Courtesy:-Lok satta News
The direct and grave indictment of the present Union Telecommunications Minister A. Raja by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) points to a staggeringly-high loss of Rs. 1.7 lakh crores to the public exchequer. This revelation comes in the wake of two other shameful scams: the gross irregularities in the Rs. 70,000 crore - Commonwealth Games (CWG) and the shameful Adarsh Housing Society scam in Mumbai, the latter being carried out invoking the sacred memory of Kargil martyrs.
This is a serious warning sign on two counts:
1. the sheer scale, scope and magnitude of corruption and the consequent loss of massive amounts to the public exchequer and
2. the involvement of politicians at the country’s highest levels.
Essentially, the CAG concluded that the Union Cabinet Minister for IT and Communications ignored advice from the PM and ministries of law and finance, the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) and allocated 2G spectrum to a select group of other-wise ineligible companies at throwaway prices. The CAG also faulted the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for its acts of omission and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for its gross violations of norms.
Distorted public debate:
Unfortunately, the public debate is at present entirely centered on whether the Union Minister A.Raja has to be sacked or retained, whether such a sacking would change the ruling coalition’s arithmetic or not and likewise. Given India’s track record, the persons involved would likely consider such a ritual ‘political sacrifice’ at the altar of media-driven and coalition-governed politics to satisfy the effervescent public attention, which would then move on to other issues.
While the immediate removal of the tainted minister is a necessary and obvious first step, we should not mistake the trees for the forest. It is imperative that all concerned and guilty persons should be suitably punished through a fast-tracked legal process, given the overwhelmingly conclusive evidence of gross irregularities, likely involving massive bribery and corruption facilitated by blatant misuse of office and abuse of authority.
Real issues must be examined:
Even more important is that we should take a step back and examine the deeper issues impacting the overall welfare of the nation and its citizens. This exercise is absolutely necessary so that not only are the guilty suitably punished, but also the losses to the public exchequer are recouped, punitive damages imposed on the guilty parties and a suitable anti-corruption mechanism is put in place to ensure that no such gross instances of gross corruption take place in the future. The root causes of political corruption must be addressed or else such incidences are bound to recur with greater severity and wreck the Indian economic growth miracle. In this context, we should examine the following hierarchy of issues, principles and priorities:
Tainted Contracts: The 2G-spectrum telecom licenses granted to a select group of favoured companies, which otherwise were totally ineligible for providing telecom services, are quite obviously ‘tainted contracts’. Media reports indicate that CAG pointed out that 12 such ineligible companies secured 85 out of 122 licenses across various jurisdictions in India, for the 2G spectrum.
Corruption, bribery and abuse of authority must be established immediately: While the irregularities in the entire process of granting licenses have been established by the CAG, an independent investigation must be carried out immediately to ensure that the corresponding corruption, bribery, abuse of office and misuse of authority too are established. This body of evidence must form the foundation for a fast-tracked criminal prosecution and punishment of all concerned persons, in both government and outside. At present, India does not have such a fast-responding and effective investigative, prosecution and judicial redressal system to fight serious corruption (see below).
Tainted contracts should be scrapped immediately: Parallel to the above investigation, the Union government should immediately undertake a comprehensive, unbiased and transparent review of the entire 2G spectrum licensing policy and process, based on the CAG’s report. Any 2G spectrum licensing contract that is established to be obtained on the basis of corruption and bribery or abuse of office and authority and in violation to the government’s norms should be declared as null-and-void; they were obtained illegally and therefore are unenforceable. Hence they should be scrapped.
Internationally, in most legal systems, transactions tainted by bribery or corruption are considered illegal and unenforceable. Even in India, in 2007, the Indian Army did not hesitate to scrap a $600 million-worth deal for 197 helicopters with Eurocopter, the world’s largest maker of civil and military helicopters (and a subsidiary of EADS, the European defence and aerospace group), following the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)’s criticism of the bidding process and illegal use of middlemen, violative of the existing policy of prohibiting middlemen in military deals. The Army subsequently went in for a fresh and open bidding process.
Spectrum, a scarce and precious national resource, belongs to us Indians: It should not be forgotten that the 2G spectrum ultimately is a scarce and precious national resource. The granting of licenses to cellular operators is merely a privilege granted by the sovereign Indian government, entirely on a discretionary and temporary basis.
Now that several ineligible companies were granted these licenses through acts of bribery, corruption, abuse of authority and office, the corresponding 2G spectrum has to be taken back by the government. It can be handed over in the interim to the BSNL, a hugely credible and successful public sector telecom company, for ensuring the smooth continuation of cellular/mobile phone operations. This top-tier redressal arrangement would guarantee that, we, the ordinary consumers are not inconvenienced and do not lose out on the present and easily-accessible cellular phone services. This spectrum can be subsequently allotted to various operators, de-novo, through a transparent, proper licensing process that benefits the consumers as well as the public exchequer.
