assam, India)
More than 3000 young professional NRIs in 58 locations across US and other countries including India, participated in a global vigil for farmers.
"The tragic farmers' suicides are, finally, an extreme symptom of a much deeper rural distress - the result of a decade-long onslaught on the livelihoods of millions. The crisis now goes way beyond the families ravaged by the suicides” says senior journalist P Sainath, who was also awarded the 2007 Magsaysay Award.
Just in Vidarbha, 836 farmers had committed suicide in 2007. Undoubtedly it is a wake-up call after years of neglect the farmers have been facing.
Remarkably, these vigils drew thousands from urban India and NRI community who are typically very distant from the realities confronting rural India, and they spoke out in a strong voice: "Thousands of suicides, hundred millions in distress – the farmers' crisis is unacceptable!"
“I strongly believe that this new energy in the Agri campaign among students and Young Professionals will certainly help farmers' cause to some level” said Somu Kumar, a young professional settled in US.
Policies which are deepening the crisis for farmers were in the spotlight, in response to the call for this coordinated global vigil by Association for India's Development (AID).
In New Delhi, 2 days of street plays Connaught Place, Dilli Haat and other popular locations were followed by a Photo Exhibition. Delhi events were joined by farmers from Mehndiganj village in Varanasi (UP), Vidarbha, Tamil Nadu and AP.
The vigil at Hyderabad saw the participation of about 40 organizations. "We are all with you!" was the simple message to the farmers from a large crowd of IT professionals and students.
18 districts in India witnessed considerable mobilization of young professionals voicing support for farmers’ causes.
In the US, candlelight vigils were held in 39 locations including cities such as Seattle, San Diego, Bay Area, New York and Washington DC, as well as university campuses such as such as Cornell, Texas, Maryland, and West Virginia.
The government policies in the past fifteen years have consistently removed support structures for Indian farmers while promoting unsustainable, high-input agriculture which farmers, especially in dry areas, cannot afford to practice.
There is a need for strengthening the minimum support price system to cover the real cost of production, waiver of debt and proactive support to low-input sustainable agriculture especially in rain-fed areas.
Developed countries like US have heavily subsidized their agriculture. It is estimated that nearly 25,000 cotton growers in America receive $3.2 billion subsidy per year, which affects the cotton prices world over.
If the American government can act for its farmers, why is the Indian government allowing our farmers to kill themselves?
for more information, please go to:
http://www.aidindia.org/
Published in:
The Central Chronicle 6 October 2007 (Madhya Pradesh, India)
The Seoul Times 5 October 2007 (South Korea)
Assam Times 5 October 2007 (Assam, India)
Condemnation of victimization of activists in Rajasthan
CONDEMNATION OF
VICTIMIZATION OF ACTIVISTS
IN RAJASTHAN
We strongly condemn the attempts by Rajasthan Government to replace the 1861 Police Act by a new draconian law which give more powers to the police against the People.
We further take serious exceptions to the Rajasthan Government's attitude of victimization of several social-political activists belonging to progressive organizations and the minority community. They include Kavita Srivastava of PUCL, Nisha Sidhu of NFIW and Mohammed Haroon Rashid, Mohammad Imran, Ayaz Siddiqui, Abid Mohammed, Abdul Majid, Ghiyas Anwar and Mazar Beg some of whom are also associated with the Jamat-e-Islami Hind. We believe these steps are against democratic spirit and must be immediately reversed.
We also believe that keeping dossiers and profiling of activists and people's organizations which is presently happening in Rajasthan is illegal.
It is a violation of the right to expression and basic human rights.
We are,
Medha Patkar
Aruna Roy
Harshmander
Dr. Sunilam
Arvind Kejriwal
Anand Patwardhan
Prashant Bhushan
Colin Gonsalves
Anil Chaudhary
Arundhati Dhuru
Sandeep Pandey
contact : Aruna Roy: 9414007305, Medha Patkar 9869446684, Harsh Mander 9810523018;: Sandeep Pandey and Arundhuti Dhuru : 9415022772
Burma unifies people's voices in North-East India
Published in:
Asian Tribune 4 October 2007 (Sri Lanka/ Thailand)
Scoop Independent News 4 October 2007 (New Zealand)
The Seoul Times 16 October 2007 (South Korea).
Burma unifies people's voices in North-East India
When monks took to streets in Burma last month, the world’s spotlight came on the decades-long ongoing pro-democracy movement within the country. We are witnessing that despite and in-spite of all control-measures of Junta Government in Burma (State Peace and Development Council), it is impossible to freeze information flow of human rights excesses. We hope the Junta Government is aware of, that unlike the way it succeeded in crushing the pro-democracy movement in 1988, this time the ‘world is watching’!
Interestingly the ongoing struggles in Burma have given a strong beam of hope and vigour to similar pro-democracy movements going near its North-East border of India.
Hundreds of people came in support of pro-democracy movement led by Irom Chanu Sharmila in Manipur – a North-Eastern Indian state. They were fasting in solidarity and hundreds of other people in many countries apart from those in other states of India, prominent amongst which are Bangladesh, Pakistan, UK, Thailand, Nepal, and US, also took part in the five-days fast and demonstrated solidarity to the pro-people movement in Manipur.
Nava Thakuria, a senior Journalist in another North-East Indian state of Assam, who is also the General Secretary of Journalists’ Forum in Assam, is part of an open public meeting at Guwahati Press Club on issues around Burma and its implications to North-East.
“In the recent uprising in the military ruled country that is adjacent to northeast India, a number of people (including a Japanese photojournalist) were killed. To suppress the pro-democracy campaigners and also the media, the Burmese junta has already taken numerous unethical means, where the military continued massive crackdown on the unarmed monks and the common Burmese with strict restriction on the media” remarks Thakuria.
“The junta government has already cut the telephone lines of working journalists based in Burma and also slows down the Internet connectivity, such that no legitimate information from the county could reach the outer world” furthers says Thakuria.
