Citizen Movements For Change In India

nobribe.org is started by sanjay uvach in Bihar, the mecca of corruption.  His idea to use it to bring to light whatever he can about corruption especially in his state Bihar.

Interesting social networking connecting government community. The following are eligible to join:

* gov’t employee (fed/state/local/intl)
* public policy student/professor
* good gov’t organization
* gov’t contractor with good intentions

Wonder how they decide what makes a govt. organization ‘good’ or for that matter a govt contractor with ‘good intentions’

Go to www.govloop.com to browse

According to a report in the Hindustan Times,  residents of 40 villages around Modinagar have decided to exercise Rule 49(O) (Conduct of Election Rules, 1961). They will vote but not choose a candidate. These voters numbering around 150,000 are protesting against the pathetic condition of the roads in the area which have claimed the lives of countless people.

A similar protest has been planned by residents of sectors along the Delhi-Gurgaon residents in Haryana. They have given an ultimatum to the administration to fix the problems by May 2 or else they’ll boycott the elections.

The credit for motivating these villagers goes to a pressure group named Youth for Equality ( www.youthforequality.com ), which was formed in 2006 as a reaction to the policy 27% reservations for OBCs in educational institutions. The group now has a wider agenda against all forms of reservation.

Arvind Kejriwal, the father of RTI in India has started another initiative for Swaraj i.e. self rule. The idea is  to shift decision making into the hands of the local citizen bodies like Gram Sabhas and Mohalla Sabhas (urban areas), who will then decide how the funds should be spent and also penalize corrupt government servants.

The website is www.lokrajandolan.org

http://www.google.co.in/loksabha2009

A typical google like website with google maps and also a customizable page based on your own constituency. It also gives some basic details of MPs from each consituency (including a yes/no about criminal record).

On first sight seems to be more news heavy when compared with Yahoo.

A snapshot of congress manifesto for the LS elections 2009:

1. Reservations for minorities in government employment and education

2. Introducte a moderate goods and services tax

3. A voluntary national youth corp which would enable young men and women between 18-23 to serve upto two years in nation-building activities

4. Passing the Women’s Reservation Bill

5. Reserve a third of all central jobs for women

6. Reserve a portion of seats  in panchayats and nagarpalikas for those below 35

7. Schools run by communal and sectarian groups to be regulated

8. Preferential treatment to SC’s ST’s and women in government contracts to simulate entrepreneurial activities

In short it’s all about RESERVATIONS and more RESERVATIONS (5 out of 8 points are about reservations). Cant imagine a more regressive thought process. There is no mention of economic and infrastructural reforms; nothing at all about any progressive measure of any kind. Basically a manifesto to garner votes.

What will they reserve next? air and drinking water I suppose?

Let’s see what the other parties have in store for us.

NOTE: The above summary of the manifesto is from a newspaper. I have since discovered the full manifesto at the congress party website www.aicc.org.in/new/manifesto09-eng.pdf; however I have not read it yet so this post will most likely change.

 The manifesto of CPM (the communist party marxist) is at http://cpim.org/manifesto.pdf; I am sure it will also have some interesting stuff.