Recovery of loss to the public exchequer: Simultaneously, punitive damages must be imposed on the guilty parties and the monies should be recovered from them. Towards this, all ill-gotten wealth earned through illegal means should be seized and confiscated by the government and deployed for public good.
The present law against corruption and its application suffer from several lacunae including absence of effective provisions for forfeiture of property of corrupt public servants, dilatory processes because of overload of criminal cases in courts, political control of investigative agencies, weak prosecution, and legal requirements of prior sanction of prosecution of public servants accused of corruption.
The various Committees and Commissions constituted by the State and Union Governments have reiterated the need to amend the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), 1988. The 166th Law Commission Report, the 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission’s 4th Report amongst others have made key recommendations in this context. A suitable law is urgently required to amend the PCA in order to make it more effective in fighting the menace of corruption.
In addition, a legislation is needed to eliminate multiplicity of agencies dealing with wrong doing of public servants, to strengthen the institution of Lok Ayukta and sharpen its jurisdiction, and make elected and appointed public servants more accountable.
Towards this, the Prevention of Corruption Amendment Bill (2009) has already been prepared and submitted to the AP Legislative Assembly by Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan (AP MLA). The traditional parties must act now to enact this law.
Strong anti-corruption mechanisms and institutions need of the hour: Plundering the public exchequer for private gain has been the favourite pastime of unscrupulous crooks, often in collusion with politicians and officials entrusted with the responsibility of protecting public good. This corruption disease has reached epidemic proportions in India. Our existing and regular statutory, investigative, prosecution and judicial systems are able to cope with this tidal wave of corruption.
Time for a False Claims Act in India: The False Claims Act in the US is an excellent example of innovation to prevent and detect fraud and corruption. Under this law, any person can unearth fraud or false claims (such as the ones made for organizing the Commonwealth Games), and file suit on behalf of the US against those who have falsely claimed federal funds for any procurement of goods, works or services. Such a whistleblower who files successful suits (called ‘Qai tam’ suits) can recover 15 - 25% of any settlement or judgment reached in a case if the government intervenes in the action, or up to 30% if they pursue it on their own. Private citizens thus have an enormous incentive to detect false claims and corruption and file suits. Consequently, a huge industry of unearthing false claims has sprung up, and hundreds of false claim suits are filed every year. Since then, 4000 such suits have been filed, resulting in $6 billion recovered. In addition, $4 billion was recovered in government-initiated claims. In all such cases, a person making false claim is liable to 3 times the amount of damages sustained by the government, plus a civil penalty.
It is high time we enacted similar laws providing incentive to citizens to unearth fraud and corruption. There are practical, simple, effective methods to set things right. Sensible laws and effective legal system to enforce them are crucial to prevent public fraud.
Independent and empowered Anti-corruption mechanism for India.
We need to create a strong, independent, empowered Lok Pal with adequate resources. The CVC and CBI should function within the purview of Lok Pal. The anti-corruption wing at national and local levels should be completely independent of political and partisan control. They should be under Lok Pal / Lok Ayuktas, similar to the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (IACC) created in Hong Kong in 1974. The Anti-corruption law should be tightened as recommended by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission. There should be independent prosecutors drawn from judiciary to prosecute corruption cases. Special Courts, confiscation of property and swift justice should be the essential ingredients of our anti-corruption strategy.
The recent scams and the resultant public outrage should lead to tangible institutional and legal outcomes as suggested above. Only then can India move forward, and build a strong economy and mature democracy of which we can be justly proud.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
JOY OF GIVING
The following is an email I received in IofC-Odisha google groups from a friend.His name has resemblance with min but of course,he is a bit ahead of me in maturity of thoughts.Thanq Arbind for a wonderful mail and hope you don't mind for pasting it here.
There is slight ambiguity regarding the time he told about the death of Mother Teresa and Diana but don't get into details of that.
More than a year and a half has passed since the deaths of Mother Teresa and Princess Diana. Yet, their lives remain clear in our memory. And for good reason, for there is much we can learn from them. For example, their deaths remind us how a person is remembered.
We can learn from them and experience the joy of giving. To do so, we need not be as heroic. There is no need to travel to some distant land or search out the less fortunate. All we need do is awaken, to become aware of those around us. Every encounter is an opportunity to give. Our siblings, spouse, children, friends, relatives, co-workers, boss, customers, and all those we meet will gratefully accept our gifts. The gifts I'm referring to are spiritual in nature and, therefore, do not have any costs.