No matter how hard the Junta government in Burma may try to snap communications and thwart efforts to get information out of the country, it is virtually impossible to stop the world from watching and feeling outraged. Also ongoing people’s movements are also slowly aligning themselves with the pro-democracy struggles in Burma.
The minimum pre-requisite of many people’s movements around the world in recent past has been a singular demand –free Aung San Suu Kyi! She is imprisoned under the 1975 State Protection Act in Myanmar (Burma), which grants the government the power to imprison persons for up to five years without a trial. She has been intermittently under arrest of one kind or the other since 1990.
By 1988, Burma was burgeoning with pro-democracy movement, fueled by the energy and idealism among the country's young people. There were demonstrations against the repressive, one-party socialist government. Aung San Suu Kyi was drawn into the pro-democracy movement, which was snuffed out by State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), which seized power on September 18, 1988. Thousands of pro-democracy advocates were killed.
Next came a general election in 1990, which political parties were allowed to contest. Aung San Suu Kyi, who was leading the National League for Democracy (NLD), won a landslide victory, with 80 per cent support. SLORC leaders refused to accept the election results putting the elected pro-democracy leaders under house arrest, including Aung San Suu Kyi.
Despite the restrictions of house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi continues to campaign for democracy. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for peace in 1991.
The solidarity fast by hundreds of people in Manipur last month wasn’t only in support of Irom Sharmila, but also demanded freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi as a minimum step forward towards establishing a just social order.
“It is with bated breath and great expectations the entire world is looking at current events in Myanmar and Pakistan. And the expectations are for change and democracy in these two countries, close neighbours of India” said Tiamerenla Monalisa Changkijathe, Editor of a tabloid ‘Nagaland Page’ in another North-East state of India – Nagaland.
The alignment of people’s voices not only within Burma but globally is a positive development.
Only time can tell whether the voices of common people will be heard or the state will continue to trample over people's rights with anti-people laws and policies.
Published in:
Asian Tribune 4 October 2007 (Sri Lanka/ Thailand)
Scoop Independent News 4 October 2007 (New Zealand)
The Seoul Times 16 October 2007 (South Korea).
Citizens' meet on Burma issues
Citizens' meet on Burma issues
GUWAHATI: A citizens meeting has been convened on October 4 to discuss various Burma issues in the city. Organized by the Journalists' Forum, Assam, the meeting will commence from 2 pm at Guwahati Press Club.
GUWAHATI: A citizens meeting has been convened on October 4 to discuss various Burma issues in the city. Organized by the Journalists' Forum, Assam, the meeting will commence from 2 pm at Guwahati Press Club.
Mentionable that the recent uprising in the military ruled country that is adjacent to northeast, a number of people (including a Japani photojournalist) were killed.
To suppress the pro-democracy campaigners and also the media, the Burmese junta (the present group of Generals is known as State Peace and Development Council) has already taken numerous unethical means, where the military continued massive crackdown on the unarmed monks and the common Burmese with strict restriction on the media.
The junta government has already cut the telephone lines of working journalists based in Burma and also slows down the Internet connectivity, such that no legitimate information from the county could reach the outer world.
Nava Thakuria
General Secretary
Journalists' Forum
Assam, Guwahati
North-East India
Email
Policing UP’s police recruitment
Published in: THE INDIAN EXPRESS, 2 October 2007
Policing UP’s police recruitment
Sandeep Pandey
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
As uttar pradesh chief minister Mayawati continues with the drive of suspending police constables and officers, the questions her action raises don’t go away. Political bosses have always had a predetermined list of successful candidates.
The 55 recruitment boards in the state had to decide how to play around with a selection process involving about 15 lakh young aspirants, to arrive at a list of about 22,000 ‘fortunate’ ones. Such manipulation is by no means unique to the selection of constables.
It probably happens in most selection processes, especially those involving positions that do not require specialised skills. This is also the reason why students lose interest in the education process quite early and rely on unfair means like copying to clear their examinations. They and their parents know that when it comes to getting jobs, it is recommendations and money that clinch the matter, not individual capability.
In this case, too, aspirants for a constable’s position followed the ‘norm’ and paid large sums to secure a seat. A few women candidates were also reported to have been forced into doing sexual favours. Credit must be given to the erstwhile socialist government. It did not forget its commitment to social justice: SCs had to pay only half of the amounts ranging from Rs 2 to 4 lakh compared to upper caste candidates, in order to secure a berth. It is this subtle, or not-so-subtle, bias that proved the undoing of the process. Complaints were filed that there appeared to be too many Yadavs — especially from Etawah region — among those recruited for the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and police.
Mayawati, looking for opportunities to embarrass Mulayam Singh Yadav, promptly instituted an inquiry, headed by one of the strictest police officers in the state, Shailja Kant Mishra. Mishra, who has been biding his time in insignificant posts for quite a while — an experience familiar to honest officials anywhere in the country — now got a chance to prove his mettle. Besides annulling the selection of two-thirds of the constables, 25 officers from the ranks of SP to ADG, mostly from the IPS, who had executed the orders of their political bosses, were also placed under suspension. Recruitment of 42 out of 55 Boards were found to completely faulty.
Mention must also be made here of the nine Boards which resisted political pressures, thanks to the upright officials who constituted them. Considering the extent and nature of corruption, it must have required tremendous courage to counter the pressure.
The inquiry has created an upheaval in the administration of what is arguably the most criminalised and corrupt state in the country. After a long while, there seems to be some determined action from a government against irregularities committed by one of its departments. A clear message must now emanate from Lucknow that the government is against all corruption and irregularities at every level. Since corruption has become institutionalised, an institutional response is required to fight it.
What are the implications of such an inquiry? What will those police personnel who paid hefty sums to get their jobs now going to do? If they do not make it in the revised recruitment process that they have been promised, will they fall prey to criminal or terrorist gangs? After all, they would make ideal recruits for such groups — young men trained by the police department!
Given the propensity of all mainstream political parties to make money in government schemes and recruitments, what guarantee is there that the next set of candidates will pass the credibility test?
Also, will the real culprits in this sordid episode face punishment — the new recruits, after all, are only soft targets? And the biggest question of all, how can this trend of accepting hefty commissions for government contracts and bribes in government recruitments be reversed? What will be the alternative source of funding for political parties?
