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Showing posts from July, 2016

Govt should provide alternate housing to 2002 riot affected living on private land

By Johanna Lokhande and Hozefa Ujjaini* The much-talked-about 2002 Gujarat riots have hit headlines of late for various reasons. Without getting into the complexity of what happened and how it happened and who is responsible for it, one would like to draw attention to some of the crucial aspects of a post-conflict situation. The bloodshed and destruction along with immediate impact have many other long-term implications which sometimes go unnoticed by the policy makers. The riots left a huge chunk of people homeless and displaced- the displacement was an immediate effect of the aftermath of the riots and rehabilitating them became an immediate need that had to be acted upon. When the temporary relief camps closed down after 6 months when the government stopped supplies the camps, immediate resort for shelter had to be sought- the announced compensation package at that point of time, did not account for any form of rehabilitation- families who had become homeless, who had lost their h

Solidarity note: HDRC ad was meant to promote constitutional values of equality

An advertisement issued on April 6, 2016 by an Ahmedabad-based NGO, Human Development and Resource Centre (HDRC), recently turned into a full-blown controversy in Gujarat two and a half months later, because it called for giving preference to a non-reservation category person for the post of cleaner. It led to violent attacks (click HERE to read) on HDRC’s building, situated within the St Xavier’s College campus. The attackers, owing allegiance to saffron ideology, especially objected to naming caste/religious denominations as examples from whom the sweeper would be preferred. Tens of activists have come forward to support the HDRC and issued the following note: We the undersigned concerned individual citizens would like to make our position/ stand public regarding a recent Human Development and Research Center (HDRC) advertisement to recruit sweepers for their office, stating that preference would be given to applicants from general category, who do not fall under reserved categori

Swacchata mission: Failure to see how manual scavenging impacts women’s health

By Gagan Sethi and Sanjana Biswas*  Swacchh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) was launched on 2nd October, 2014 on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Rajghat, New Delhi, before subsequently proceeding to a Valmiki Basti, where Mahatma Gandhi had once stayed and initiated a ‘cleanliness drive’. Launched as a cleanliness drive, the campaign is a re-launch of the ‘Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan’ but with more concrete goals. The campaign aims to obtain 100 percent eradication of open defecation by 2019 with ‘eradication of Manual Scavenging, modern and Scientific Municipal Solid Waste Management’as it’s other objectives. Even though it is a cleanness drive it has remained restricted to activities such as sweeping and construction of new toilets and curiously doesn’t include environmental health and pollution in its premise or in its site of action. Even though significant efforts have been taken in terms of air pollution the actions have remained larg

Lokpal Act: NGOs must not be misunderstood as opponents of their accountability

By Venkatesh Nayak* Thanks to the manner in which Parliament was pushed to pass The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act (Lokpal Act) in 2013, all NGOs receiving more than Rs. 1 crore funds from the Government and all foreign funded NGOs receiving foreign contribution of Rs. 10 lakhs or more, annually, are now covered by this Act. The problems that the Lokpal Act creates than seeks to solve in relation to the social sector are outlined below. The manner of coverage of NGOs under the Lokpal Act Under Section 14(1)(g) and (h) a director, manager, secretary or officer of any association or trust whether registered or not, receiving government funding or foreign funding will be a “public servant” for the purpose of: Prosecution of offences of corruption identified under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 ; and declaring movable and immovable assets for self, spouses and dependent children every year under Section 44 of the Lokpal Act. In June, 2016, the limit of Rs. 1 crore on government funding

Minimalistic approach to rule-making creates confusion on implementing J&K RTI Act

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) chairperson Jenaab Wajahat Habibullah, former Chief Information Commissioner, Central Information Commission, has sought the intervention of the Jammu & Kashmir chief minister on effective implementation of the J&K Right to Information Act, 2009. Text of the letter: *** I am writing to you in my capacity as Chairperson of CHRI an international, independent, non-partisan, non-government organization headquartered in New Delhi. As you know, CHRI has worked closely with officials in the State Government and members of civil society in J&K for the practical realisation by the people of the State of the fundamental right to seek information from public authorities. Apart from spreading awareness about the procedures for seeking information from public authorities at the community level, CHRI is currently working with the district administration and social activists in Kulgam to make that district a model for the implementation of the J