Sometimes we forget how much we have to offer. For example, though tired of waiting in line at the bank, we can offer the stressed-out bank teller a warm smile and the gifts of patience and understanding. We have the power to uplift her spirit and make her day! At home or in the office, our words of encouragement can plant the seeds of confidence in the minds of our children and co-workers.
You say, your younger brother/sister has used your mobile and there is nothing you can do about it? Well, don't fret; there is something you can do. You can give her the gift of acceptance, unconditional love. You see, all through life we are told to conform to the standards of others, instead of being accepted for whom we are. It starts with mommy and daddy, then it's our teachers and peers, followed by our supervisors in our workplace. Even our boy and girlfriends (and later our spouses) get into the act! It seems as if everyone is telling us what to do and how to think. No wonder people hunger for a little acceptance. Speaking of hunger, it takes more than food banks to feed the hungry. It also takes spiritual gifts, such as acceptance.
There are many more gifts that we can give. For instance, the gift of interest .What do you imagine is the worst thing we can do to someone? It is not to hate them, but to be indifferent toward them, to display no interest.You can offer your seat while travelling in a public transport or in side a waiting room or bus stop & you will receive gratitude in the form of smile. If someone were to hate you, it may be because of envy. Hatred, then, is an expression of interest. Imagine what it would be like if no one had the slightest interest in you. That would hurt! Our gift of interest can help satisfy the craving for attention. Ironically, it is only after we express our interest in others that we can learn how interesting they are!
Still another gift is that of recognition. There are more people starving for recognition than there are starving for food. Why is praise so sought after? Because, like gold and diamonds, it is rare and hard find. Can you remember how many times you were frustrated because your achievements and efforts went unrecognized? We can stop frustrating others by bearing the gift of recognition. Since praise is free, let's offer it freely, but it has value only when it is sincere.
The greatest gift we have to offer is that of time, for time is the stuff life is made of. As our only nonrenewable resource, it is precious. What greater way of expressing love, than by devoting time to those we care about and those in need? Walt Whitman, the poet, expressed it this way, "Behold, I do not give lectures or a little charity. When I give, I give myself." When we give to our friends, we draw them closer. When we give to our enemies, we change them into friends.
The deaths of Mother Teresa and Princess Diana remind us of our own mortality. It's almost as if they were whispering, "The time to give is now." Or, as Marcus Aurelius wrote in the second century, "Live not as though there were a thousand years ahead of you. Fate is at your elbow; make yourself good while life and power are still yours."
Let's do it-who know KAL HO NA HO!
love&prayer
Arbind
There is slight ambiguity regarding the time he told about the death of Mother Teresa and Diana but don't get into details of that.
More than a year and a half has passed since the deaths of Mother Teresa and Princess Diana. Yet, their lives remain clear in our memory. And for good reason, for there is much we can learn from them. For example, their deaths remind us how a person is remembered.
We can learn from them and experience the joy of giving. To do so, we need not be as heroic. There is no need to travel to some distant land or search out the less fortunate. All we need do is awaken, to become aware of those around us. Every encounter is an opportunity to give. Our siblings, spouse, children, friends, relatives, co-workers, boss, customers, and all those we meet will gratefully accept our gifts. The gifts I'm referring to are spiritual in nature and, therefore, do not have any costs.
Sometimes we forget how much we have to offer. For example, though tired of waiting in line at the bank, we can offer the stressed-out bank teller a warm smile and the gifts of patience and understanding. We have the power to uplift her spirit and make her day! At home or in the office, our words of encouragement can plant the seeds of confidence in the minds of our children and co-workers.
You say, your younger brother/sister has used your mobile and there is nothing you can do about it? Well, don't fret; there is something you can do. You can give her the gift of acceptance, unconditional love. You see, all through life we are told to conform to the standards of others, instead of being accepted for whom we are. It starts with mommy and daddy, then it's our teachers and peers, followed by our supervisors in our workplace. Even our boy and girlfriends (and later our spouses) get into the act! It seems as if everyone is telling us what to do and how to think. No wonder people hunger for a little acceptance. Speaking of hunger, it takes more than food banks to feed the hungry. It also takes spiritual gifts, such as acceptance.
There are many more gifts that we can give. For instance, the gift of interest .What do you imagine is the worst thing we can do to someone? It is not to hate them, but to be indifferent toward them, to display no interest.You can offer your seat while travelling in a public transport or in side a waiting room or bus stop & you will receive gratitude in the form of smile. If someone were to hate you, it may be because of envy. Hatred, then, is an expression of interest. Imagine what it would be like if no one had the slightest interest in you. That would hurt! Our gift of interest can help satisfy the craving for attention. Ironically, it is only after we express our interest in others that we can learn how interesting they are!