Unless these basic questions are addressed and a solution found to the various issues raised, the present exercise of exposing irregularities in the police-PAC recruitment process in Uttar Pradesh will only appear as yet another instance of political vendetta and little else.
The writer, a Lucknow-based social activist, is a Magsaysay awardee.
Published in: THE INDIAN EXPRESS, 2 October 2007
Policing UP’s police recruitment
Sandeep Pandey
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
As uttar pradesh chief minister Mayawati continues with the drive of suspending police constables and officers, the questions her action raises don’t go away. Political bosses have always had a predetermined list of successful candidates.
The 55 recruitment boards in the state had to decide how to play around with a selection process involving about 15 lakh young aspirants, to arrive at a list of about 22,000 ‘fortunate’ ones. Such manipulation is by no means unique to the selection of constables.
It probably happens in most selection processes, especially those involving positions that do not require specialised skills. This is also the reason why students lose interest in the education process quite early and rely on unfair means like copying to clear their examinations. They and their parents know that when it comes to getting jobs, it is recommendations and money that clinch the matter, not individual capability.
In this case, too, aspirants for a constable’s position followed the ‘norm’ and paid large sums to secure a seat. A few women candidates were also reported to have been forced into doing sexual favours. Credit must be given to the erstwhile socialist government. It did not forget its commitment to social justice: SCs had to pay only half of the amounts ranging from Rs 2 to 4 lakh compared to upper caste candidates, in order to secure a berth. It is this subtle, or not-so-subtle, bias that proved the undoing of the process. Complaints were filed that there appeared to be too many Yadavs — especially from Etawah region — among those recruited for the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and police.
Mayawati, looking for opportunities to embarrass Mulayam Singh Yadav, promptly instituted an inquiry, headed by one of the strictest police officers in the state, Shailja Kant Mishra. Mishra, who has been biding his time in insignificant posts for quite a while — an experience familiar to honest officials anywhere in the country — now got a chance to prove his mettle. Besides annulling the selection of two-thirds of the constables, 25 officers from the ranks of SP to ADG, mostly from the IPS, who had executed the orders of their political bosses, were also placed under suspension. Recruitment of 42 out of 55 Boards were found to completely faulty.
Mention must also be made here of the nine Boards which resisted political pressures, thanks to the upright officials who constituted them. Considering the extent and nature of corruption, it must have required tremendous courage to counter the pressure.
The inquiry has created an upheaval in the administration of what is arguably the most criminalised and corrupt state in the country. After a long while, there seems to be some determined action from a government against irregularities committed by one of its departments. A clear message must now emanate from Lucknow that the government is against all corruption and irregularities at every level. Since corruption has become institutionalised, an institutional response is required to fight it.
What are the implications of such an inquiry? What will those police personnel who paid hefty sums to get their jobs now going to do? If they do not make it in the revised recruitment process that they have been promised, will they fall prey to criminal or terrorist gangs? After all, they would make ideal recruits for such groups — young men trained by the police department!
Given the propensity of all mainstream political parties to make money in government schemes and recruitments, what guarantee is there that the next set of candidates will pass the credibility test?
Also, will the real culprits in this sordid episode face punishment — the new recruits, after all, are only soft targets? And the biggest question of all, how can this trend of accepting hefty commissions for government contracts and bribes in government recruitments be reversed? What will be the alternative source of funding for political parties?
Unless these basic questions are addressed and a solution found to the various issues raised, the present exercise of exposing irregularities in the police-PAC recruitment process in Uttar Pradesh will only appear as yet another instance of political vendetta and little else.
The writer, a Lucknow-based social activist, is a Magsaysay awardee.
Published in: THE INDIAN EXPRESS, 2 October 2007
Is GE-WIPRO concerned over rising female foeticide in India
Published in:
Nagaland Page (Nagaland, India), 5 October 2007
The Seoul Times (SouthKorea), 5 October 2007
Asian Tribune (Thailand/ Sri Lanka), 2 October 2007
Scoop Independent News (New Zealand), 2 October 2007
Women's International Perspective (Argentina): 14 October 2007
Is GE-WIPRO concerned over rising female foeticide in India
Amit Dwivedi
“We stress emphatically that the ultrasound machines are not to be used for pre-natal sex determination” said V Raja, Chief Executive of GE Healthcare South Asia. GE-WIPRO has the largest market share of ultrasound machines in India.
A New Delhi based Obstetrician Dr Puneet Bedi doesn’t agree with GE’s claim. Dr Bedi feels multinational companies have exploited the patriarchal system in India and heavily ingrained demand for a male-child! He further says that “GE and other ultrasound companies market the machine as an essential pregnancy tool although the ultrasonographic scans often are not necessary for mothers in low risk group.”
The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technique (PNDT) Act was enacted by the parliament in 1994 to curb the indiscriminate act of fetal sex determination. This landmark legislation evoked a lot of hope among all the stakeholders concerned about saving the girl child.
Despite of this PNDT Act, a study of the Census reports of 1991 and 2001 proved that the situation worsened in most parts of India. The census 2001 revealed that the situation is far worse in respect of Girl child population in the age group of 0-6 years, particularly in the affluent areas of Punjab (793 girls to 1000 boys), Haryana (820), Chandigarh (845), Himachal Pradesh (897) and Delhi (865).
In 2001, the State governments and Union Territories were directed by the Supreme Court to supply quarterly reports to a central supervisory board regarding action taken towards the implementation of the PNDT Act. Once again, several States either dragged their feet in furnishing the reports or failed to initiate prompt action as per the guidelines. However this upped a dramatic increase in the number of registered ultrasound clinics, from 600 in May 2001 to more than 30,000 in 2007.
PNDT Act 1994 was amended, and amended PC & PNDT Act (Pre-conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act) came into force in January 2003. However no significant impact was felt at the grassroots level because of the appallingly weak implementation of this Act.
