cednews february 2007

cednews - february 2007

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The World Social Forum 2007 took place in Nairobi this year. What does the WSF mean to us today? Says Francois Houtart, seven years after the beginning of the Social Forums, we are facing a new situation: the neo-liberal system is on the defensive, in spite of still triumphant discourses; in spite of measures of adaptation to new situations, like the struggle against poverty; and in spite of disposing still an enormous power of decision. Yet the Forum despite of all its excesses, shows the awareness that alternatives still exist.

It is also time for us to look at SEZs in China. As Bhaskar Goswami puts it, evidence over the years has shown that this single-minded pursuit of growth has lowered the efficiency and effectiveness of economic policies, besides incurring huge resource and environmental costs. The Chinese experience offers valuable lessons for India. Simultaneously, the Maharashtra Government has come up with a re-development plan for Dharavi; here the peoples anger is because, unlike other slum re-development schemes, DRP does not even require their consent !

Displacement unlimited is the buzz of the day. That's where most of our selections focus this month.

Then, in a very timely piece, Himanshu Thakkar reminds us that the Kaveri Award is flawed not because it favours, or does not favour, Karnataka or Tamil Nadu. The real problem is to be found in the utter disregard for other significant sources of water, mainly groundwater.

Finally, we have news of the proposed Unorganised Workers Social Security Bill 2007. It ignores most of the recommendations proposed by concerned civil society organisations.

Read on ... some of the stories on these issues that we have picked out for you this month.

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The Nairobi Forum has been like the preceding ones, and perhaps even more, an "open space" for all those who wanted to organize an activity within the framework of the basic chart. Several of the last day convergences have been a success, allowing the meeting of various types of movements and organizations. It must be emphasized that the organization of the meeting in one specific area, the main stadium of Nairobi, very intelligently reorganized, has helped very much the participation and the contacts. World Social Forum 2007, Nairobi by Francois Houtart, Choike.org, February 11, 2007

A critical examination of the WSF highlights the imbalances between on the one hand the NGOs and CSO and on the other, the people's movements. The conclusion is that the former must now begin to listen to the latter in order for globalisation to occur from below and for the masses to speak to power. Globalisation From Below by Steve Ouma, Pambazuka.org, February 07, 2007

Till recently, people talked about climate change as something manifesting in the future while some went to the extent as doubting the whole science of climate change. No longer! The discomforting manifestations of climate change are readily visible (for those who will not turn a blind eye to realities staring us in the face) and are only predicted to get worse. George Monbiot argues in his latest book, HEAT, that there is still a chance to salvage the situation, provided we act urgently and decisively towards a common goal. The goal is clearly laid down: a 90% reduction in green house gas (GHG) emissions by 2030.The conspiracy Of Silence On Climate Change by Ashwin Gambhir, Review of Heat: How to stop the planet burning by George Monbiot, ISBN 9780713999235, published by Allen Lane, 2006

There is much ado about Microfinance nowadays. Particularly after Dr. Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank were awarded Nobel peace prize, the concept of Microcredit and Microfinance are now being highlighted by the quarters allegiant to imperialist-capitalist world as important elements of what the poor require to get out of poverty. They argue that while all prescriptions of elimination of poverty invariably sound preachy, Dr. Yunus has not only found a real answer to the problem but has made poverty mitigation a sound business proposition. Microfinance: Cunning Bourgeois ploy to sustain poverty under disguise of poverty alleviation, Proletarian Era, Vol. 40 No. 12 February 3, 2007

Acceptance Speech, As I stand here to accept this award given in memory of a man who has been described alternately as a passionate democrat, a patriot and above a good human being I cannot but recall how this one man institution associated with us, Communalism Combat, in its nascent years. In response to one of the darkest moment this great metropolis, Mumbai (then Bombay) has lived through, December 1992 and January 1993, he sat alongside the inimitable and unique, the late Mr HM Seervai to speak to the then President of India to 'call in the army'.Civil Liberties in India by Teesta Setalvad, February 07, 2007, Nani A Palkhivala Award 2006

In the heart of Mumbai, Asia's largest slum is slated for a makeover. Spare us, say its dwellers. Seventy thousand residents of Dharavi, Asia's largest slum in the heart of Mumbai, are angry. They want to have a say in the state's redevelopment plan to demolish their houses and build a new township. They have decided to let the policymakers know about their angst. "We are protesting against the state's rigid stance in imposing the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) on its extremely dissatisfied residents. Middle of Now Here by Shuchi Srivastava, Outlook, February 12, 2007

From Kalinganagar to Dadri, from Singur to Nandigarm the force of arms and ammunition in the hands of the police force is being used to assault and kill innocent farmers and tribals defending their land rights. The land wars are testing every aspect of India - as a culture based on the earth as a sacred mother - Dharti - who supports us all, - an agrarian economy based on small farmers and peasants, a decentralized democracy which through the 73rd and 74th Amendments has made local communities the competent bodies to make decisions on natural resources. From Corporate Land Grab to Land Sovereignty (Bhu Swaraj) by Vandana Shiva, Zmag.org, January 31, 2007

As more arable land is taken over for urbanization and industrialisation, issues related to changes in land use have become a major source of dispute between the public and the government. While single-minded pursuit of exports has helped China touch record growth figures, millions have been left behind, besides incurring huge environmental costs. And without even the limited dose of welfare that China offers its poor farmers, India must wary of copying China's SEZ-approach. SEZs: Lessons from China by Bhaskar Goswami, Indiatogether.org, February 9, 2007

The Cauvery award fails on the test of science as it does not consider groundwater availability in the Cauvery basin area. It has only decided on the distribution of the surface water among the claimants. Tamil Nadu, being the lower riparian, has significant availability of groundwater, while Karnataka and Kerala, being the upper riparian, have relatively little of it. Groundwater, in reality, is the water lifeline of this country, with over two-thirds of irrigated foodgrains production, over 90 per cent of rural water supply and over 50 per cent of urban water supply dependent on groundwater. Why the Cauvery award is flawed by Himanshu Thakkar, Rediff.com, February 06, 2007

The proposed Unorganised Workers Social Security Bill 2007 is a gross betrayal of the expectations and genuine needs of nearly 39 crore workers of the unorganised sector of the country, at least one-third of whom are women, and their dependents. It has completely ignored the suggestions given by all the organizations and forums since the recommendations of the Second National Commission for Labour for social security legislation for unorganised sector workers. The Bill can be accessed at Ministry of Labour website- http://labour.nic.in/. Comments on the proposed Unorganised Workers Social Security Bill 2007 sent by PWESCR (Programme on Women's Economic, Social and Cultural Rights), New Delhi

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Growth & Change in Boston & Bangalore - Finding a place for Public Transport

Kenneth Kruckemeyer, research affiliate at the Centre for Transportation and Logistics at MIT, shows how Boston & Bangalore have been shaped by the need for expanding transportation systems. He also tells how the two cities have grown in the past few decades in response to the transportation needs. The talk highlights some of the developments in rail transit, bus & non-motorised transport systems around the world & broader contemporary issues of energy use, global warming, environmental impacts, health & social interaction.

Community based Disaster Preparedness

Dino L Touthang, Executive Director - EFICOR highlights the importance of community based disaster preparedness. He says that until now, we have only responded to a disaster by providing relief and rehabilitation. But now globally there is a realisation that disaster management in not just about relief and rehabilitation but also disaster mitigation and risk reduction.

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