Still another gift is that of recognition. There are more people starving for recognition than there are starving for food. Why is praise so sought after? Because, like gold and diamonds, it is rare and hard find. Can you remember how many times you were frustrated because your achievements and efforts went unrecognized? We can stop frustrating others by bearing the gift of recognition. Since praise is free, let's offer it freely, but it has value only when it is sincere.
The greatest gift we have to offer is that of time, for time is the stuff life is made of. As our only nonrenewable resource, it is precious. What greater way of expressing love, than by devoting time to those we care about and those in need? Walt Whitman, the poet, expressed it this way, "Behold, I do not give lectures or a little charity. When I give, I give myself." When we give to our friends, we draw them closer. When we give to our enemies, we change them into friends.
The deaths of Mother Teresa and Princess Diana remind us of our own mortality. It's almost as if they were whispering, "The time to give is now." Or, as Marcus Aurelius wrote in the second century, "Live not as though there were a thousand years ahead of you. Fate is at your elbow; make yourself good while life and power are still yours."
Let's do it-who know KAL HO NA HO!
love&prayer
Arbind
Saturday, September 11, 2010
I wanted to write about 2 issues,which have lot of significance but we don't really understand.Both are different from each other.
I'm taking a course of YES+ and today is the second day of 3 days course.After the long kriya,the teacher who came from Kolkata said,"Just imagine,how the world would have been if every one in this world have this state of mind(Calm,peaceful)."This statement made me aware of today's date-September 11(9/11).The day which changed the course of this world and almost demolished two nations and affected many other nations.
Last time when I was visiting Bakul foundation,I clicked a photo and it is the photo which I published here.There was a dialogue in Vedam,a telugu film-"People fight in the name of religion because they don't understand each other's language.Some call Him Allah,Some call Him Jesus,and a few call Him vishnu etc.,"If each other understand other's language,there will be no problems and the common language among all is silence,but it can't be possible to be silent all the time so we should go for patience or say,tolerance but there is a limit to it even.So,what can be the solution?
Solution is Love.4 worded solution but it has lot of meaning.Love includes understanding,respect and every thing.Personally,I believe God is omni-present but I don't believe in "Idol-worship" but if some one asks me bend down before an idol,I immediately do it not for the sake of that idol but I respect the other persons belief who asked me to do so.I wish a muslim in his tradition paying complete respect to the words because I love(try to) the human being and I respect his belief too.
Can't we develop this trait,love.Why we fight on unnecessary after-death hell and heaven in turn turning the present earth into hell.I won't believe religion is greater than humanity and I trust,Love is equivalent to all forms of God.
I often hear people saying doing kriya or some yoga is spirituality.I have reservations with this.I have seen people who are extremely spiritual but they don't perform any of this acts.They always try to love everyone and I believe spirituality is a process of understanding and implementing love.
Second thing I want to write about is Creativity.I dont want to write much about this in this blog but definitely I'll write about this significant issue.For now,I want to publish a few photographs
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
India needs new politics
India is adrift. Worrisomely adrift. This is not because of any widespread social unrest or destabilising economic problems. Discontent in society there certainly is. Grievances due to the country’s unbalanced economic growth there certainly are and they are mounting. But the lack of direction is primarily due to the stagnant state of Indian politics. There is no soaring sense of purpose, fresh vitality and inspirational energy visible in any segment of the political spectrum, including in the two main national parties — Congress and BJP. Making matters worse for the country is their growing mutual antagonism, which is set to create a storm in the monsoon session of Parliament.
Discussing the state of regional parties is unnecessary in this context because, significant though they are in their respective states, they do not critically determine the health of national politics. Discussing the state of the two communist parties is also not pertinent here. Their national footprint and influence have both shrunk enormously, mainly due to the fossilisation of their ideology. Their future looks bleaker than the present. The socialist movement, once a persuasive voice and a powerful factor in Indian politics, has all but vanished. Can there be a sadder commentary on its disappearance than the near-total absence of a suitable commemoration, in 2010, of the birth centenary of its greatest leader, Dr Rammanohar Lohia? How effortlessly we have forgotten one of the most original political thinkers in independent India.