“No serious nation-wide effort was made to implement the PC & PNDT Act in the registered clinics by the government. Societal change will take time therefore it is very important to strictly monitor the diagnostic clinics” says Dr Neelam Singh, senior Gynecologist and chief functionary of Vatsalya.
The only long-term solution is to change attitudes. Traditionally girls are seen as burdens, as huge dowries have to be paid for their weddings and even if they do earn income it adds only to the capacities of the family into which they marry.
“The situation is very different in states where there is greater equality for women in terms of property rights, wages and employment and education opportunities” says a women’s rights activist Preeti Dwivedi from Bahraich.
With political will, self-regulation by medical practitioners, social awakening and the watch-dog role of the media can potentially ensure that our laws get enforced and we are able to decimate this prejudice against the girl child.
Amit Dwivedi
(Amit Dwivedi is a development journalist with Citizen News Service (CNS), and can be contacted at: amit.dwivedi.lko@gmail.com or +91 9839 412418)
Published in:
Nagaland Page (Nagaland, India), 5 October 2007
The Seoul Times (SouthKorea), 5 October 2007
Asian Tribune (Thailand/ Sri Lanka), 2 October 2007
Scoop Independent News (New Zealand), 2 October 2007
Women's International Perspective (Argentina): 14 October 2007
BSP MLA shielding murderers of a dalit youth
Published in:
Asian Tribune (Thailand/ Sri Lanka), 1 October 2007
Scoop Independent News (New Zealand), 2 October 2007
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BSP MLA shielding murderers of a dalit youth
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Mayawati led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has been trumpeting the welfare of dalits, but in UP state of India where they are in power, one of their own Member of Legislative Ass
embly (MLA) is allegedly shielding the murderers of a dalit youth.
embly (MLA) is allegedly shielding the murderers of a dalit youth. .
On the fateful morning of 1 August 2007, a dalit youth Chakrasen was brutally assaulted by two upper-caste men and murdered in Bhadevra village of Pratapgarh district, about 200 kilometres away from the state capital Lucknow.
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Ram Shiromani Shukla, local Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA, has been protecting the accused.
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On 30 September 2007, a fact-finding team went to this village in the morning, led by Magsaysay awardee (2002) and head of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) Dr Sandeep Pandey, retired Inspector G
eneral of Police SR Darapuri, and Dynamic Action Group activists Gyan, Sujit and Ram Kumar to strengthen community's voices for justice.
eneral of Police SR Darapuri, and Dynamic Action Group activists Gyan, Sujit and Ram Kumar to strengthen community's voices for justice. .
"Ironically this is yet another blot on BSP's claim to champion dalit's welfare in UP with BSP MLA and party workers shielding the alleged murderers of a talented dalit youth" said Dr Sandeep Pandey.
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The deceased Chakrasen graduated from Allahabad University this year and had qualified for the State-level Engineering Entrance Examination.
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He came to the village a day before he was murdered, to meet his family before joining the Engineering College.
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On the ill-fated day of 1 August 2007, when he went out in the morning, Santosh Mishra and Akash Dubey allegedly started battering him. Chakrasen tried to escape to the nearby village Sudemau but Santosh and Akash followed him shouting 'thief'. In response to the false 'thief' alarm, some people from the Pasi community caught hold of Chakrasen. He was then tied up with a thick rope, beaten mercilessly, dragged, eyes were gouged with needles and beaten with rods and strangulated to death. Chakrasen's eyes held dreams of college and career. They didn't just kill him. They first punished him by smashing the eye that dared to dream of education.
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Santosh Mishra is a BSP party worker and close associate of Ram Shiromani Shukla, the local BSP MLA.
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On 11 August 2007, a fact-finding team of DAG members went to the said-villages, and met the members of the family as well as other villagers. Till then none of the assailants had been arrested.
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Surprisingly the role of BSP MLA was not protective towards the dalit community but instead BSP MLA kept the murderers in his protection and had pressurized the local administration not to arrest them. Dalit family members too were being threatened by BSP members to keep silent.
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The dreams to live with dignity fostered by dalits in the wake of the recent landslide victory for BSP in UP, are being thwarted by such unfortunate incidents.
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Chakrasen's grandfather Shiv Murat was distributing ration and kerosene in the village. Santosh and Akash made illegal demands for ration and kerosene. Chakrasen reportedly didn't allow them to take more ration or kerosene than the allotted quota. "Santosh and Akash often used to fight with bhaiya for this," says his youngest brother Shaktisen. The family says they got even more upset when he got admission to the engineering college.
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One of the two accused, Santosh Mishra had threatened Shiv Murat by life. Shivmurat reported this death-threat to the local police 'thana' 10 months back but police did not pay any heed to it.
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Role of police in this case has been very dubious. When Chakrasen was being beaten brutally, the village pradhan Rammani Vishwakarma tried to call the police three times but all calls fell on deaf ears. Although the murder took place at about 6am on 1 August, the police registered a first information report (FIR) only at 7pm of that evening, due to mounting pressure from outraged villagers. The police first lodged the report under Section 304 i.e. culpable homicide not amounting to murder. It was only two days later, that section 302 was added.
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The police neither allowed the family of Chakrasen nor the villagers to go near the dead body. They took the dead body into their custody after reaching the spot. Panchnama was also not done. The family members of the deceased were called to the police station but the dead body was sent for post mortem before they could reach the police station.
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The family members of Chakrasen allege that the local police is trying to shield the accused and deliberately trying to weaken the case. For instance, police named Matadin as one of the main accused, who had died four years ago!
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The two main accused, Santosh and Akash, were arrested earlier on direct orders of Superintendent of Police, but later released on bail. After coming out on bail they had again beaten up the family members of Chakrasen.
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Let's hope dalit voices for justice are held in the current corridors of power in UP assembly and justice meted out at the earliest!
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Published in:
Scoop Independent News (New Zealand), 2 October 2007
Mayawati govt to expedite justice in Hashimpura case
Published in
The Seoul Times (South Korea), 29 September 2007
Scoop Independent News (New Zealand), 30 September 2007
Published in:
The Seoul Times (South Korea), 29 September 2007
Scoop Independent News (New Zealand), 30 September 2007
The Seoul Times (South Korea), 29 September 2007
Scoop Independent News (New Zealand), 30 September 2007
Mayawati govt to expedite justice in Hashimpura case
Mayawati govt in Uttar Pradesh has assured to expedite justice in Hashimpura case recently.
UP’s Principal Secretary (Home) Dr JN Chambers met a delegation in state capital Lucknow and expressed his grave concern at the slow progress of the Hashimpura case, with justice being denied for more than 20 years now.
Dr Chambers assured the delegation to replace the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Mr Surinder Adlakha, whose performance has been reported as ‘very unsatisfactory’. Earlier a petition demanding removal of SPP was submitted signed by senior Journalist and former members of Parliament Kuldip Nayyar and Surendra Mohan, Editor of Communalism Combat Teesta Setalvad, Director of Amnesty International in India Mukul Sharma, senior Journalists Nasiruddin Haider Khan and Shaira Naim, among others.
SPP Mr Adlakha was appointed by the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Government in UP about 3 years ago. The families of more than 40 muslim people who were massacred in Hashimpura twenty years back, and 2 survivors allege that Mr Adlakha has failed to prosecute this case effectively and rigorously. In fact, on 31 July 2006, he was fined Rs 5000 for failure to appear in the court for hearing. On many occasions the presiding judge NP Kaushik had verbally remarked that the SPP was not sufficiently prepared with his brief and was not familiar with documents on the case file.
Dr Chambers further promised that UP government will make sure that justice is done and Hashimpura case is expedited. He also committed to ask Registrar General for expediting this case and look into the CB-CID investigation report. If there are no technical issues in this CB-CID report, then it will be made public, Dr Chambers gave an assurance.
UP Government is yet to respond to another petition demanding dismissal of 16 Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) men who have been accused for the Hashimpura massacre in which more than 40 muslim people died. Information received through RTI applications filed earlier, revealed that no departmental enquiry was ever conducted against the accused PAC men. A Delhi court has framed charges against all the accused PAC men for participating in a criminal conspiracy to commit mass murder and they are being prosecuted for the same in Delhi.
PAC men had allegedly gunned down over 40 people on 22 May 1987 (all muslim). The Hashimpura massacre occurred during the communal riots that broke out in Meerut in May 1987. Apparently, the immediate provocation was the Rajiv Gandhi-led Central government's decision to open the Babri Masjid for worship by Hindus.
The struggle of survivors and family members of those killed in Hashimpura massacre, has undoubtedly intensified over the past 20 years, despite of all disappointments and multi-prong attempts to wash-it off.
UP government has indeed given a ray of hope to those waiting for justice for more than two decades now.
Mayawati govt in Uttar Pradesh has assured to expedite justice in Hashimpura case recently.
UP’s Principal Secretary (Home) Dr JN Chambers met a delegation in state capital Lucknow and expressed his grave concern at the slow progress of the Hashimpura case, with justice being denied for more than 20 years now.
Dr Chambers assured the delegation to replace the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Mr Surinder Adlakha, whose performance has been reported as ‘very unsatisfactory’. Earlier a petition demanding removal of SPP was submitted signed by senior Journalist and former members of Parliament Kuldip Nayyar and Surendra Mohan, Editor of Communalism Combat Teesta Setalvad, Director of Amnesty International in India Mukul Sharma, senior Journalists Nasiruddin Haider Khan and Shaira Naim, among others.
SPP Mr Adlakha was appointed by the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Government in UP about 3 years ago. The families of more than 40 muslim people who were massacred in Hashimpura twenty years back, and 2 survivors allege that Mr Adlakha has failed to prosecute this case effectively and rigorously. In fact, on 31 July 2006, he was fined Rs 5000 for failure to appear in the court for hearing. On many occasions the presiding judge NP Kaushik had verbally remarked that the SPP was not sufficiently prepared with his brief and was not familiar with documents on the case file.
Dr Chambers further promised that UP government will make sure that justice is done and Hashimpura case is expedited. He also committed to ask Registrar General for expediting this case and look into the CB-CID investigation report. If there are no technical issues in this CB-CID report, then it will be made public, Dr Chambers gave an assurance.
UP Government is yet to respond to another petition demanding dismissal of 16 Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) men who have been accused for the Hashimpura massacre in which more than 40 muslim people died. Information received through RTI applications filed earlier, revealed that no departmental enquiry was ever conducted against the accused PAC men. A Delhi court has framed charges against all the accused PAC men for participating in a criminal conspiracy to commit mass murder and they are being prosecuted for the same in Delhi.
PAC men had allegedly gunned down over 40 people on 22 May 1987 (all muslim). The Hashimpura massacre occurred during the communal riots that broke out in Meerut in May 1987. Apparently, the immediate provocation was the Rajiv Gandhi-led Central government's decision to open the Babri Masjid for worship by Hindus.
The struggle of survivors and family members of those killed in Hashimpura massacre, has undoubtedly intensified over the past 20 years, despite of all disappointments and multi-prong attempts to wash-it off.
UP government has indeed given a ray of hope to those waiting for justice for more than two decades now.
Published in:
The Seoul Times (South Korea), 29 September 2007
Scoop Independent News (New Zealand), 30 September 2007
Who has the right to Water?
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View Point: Who has the right to water?
28 September 2007
28 September 2007
The Government of Uttar Pradesh has been considering declaring drought in some parts of Varanasi. As a safeguard to protect declining groundwater levels, the government is contemplating to stop farmers from pumping any more water from their wells. Yet the Coca Cola bottling plant in Raja Talab, Mehndiganj village of Varanasi, has not been restricted from reportedly drawing lakhs of litres of water every day!
"Water levels in 9 out of 13 stations in Varanasi district have fallen below drought conditions", said a report from the Hydrology department of Government of India, released on 15 September 2007, in response to an application filed under the Right to Information Act by Nandlal Master, the leader of the Lok Samiti in Mehndiganj.