What is truly worrisome is the state of the two national parties. Outwardly all seems well with the Congress and the government it heads. UPA II is stable. Dr Manmohan Singh has become the third longest occupant of the office of Prime Minister. Not a small achievement. It is also a tribute to the quickly acquired political expertise of Sonia Gandhi. Her authority is unlikely to be challenged by anybody within her own party, something which was not true even in the case of Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. However, in spite of all these pluses, the calm in the Congress and its government is suggestive of stagnation, not the strength, self-confidence and sagacity needed to take the nation forward, rapidly and in the right direction.
Efforts of UPA II to normalise relations with Pakistan are leading nowhere, mainly because of India’s overdependence on American mediators. Pakistan’s shrewd rulers are trying to strike their own anti-India bargain with the US, stuck as the latter is with its needless and hopeless military occupation of Afghanistan. India’s gains in normalising the situation in the Kashmir valley, which were the outcome of the farsighted efforts of both Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr Singh (in UPA I), have been largely frittered away by UPA II due to inattention. There is lack of consensus within the Congress and the government on how to deal with the menace of Maoism. And there is no big and enthusiasm-creating action to walk the government’s laudable talk on inclusive development. This cannot be done, as ample examples from history caution us, merely by launching yet another poverty alleviation programme by spending thousands of crores of rupees. What is needed is firm and sustained action against corruption, inefficiency, unaccountability and bureaucratic insensitivity, which are responsible for the abysmal failure of most government-funded anti-poverty schemes. Besides distorting India’s development, corruption is also poisoning the very lifeblood of India’s democratic institutions, including the judiciary. Sadly, there is no real and credible outrage over corruption in Political India. The BJP’s recent conduct in Karnataka and Jharkhand shows that it has no energy or intent left to retrieve what was once its biggest USP: its attempts at probity in public life.
There is a dichotomy today between India’s stagnant politics and vibrant society. The vibrancy and vitality are most visible in India’s young population — not only the rich but also the poor, not only in urban areas but also in villages. However, the political and governance establishment seems woefully unresponsive to their aspirations and ambitions. This is evident from the fact that no political party is articulating the agenda of thorough-going political and governance reforms, without which all talk of “inclusive development”, “social justice”, “education and health for all”, “zero tolerance towards terrorism and Maoism”, etc. are meaningless. The only party that is talking about political reforms, with specific ideas, is Lok Satta in Andhra Pradesh, led by Dr Jayaprakash Narayan. It is still small and struggling, but nevertheless a ray of hope.
India today needs not just new leadership, but new morality-based politics. This new politics will have to discard old habits of conduct and old ways of thinking, which have compelled even the good people in our parties to become prisoners of myopic and sectional considerations. It should muster the courage and understanding needed to fight corruption, and thereby reinvigorate all the institutions of democratic governance. It must eschew misuse of government agencies for partisan ends. It should also be committed to creating national consensus on all major national challenges, including the two inherited from history — disputes with Pakistan and China — which are sapping India’s energies and hindering its rise in Asia and the world.
Is new politics possible? Remember, stagnation is always an invitation to start new attempts.
Courtesy: Indian Express
Discussing the state of regional parties is unnecessary in this context because, significant though they are in their respective states, they do not critically determine the health of national politics. Discussing the state of the two communist parties is also not pertinent here. Their national footprint and influence have both shrunk enormously, mainly due to the fossilisation of their ideology. Their future looks bleaker than the present. The socialist movement, once a persuasive voice and a powerful factor in Indian politics, has all but vanished. Can there be a sadder commentary on its disappearance than the near-total absence of a suitable commemoration, in 2010, of the birth centenary of its greatest leader, Dr Rammanohar Lohia? How effortlessly we have forgotten one of the most original political thinkers in independent India.
What is truly worrisome is the state of the two national parties. Outwardly all seems well with the Congress and the government it heads. UPA II is stable. Dr Manmohan Singh has become the third longest occupant of the office of Prime Minister. Not a small achievement. It is also a tribute to the quickly acquired political expertise of Sonia Gandhi. Her authority is unlikely to be challenged by anybody within her own party, something which was not true even in the case of Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. However, in spite of all these pluses, the calm in the Congress and its government is suggestive of stagnation, not the strength, self-confidence and sagacity needed to take the nation forward, rapidly and in the right direction.