A recently released report from a regional hydrologist shows that the water-level conditions have actually gone worse. In 2006, 5 stations in Varanasi were reported to have drought or drought like conditions based on the water table. This year, 9 stations have reported such conditions in Varanasi.
The government feels that they need to act - and act by declaring that water from deeper levels cannot be pumped out for irrigation. "Ironically UP Government is considering banning farmers from taking out water for irrigation. It is also the question of who has the right to water - is it the local communities or private corporations?", asks a Varanasi-based social activist Vallabhacharya Pandey who represents Asha-Parivar. Equity and rights, cultural and ethical issues are essential to be addressed when dealing with limited water resources. "Imbalances between availability and demand, the degradation of groundwater and surface water quality, inter-sectoral competition, interregional and international disputes, all centre around the question of how to cope with scarce water resources" commented Nandlal.
It is yet to be seen whether Government will also consider stopping Coca Cola bottling plant from taking out groundwater for commercial purposes apart from Government's present move to consider stopping farmers from using groundwater for irrigation in these areas reporting water scarcity at alarming levels.
As natural rights, water rights are usufructuary rights (water can be used but not owned). People have a right to life and the resources that sustain it, such as water. The necessity of water to life is why, under customary laws, the right to water has been accepted as a natural, social fact.
That is why governments and corporations cannot alienate people of their water rights. Water rights come from nature and creation. They flow from the laws of nature, not from the rules of the market.
Light the Lamp of Democracy
Light the Lamp of Democracy
Central Chronicle, India - 29 September 2007
The Seoul Times, South Korea - 29 September 2007
Scoop Independent News, New Zealand - 30 September 2007
Email: tmchangkija@rediffmail.com
.
Published in:
Central Chronicle, India 29 September 2007
The Seoul Times, South Korea 29 September 2007
Scoop Independent News, New Zealand 30 September 2007
Tiamerenla Monalisa Changkija
Editor, Nagaland Page
.
Published in:Central Chronicle, India - 29 September 2007
The Seoul Times, South Korea - 29 September 2007
Scoop Independent News, New Zealand - 30 September 2007
.
.
It is with bated breath and great expectations the entire world is looking at current events in Myanmar and Pakistan. And the expectations are for change and democracy in these two countries, close neighbours of India.
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Now, because Myanmar and Pakistan are close neighbours of India, the world’s largest democracy, and because Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent methods to overthrown undemocratic colonial regimes have inspired countries in all continents in the post-World war period, India today shoulders the great responsibility to hold higher the lamp of democracy in this region. For the past nine days Buddhist Monks of Myanmar have launched a quiet and non-violent protest asking the military junta of that country to restore democracy and eradicate poverty.
As the media reports, the general public has also joined the Monks, meanwhile President George Bush of USA has announced sanctions against Myanmar’s military junta. Several other countries have also pitched in, in support of the monks-led public protest and Australia has already stated that violence would be unacceptable. Indubitably ASEAN countries are also very vigilant about events in Myanmar, mainly because any violent crushing of the pro-democratic movement and continuance of the military junta in that country would now have greater repercussions across the region, much more than it did in 1988.
The repercussions would be probably perceived from economic perspectives, what with East Asian countries forging closer economic and cultural ties, a necessity in today’s globalized context but the most important issue here is the fundamental and human rights of the people of Myanmar. Once this is put in place, healthy economics would be a natural corollary --- this obviously must be seen from the perspective of the military junta in Myanmar having had appropriated complete control over the country’s political, social and economic activities, as also its natural resources for over four decades.
People of Myanmar have been totally alienated and marginalized from ownership of their own country and India should not ignore its legacy of democracy, which Gandhi bequeathed to Independent India, and abdicate the responsibility of providing leadership in the sub-continent by helping the people of Myanmar light the lamp of democracy in their countries. China reportedly has advised ‘restrain’ to Myanmar’s military junta ostensibly in China’s own interest.
Myanmar is China’s trading partner and in its pursuit to be the next Asian economic giant, it certainly doesn’t want its economic apple cart to be upset by events in Myanmar. And then there is the Olympics 2008 at Beijing for which China has invested heavily and not just financially.
Myanmar is also India’s supplier of gas and any move on its part to help usher in change and democracy in Myanmar would also upset a portion of India’s ow
n economic interests. But as reports of deaths and injury of Myanmarese protesters flow in we must acknowledge that the time has come to look beyond economic interests and economic means and methods to help people across the globe live with dignity. In fact, not prioritizing economic interests and methods to light the lamp of democracy would enhance economic benefits.
n economic interests. But as reports of deaths and injury of Myanmarese protesters flow in we must acknowledge that the time has come to look beyond economic interests and economic means and methods to help people across the globe live with dignity. In fact, not prioritizing economic interests and methods to light the lamp of democracy would enhance economic benefits. In any case, economic sanctions have never overthrown dictatorial regimes and resorting to them is simply an eye-wash, which doesn’t wash any eyes. But this is definitely NOT a covert suggestion for any military option. Of all nations, India cannot sit and watch a dictatorial military regime violently crush the people of Myanmar; if we do so, we lose the moral ground to call ourselves a democracy.
So our help must be non-violent and democratic. Citizens of India, particularly in Manipur and Nagaland, have family and friends across the Myanmarese borders as much as the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab have family and friends in Pakistan. It would be in India’s interest to also focus on the close emotional and cultural ties its citizens have with both the countries. If there is a time to build borders, there is also the time to destroy borders, the kind that deny and deprive people of dignity and fundamental rights, dictatorship being the most iniquitous.
The people of Myanmar need us now --- should we abuse the freedom and the strength, which democracy has empowered us with, by ignoring the plight of our neighbours? Of all countries, India must now shoulder the responsibility, nay the moral obligation, to avert a human tragedy and a human crisis in the sub-continent. Doing so would strengthen India’s position as the tallest defender and deliverer of democracy.
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Tiamerenla Monalisa Changkija
Editor, Nagaland PageEmail: tmchangkija@rediffmail.com
.
Published in:
Central Chronicle, India 29 September 2007
The Seoul Times, South Korea 29 September 2007
Scoop Independent News, New Zealand 30 September 2007
HC reprimands State Govt
View Point: HC reprimands State Govt
Central Chronicle
Madhya Pradesh
27 September 2007
The Jabalpur High Court reprimanded the Madhya Pradesh State Government on 25 September 2007, for illegally arresting and detaining 91 people in jail, who were peacefully demonstrating for their land rights at Taloon on 25 July 2007.
The court orders the State Government to pay Rs 10,000 to each of the above 91 people as compensation for violating their fundamental rights on the basis of Article 19 and 21 of the Indian Constitution. A total of Rs 9,10,000 should be paid to the anti-dam agitators.
The 25 page above order of the court states that the State government may recover the total compensation from officials found responsible, after conducting a special enquiry, or pay the amount directly. The bench consisted of Chief Justice AK Patnaik and Justice Ajit Singh.
Earlier on the evening of 25 July 2007, a huge police force came down on the adivasis, fishworkers and farmers who were peacefully agitating as part of the "Zameen Hak Satyagraha", demanding land-for-land rehabilitation instead of cash compensation. "Today's verdict is yet another victory for the Narmada Bachao Andolan and people's movements at large. The verdict affirms the rights of the affected people to agitate peacefully and assert their right to land and livelihood. The peaceful and legitimate agitation by the Sardar Sarovar Dam affected people of the Narmada valley, for right to life and livelihood, continues irrespective of efforts by the authorities to sabotage and suppress the movement of the people" said frontline leader of NBA Medha Patkar.
"The Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal Award, The Supreme Court orders, Constitutional rights of citizens, all stand violated as submergence without rehabilitation continue to happen in the valley, year after year. 22 years of persistent struggle by NBA has achieved much in terms of rehabilitation and without struggle, the remaining populations will not get their due, especially in MP" stressed Arundhati Dhuru, another senior NBA activist.
MP Government had stated earlier that not enough appropriate land is available for land-to-land rehabilitation of every eligible displaced person. Therefore the movement continues to gain ground with water level rising in the valley.
http://www.centralchronicle.com/20070927/2709303.htm
Court reprimands MP Government for arresting anti-dam protestors
Court reprimands MP Government for arresting anti-dam protestors
The Jabalpur High Court reprimanded the Madhya Pradesh State Government on 25 September 2007, for illegally arresting and detaining 91 people in jail, who were peacefully demonstrating for their land rights at Taloon on 25 July 2007.
The court orders the state Government to pay Rs 10,000 to each of the above 91 people as compensation for violating their fundamental rights on the basis of Article 19 and 21 of the Indian Constitution. A total of Rs 9,10,000 should be paid to the anti-dam agitators.
The 25 page above order of the Court states that the State government may recover the total compensation from officials found responsible, after conducting a special enquiry, or pay the amount directly. The bench consisted of the Chief Justice AK Patnaik and Justice Ajit Singh.
Earlier on the evening of 25 July 2007, a huge police force came down on the adivasis, fishworkers and farmers who were peacefully agitating as part of the “Zameen Hak Satyagraha”, demanding land-for-land rehabilitation instead of cash compensation.
“Today's verdict is yet another victory for the Narmada Bachao Andolan and people's movements at large. The verdict affirms the rights of the affected people to agitate peacefully and assert their right to land and livelihood. The peaceful and legitimate agitation by the Sardar Sarovar Dam affected people of the Narmada valley, for right to life and livelihood, continues irrespective of efforts by the authorities to sabotage and suppress the movement of the people” said frontline leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan Medha Patkar.
“The Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal Award, The Supreme Court orders, Constitutional rights of citizens, all stand violated as submergence without rehabilitation continue to happen in the valley, year after year. 22 years of persistent struggle by NBA has achieved much in terms of rehabilitation and without struggle, the remaining populations will not get their due, especially in Madhya Pradesh” stressed Arundhati Dhuru, another senior NBA activist.
MP Government had stated earlier that not enough appropriate land is available for land-to-land rehabilitation of every eligible displaced person.
Therefore the movement continues to gain ground with water level rising in the valley. The main demands include:
- Land-based rehabilitation for the dam-affected families. More than 2 lakhs people still remain in the submergence area
- Adivasis already affected at 122 meters of the dam, should be immediately given land-based rehabilitation
- Height of the Dam should be stayed at 122 meters and not built any further till rehabilitation work is completed
- Cancellation of Special Rehabilitation Package as it is grossly inadequate
- Action against officials involved in corruption while distributing land and cash
- Action against violation of law (NWDTA and SC orders), contempt of Court through false affidavits
It's obvious that in spite of Special Rehabilitation Package (SRP), land for 11,000 families, 90 resettlement sites, right to 5 acres of land for each major son of affected family, which SSP (Sardar Sarovar Project)-affected could seek through long struggle of past 22 years, much remains to be done and attained.
The Jabalpur High Court reprimanded the Madhya Pradesh State Government on 25 September 2007, for illegally arresting and detaining 91 people in jail, who were peacefully demonstrating for their land rights at Taloon on 25 July 2007.
The court orders the state Government to pay Rs 10,000 to each of the above 91 people as compensation for violating their fundamental rights on the basis of Article 19 and 21 of the Indian Constitution. A total of Rs 9,10,000 should be paid to the anti-dam agitators.
The 25 page above order of the Court states that the State government may recover the total compensation from officials found responsible, after conducting a special enquiry, or pay the amount directly. The bench consisted of the Chief Justice AK Patnaik and Justice Ajit Singh.
Earlier on the evening of 25 July 2007, a huge police force came down on the adivasis, fishworkers and farmers who were peacefully agitating as part of the “Zameen Hak Satyagraha”, demanding land-for-land rehabilitation instead of cash compensation.
“Today's verdict is yet another victory for the Narmada Bachao Andolan and people's movements at large. The verdict affirms the rights of the affected people to agitate peacefully and assert their right to land and livelihood. The peaceful and legitimate agitation by the Sardar Sarovar Dam affected people of the Narmada valley, for right to life and livelihood, continues irrespective of efforts by the authorities to sabotage and suppress the movement of the people” said frontline leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan Medha Patkar.