Efforts of UPA II to normalise relations with Pakistan are leading nowhere, mainly because of India’s overdependence on American mediators. Pakistan’s shrewd rulers are trying to strike their own anti-India bargain with the US, stuck as the latter is with its needless and hopeless military occupation of Afghanistan. India’s gains in normalising the situation in the Kashmir valley, which were the outcome of the farsighted efforts of both Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr Singh (in UPA I), have been largely frittered away by UPA II due to inattention. There is lack of consensus within the Congress and the government on how to deal with the menace of Maoism. And there is no big and enthusiasm-creating action to walk the government’s laudable talk on inclusive development. This cannot be done, as ample examples from history caution us, merely by launching yet another poverty alleviation programme by spending thousands of crores of rupees. What is needed is firm and sustained action against corruption, inefficiency, unaccountability and bureaucratic insensitivity, which are responsible for the abysmal failure of most government-funded anti-poverty schemes. Besides distorting India’s development, corruption is also poisoning the very lifeblood of India’s democratic institutions, including the judiciary. Sadly, there is no real and credible outrage over corruption in Political India. The BJP’s recent conduct in Karnataka and Jharkhand shows that it has no energy or intent left to retrieve what was once its biggest USP: its attempts at probity in public life.
There is a dichotomy today between India’s stagnant politics and vibrant society. The vibrancy and vitality are most visible in India’s young population — not only the rich but also the poor, not only in urban areas but also in villages. However, the political and governance establishment seems woefully unresponsive to their aspirations and ambitions. This is evident from the fact that no political party is articulating the agenda of thorough-going political and governance reforms, without which all talk of “inclusive development”, “social justice”, “education and health for all”, “zero tolerance towards terrorism and Maoism”, etc. are meaningless. The only party that is talking about political reforms, with specific ideas, is Lok Satta in Andhra Pradesh, led by Dr Jayaprakash Narayan. It is still small and struggling, but nevertheless a ray of hope.
India today needs not just new leadership, but new morality-based politics. This new politics will have to discard old habits of conduct and old ways of thinking, which have compelled even the good people in our parties to become prisoners of myopic and sectional considerations. It should muster the courage and understanding needed to fight corruption, and thereby reinvigorate all the institutions of democratic governance. It must eschew misuse of government agencies for partisan ends. It should also be committed to creating national consensus on all major national challenges, including the two inherited from history — disputes with Pakistan and China — which are sapping India’s energies and hindering its rise in Asia and the world.
Is new politics possible? Remember, stagnation is always an invitation to start new attempts.
Courtesy: Indian Express
Thursday, August 5, 2010
FOURTH NATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD AND WORK
LADENGE! JITENGE! WE WILL FIGHT! WE WILL WIN!!
3rd Announcement for the
FOURTH
NATIONAL CONVENTION
ON
THE RIGHT TO FOOD AND WORK
6-8 AUGUST, 2010,
Venue: Meera Bhawan, Rourkela, Orissa
Dear friends,
The Steering group of the Right to Food Campaign1 invites you and your organization to the fourth National Convention on the Right to Food and Work, to be held in Orissa from 6-8 August 2010.
This convention, convened by the Right to Food Campaign, is extremely significant in the current context where the Government on the one hand is increasingly eroding people’s control over their livelihoods and resources while on the other, promising to enact a National Food Security Act that guarantees food security for all. With spiraling food prices and widespread drought experienced across the country last year, pushing people further into hunger and poverty, the principle of universality in food entitlements must be established in an urgent manner. The draft National Food Security Act proposed by the government, in fact falls far short of any such guarantee and even erodes entitlements that already exist.
The right to food for all can only be realised if water, land and forests are not diverted from food production and people's control over these resources is safeguarded. The Government has to be forced to make a commitment that nobody goes to sleep hungry. Further, with such high levels of malnutrition as in India, food security must be understood to mean “nutritional” security and not just access to cheap food grains.
It is in this backdrop that we want to discuss issues related to the question of people's right to food that are of concern to our campaign.
The Convention will be held over three days and will be a mix of plenary sessions and parallel workshops. The discussions on the first day will focus on issues related to determinants of food security and hunger. The second day will focus on the National Food Security Act, entitlements and government schemes. On the last day we have a plenary on addressing the issue of access to the Right to food in areas of Conflict including in areas where struggles against displacement are taking place. The Convention will end with a Rally and public meeting. Please find and attached the detailed programme.
Pre Conference Preparation: Please consider organising meetings, workshops and conventions at the district/state level on these issues in advance of the national convention. This would facilitate better involvement of local groups and grassroots organisations at the national convention. Participating organisations are also invited to bring their campaign material (e.g. reports, posters, exhibitions, etc.) for circulation or display at the Orissa convention.
Parallel Workshops and Stalls/Exhibitions: The organizing committee in Orissa is planning on having some exhibitions on issues such as children’s right to food, foods of the forest, sustainable agriculture and so on. In case you are interested in putting up a stall or exhibition, please let us know by the 26th of July, so that necessary arrangements can be made.
There is also a proposal to set up a stall with local foods from different areas, for instance the Karnataka campaign will display some “ragi” recipes. Please let us know if you would be able to contribute to this.