“The Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal Award, The Supreme Court orders, Constitutional rights of citizens, all stand violated as submergence without rehabilitation continue to happen in the valley, year after year. 22 years of persistent struggle by NBA has achieved much in terms of rehabilitation and without struggle, the remaining populations will not get their due, especially in Madhya Pradesh” stressed Arundhati Dhuru, another senior NBA activist.MP Government had stated earlier that not enough appropriate land is available for land-to-land rehabilitation of every eligible displaced person.
Therefore the movement continues to gain ground with water level rising in the valley. The main demands include:
- Land-based rehabilitation for the dam-affected families. More than 2 lakhs people still remain in the submergence area
- Adivasis already affected at 122 meters of the dam, should be immediately given land-based rehabilitation
- Height of the Dam should be stayed at 122 meters and not built any further till rehabilitation work is completed
- Cancellation of Special Rehabilitation Package as it is grossly inadequate
- Action against officials involved in corruption while distributing land and cash
- Action against violation of law (NWDTA and SC orders), contempt of Court through false affidavits
It's obvious that in spite of Special Rehabilitation Package (SRP), land for 11,000 families, 90 resettlement sites, right to 5 acres of land for each major son of affected family, which SSP (Sardar Sarovar Project)-affected could seek through long struggle of past 22 years, much remains to be done and attained.
Published in:
27 September 2007: The Seoul Times (South Korea)28 September 2007: The Scoop Independent News (New Zealand)
Coke siphons groundwater while GoI may declare drought
COKE siphons groundwater while GoI may declare drought
The Government of Uttar Pradesh has been considering declaring drought in some parts of Varanasi. As a safeguard to protect declining groundwater levels, the government might even ask farmers to stop pumping water from their wells. Yet the Coca Cola bottling plant in Raja Talab, Mehndiganj village of Varanasi, has not been restricted from drawing lakhs of litres of water every day!
“Water levels in 9 out of 13 stations in Varanasi district have fallen below drought conditions” said a report from the Hydrology department of Government of India, released on 15 September 2007, in response to an application filed under the Right to Information Act by Nandlal Master, the leader of the Lok Samiti in Mehndiganj.
A recently released report from a regional hydrologist shows that the water-level conditions have actually gone worse. In 2006, 5 stations in Varanasi were reported to have drought or drought like conditions based on the water table. This year, 9 stations have reported such conditions in Varanasi.
“While local farmers are finding it difficult to access water with many hand-pumps running dry, and the government considering whether it should 'declare' the area as drought-striken (which might provide for some relief programmes), the Coca Cola plant at Rajatalab in Mehndiganj continues to pump hundreds of thousands of litres of water everyday. Their deep boring infrastructure and the drive for profit-making remains unaffected by the conditions of their neighbours” remarks Nandlal.
At the same time, the government feels that they need to act - and act by declaring that water from deeper levels cannot be pumped out for irrigation.
“Ironically UP Government is considering banning farmers from taking out water for irrigation but not stopping Coca Cola from taking out huge amounts of water for commercial purposes. It is also the question of who has the right to water – is it the local communities or private corporations?” asks a Varanasi-based social activist Vallabhacharya Pandey who represents Asha-Parivar.
Equity and rights, cultural and ethical issues are essential to be addressed when dealing with limited water resources. “Imbalances between availability and demand, the degradation of groundwater and surface water quality, inter-sectoral competition, interregional and international disputes, all centre around the question of how to cope with scarce water resources” commented Nandlal.
It is yet to be seen whether Government will also consider stopping Coca Cola bottling plant from taking out groundwater for commercial purposes apart from Government’s present move to consider stopping farmers from using groundwater for irrigation in these areas reporting water scarcity at alarming levels.
As natural rights, water rights are usufructuary rights (water can be used but not owned). People have a right to life and the resources that sustain it, such as water. The necessity of water to life is why, under customary laws, the right to water has been accepted as a natural, social fact.
That is why governments and corporations cannot alienate people of their water rights. Water rights come from nature and creation. They flow from the laws of nature, not from the rules of the market.
IIT-Kanpur hushed up three workers' death, says activist
IIT-Kanpur hushed up three workers' death, says activist
23 September 2007
At least three daily-wage workers died on the IIT-Kanpur campus recently--a fact that the premier institute's authorities tried to hush up. That is what social activist and Magsaysay award-winner Sandeep Pandey, national convenor, National Alliance of People's Movements, says.
23 September 2007
At least three daily-wage workers died on the IIT-Kanpur campus recently--a fact that the premier institute's authorities tried to hush up. That is what social activist and Magsaysay award-winner Sandeep Pandey, national convenor, National Alliance of People's Movements, says.
All the deaths, he said, could have been avoided had the IIT provided better living conditions for the labourers on the campus.Activists alleged that IIT-Kanpur's director had banned staff and students from speaking to the media about the alleged deaths.
Pandey, who is also a former IIT faculty, said 12-year-old Rohit died on August 26 2006 after being bitten by a snake on the campus. Rohit was reportedly denied life-saving medical intervention at the institute's hospital. The activist said one Udayvir Yadav, 24, died of electric shock four days later.
Again the authorities allegedly tried hushing up the matter.Pandey said another person--Mohammad Rustam, resident of Malda, West Bengal, aged between 50-55 years--died on 26 July 2007 due to snake bite. He alleged the IIT director tried his best to silence the news.Rustam worked at the core lab construction site near Wind Tunnel and SIDBI Centre on the campus.
His body was allegedly sent out of the campus in a tractor and buried in a graveyard near a mosque in Naramau."Like the IIT director, some IIT professors, too, feel indignant that the stories of deaths have been revealed to the outside world. They are not concerned about the families of the dead or the working conditions of the workers. The insensitive attitude of the IIT community and the shoddy manner in which they dealt with such issues should be condemned," said Pandey, who won the Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership in 2002.
Activists now want the staff at the IIT medical centre to be punished for not delivering timely medical aid for Rahul. Besides, the deceased's kin must be immediately compensated, they demanded.
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