Below is a list of workshops that have been finalized until now. In case, you have any suggestions for other workshops and are willing to co-ordinate workshops on other issues, please let us know by the 26thof July. The programme committee will review all such suggestions and see if they can be included.
Venue: The venue is Meera Bhawan, opposite Rourkela Railway Station, Rourkela, Orissa. The place of stay for participants would be Amar Bhawan, which is 100 meters away from Rourkela Railway station. The meeting venue (Plenary meeting / Large meeting) which is Meera Bhawan which is around 50 meters away from railway station and same distance from Amar Bhawan.
Registration Fee: All participants would be expected to pay Rs. 50 per day making it a fee of Rs. 150 per participant for the conference registration. This would take care of lodging, boarding and the conference kit for the participants.
Donation: The campaign also welcomes any other donations that you can send will be most helpful. All participants are expected to make their own travel arrangements. Kindly book your tickets well in advance. And kindly intimate us about your participation as it will help us plan for the convention.
We request you to share news of this convention within your organization and with other interested organizations/
National Campaign Contacts: The Right to Food Campaign secretariat at 011-2649 9563. mobile: 9560923178 (Deepika) righttofood@gmail.com , check the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.
Orissa Contact Persons:
Convenor of the Orissa Organising committee of Fourth National Convention: Mr. Prafulla Samantary "Prafulla Samantara" <psamantary@rediffmail.com>
Coordinator Working group of Organising Committee: Bidyut Mohanty bidyut.mohanty@gmail.com, Phone: +91-9437025326;
Rourkela Organiser: Mr. Abul Kalam Azad, Email: disharkl@yahoo.co.in, Phone: +91-9437049329.
URGENT: Please send confirmations of participation to righttofood@gmail.com, bidyut.mohanty@gmail.com and disharkl@yahoo.co.in
Looking forward to meeting all of you at Rourkela, Orissa!!!
In solidarity,
Steering group of the Right to Food Campaign
We are,
Annie Raja (National Federation for Indian Women), Anuradha Talwar (New Trade Union Initiative), Arun Gupta& Radha Holla (Breast Feeding Promotion Network of India), Arundhati Dhuru and Sandeep Pandey (National People’s Movement of India), Ashok Bharti (National Conference of Dalit Organizations), Anjali Bhardwaj, Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey (National Campaign for People’s Right to Information), Asha Mishra and Vinod Raina (Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti), Colin Gonsalves (Human Rights Law Network), Kavita Srivastava (People’s Union for Civil Liberties), Mira Shiva and Vandana Prasad (Jan Swasthya Abhiyan), Paul Diwakar (National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights), Subhash Bhatnagar (National Campaign Committee for Unorganized Sector workers), Jean Dreze (Former support group and Allahabad University), V.B.Rawat (Former support group and Social Development Foundation)
For more information, please contact
Kavita Srivastava (0141-2594131 or 09351562965),
Dipa Sinha (09650434777)
Deepika (9560923178)
Sejal Parikh (09560266167)
Mr. Abul Kalam Azad (9437049329)
Secretariat - Right to Food Campaign
C/o PHRN
5 A, Jungi House,
Shahpur Jat, New Delhi 110049.
India
Website: www.righttofoodindia.org
Email: righttofood@gmail.com
Phone - 91 -11 -2649 9563
FOURTH NATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD AND WORK
LADENGE! JITENGE! WE WILL FIGHT! WE WILL WIN!!
3rd Announcement for the
FOURTH
NATIONAL CONVENTION
ON
THE RIGHT TO FOOD AND WORK
6-8 AUGUST, 2010,
Venue: Meera Bhawan, Rourkela, Orissa
Dear friends,
The Steering group of the Right to Food Campaign1 invites you and your organization to the fourth National Convention on the Right to Food and Work, to be held in Orissa from 6-8 August 2010.
This convention, convened by the Right to Food Campaign, is extremely significant in the current context where the Government on the one hand is increasingly eroding people’s control over their livelihoods and resources while on the other, promising to enact a National Food Security Act that guarantees food security for all. With spiraling food prices and widespread drought experienced across the country last year, pushing people further into hunger and poverty, the principle of universality in food entitlements must be established in an urgent manner. The draft National Food Security Act proposed by the government, in fact falls far short of any such guarantee and even erodes entitlements that already exist.
The right to food for all can only be realised if water, land and forests are not diverted from food production and people's control over these resources is safeguarded. The Government has to be forced to make a commitment that nobody goes to sleep hungry. Further, with such high levels of malnutrition as in India, food security must be understood to mean “nutritional” security and not just access to cheap food grains.
It is in this backdrop that we want to discuss issues related to the question of people's right to food that are of concern to our campaign.
The Convention will be held over three days and will be a mix of plenary sessions and parallel workshops. The discussions on the first day will focus on issues related to determinants of food security and hunger. The second day will focus on the National Food Security Act, entitlements and government schemes. On the last day we have a plenary on addressing the issue of access to the Right to food in areas of Conflict including in areas where struggles against displacement are taking place. The Convention will end with a Rally and public meeting. Please find and attached the detailed programme.
Pre Conference Preparation: Please consider organising meetings, workshops and conventions at the district/state level on these issues in advance of the national convention. This would facilitate better involvement of local groups and grassroots organisations at the national convention. Participating organisations are also invited to bring their campaign material (e.g. reports, posters, exhibitions, etc.) for circulation or display at the Orissa convention.
Parallel Workshops and Stalls/Exhibitions: The organizing committee in Orissa is planning on having some exhibitions on issues such as children’s right to food, foods of the forest, sustainable agriculture and so on. In case you are interested in putting up a stall or exhibition, please let us know by the 26th of July, so that necessary arrangements can be made.
There is also a proposal to set up a stall with local foods from different areas, for instance the Karnataka campaign will display some “ragi” recipes. Please let us know if you would be able to contribute to this.
Below is a list of workshops that have been finalized until now. In case, you have any suggestions for other workshops and are willing to co-ordinate workshops on other issues, please let us know by the 26thof July. The programme committee will review all such suggestions and see if they can be included.
Venue: The venue is Meera Bhawan, opposite Rourkela Railway Station, Rourkela, Orissa. The place of stay for participants would be Amar Bhawan, which is 100 meters away from Rourkela Railway station. The meeting venue (Plenary meeting / Large meeting) which is Meera Bhawan which is around 50 meters away from railway station and same distance from Amar Bhawan.
Registration Fee: All participants would be expected to pay Rs. 50 per day making it a fee of Rs. 150 per participant for the conference registration. This would take care of lodging, boarding and the conference kit for the participants.
Donation: The campaign also welcomes any other donations that you can send will be most helpful. All participants are expected to make their own travel arrangements. Kindly book your tickets well in advance. And kindly intimate us about your participation as it will help us plan for the convention.
We request you to share news of this convention within your organization and with other interested organizations/
National Campaign Contacts: The Right to Food Campaign secretariat at 011-2649 9563. mobile: 9560923178 (Deepika) righttofood@gmail.com , check the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.
Orissa Contact Persons:
Convenor of the Orissa Organising committee of Fourth National Convention: Mr. Prafulla Samantary "Prafulla Samantara" <psamantary@rediffmail.com>
Coordinator Working group of Organising Committee: Bidyut Mohanty bidyut.mohanty@gmail.com, Phone: +91-9437025326;
Rourkela Organiser: Mr. Abul Kalam Azad, Email: disharkl@yahoo.co.in, Phone: +91-9437049329.
URGENT: Please send confirmations of participation to righttofood@gmail.com, bidyut.mohanty@gmail.com and disharkl@yahoo.co.in
Looking forward to meeting all of you at Rourkela, Orissa!!!
In solidarity,
Steering group of the Right to Food Campaign
We are,
Annie Raja (National Federation for Indian Women), Anuradha Talwar (New Trade Union Initiative), Arun Gupta& Radha Holla (Breast Feeding Promotion Network of India), Arundhati Dhuru and Sandeep Pandey (National People’s Movement of India), Ashok Bharti (National Conference of Dalit Organizations), Anjali Bhardwaj, Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey (National Campaign for People’s Right to Information), Asha Mishra and Vinod Raina (Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti), Colin Gonsalves (Human Rights Law Network), Kavita Srivastava (People’s Union for Civil Liberties), Mira Shiva and Vandana Prasad (Jan Swasthya Abhiyan), Paul Diwakar (National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights), Subhash Bhatnagar (National Campaign Committee for Unorganized Sector workers), Jean Dreze (Former support group and Allahabad University), V.B.Rawat (Former support group and Social Development Foundation)
For more information, please contact
Kavita Srivastava (0141-2594131 or 09351562965),
Dipa Sinha (09650434777)
Deepika (9560923178)
Sejal Parikh (09560266167)
Mr. Abul Kalam Azad (9437049329)
Secretariat - Right to Food Campaign
C/o PHRN
5 A, Jungi House,
Shahpur Jat, New Delhi 110049.
India
Website: www.righttofoodindia.org
Email: righttofood@gmail.com
Phone - 91 -11 -2649 9563
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