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Indian Youth Delegation to COP16. Applications due July 31, 2010
Last modified on 2010-07-09 06:31:51 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
The sixteenth Conference of Parties (COP16) is coming up and IYCN is getting geared to send our third youth delegation to an international summit. In 2008, we sent the first Indian youth delegation to COP14 in Poznan, Poland and is 2009, 20 young Indians attended COP15 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
COP16 will be held in Mexico from November 29 to December 10, 2010 and we’re looking for 8 stellar young people who are passionate and committed to the cause of tackling climate change for our team. Attending a COP is an amazing experience – you have the opportunity to impact the negotiations and to contribute to the growing youth climate movement. Its also a big commitment so if you’re ready to dedicate the next few months to the summit, please fill out the attached application form.
The application is also available for download at www.iycn.in
You need to send your completed application and references to iyd@iycn.in by midnight on July 31, 2010. If you have any queries please email us on the same address and we will get back to you within 48 hours.
Ayesha and Swati
Coordinators, Indian Youth Delegation to COP16
9821219877/9820107204
Indian Youth Climate Network
www.iycn.in
Download the application :Indian Youth Delegation Application for CoP 16
I Have Seen Her Crying
Last modified on 2010-06-27 18:24:19 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
On June 13, 2010, we 12 Human Rights Activists of Jharkhand started our journey before the dawn. We had heard a horrible story about an Adivasi woman who was killed in crossfire between the security forces and the Maoists. Her name was Jasinta. She was mere 25 years old married woman enjoying her life with her family in a village. Of course, she was a mother of three kids whose lives are at stake now. Therefore, we wanted to know the truth. We wanted to know whether she was a Maoist. The most important thing we wanted to know is, in what circumstances her right to life was taken away by the mighty gun and her three kids’ lives were put in the dark before the dawn. We wanted to know about the state’s response to the heinous crime against humanity. And of course, we wanted to know whether these three kids are innocent like the kids of our security forces?
Our fact-finding mission started moving on wheels. In the blazing sun of mid summer, we traveled across Chidambaram’s red corridor. Perhaps, the Adivasis of these areas would not have heard the buzzword ‘red corridor’. They would love to call these areas as “Adivasi corridor” instead of the red corridor. However, we did not see any Maoist in the forest. But of course, we saw the half-burnt forest, trees and greenery. Thousands acres of forest were burnt by the security forces while carrying out operations for hunting the Maoists. Perhaps, they could not hunt the Maoists but they hunted beautiful plants, herbs, wild animals, birds and innocent insects. They burnt the houses of wild animals, birds and million insects. Indeed, the Adivasis would have been booked under the forest conservation Act 1980 and the wild life protection Act 1972 if they had burnt the forest.
After 7 hours long journey, finally we reached to a village called Ladi, which is situated in a dense forest of Barwadih block of Lateher district in Jharkhand. The Kherwar Adivasis write their surname as “Singh” are in the majority in the village. There are 56 Kherwars families, 2 Oraons, 11 Porenya, 10 Korba, 1 Lohra and 1 Saw family reside in the villages. At the entrance of the village, the Kherwar Adivasis were cutting stones, which is their traditional occupation. They told us that each Kherwar family earns Rs. 80 per day by cutting stones. They sell the final product to small traders. The economy of the village is based on agriculture, forest produces and daily wage. Though the villagers were busy in their routine work but there was complete silence in the village. It seems like an empty village. No one would smile. They are living with fear, agony, anguish, uncertainty and anger.
After the introduction ritual was over, we were told to visit to the house of 28-year-old Jairam Singh, whose wife Jasinta was shot dead by the security forces on 27 April 2010. We entered into a beautiful mud house. The environment of the house was still full of shock, agony and anger. The family members were silent. The shock, agony and anger were visible on their faces. We were asked to sit on their traditional beds, which is made of wood and rope. After a few minutes Jairam Singh appeared in front of us with his two kids – Amrita and Suchit. He was not able to come back to normal life. He could not speak. He was still in the state of shock and agony. Whenever we asked about the incident, he just started weeping. He is a temporary forest guard therefore when the incident took place; he was in duty at a place called Garu, which is 20 KM far from his village.
Jairam told us that he has three kids therefore he demands for Rs.5 lakh as compensation, government job and education support to his children. He just says, “I want justice”. We saw Jairam’s two kids with hopeless face, feared and shocked. We wanted to see one more kid, who was merely 1 year old. Her name is Vibha Kumari, a sweet baby playing in her grandmother Bajwa Devi’s lap that time. We wanted to take some snap shots of these three kids with their father. But after seeing us Vibha started crying. She didn’t want to appear before us. She was crying continually even in her father’s lap. Perhaps, she assumes that we were there to snatch her from the family similar to what the security forces did with her mother. She was only crying, crying and crying. I was just shocked to see her endless cry for her mother.
Jairam’s younger brother 18 year old Bishram Singh, who was present at Home when the incident took place on April 27, 2010 told us what had happened that night in the red mud house. According to him the incident took place at 7:30 PM when all the family members were preparing for going to bed after having dinner together. Suddenly, they heard the sound of firing, coming from the outside of their home. Some one shouted, “Come out of the house otherwise we’ll set fire on the house”. After hearing terrified voice, they came out of the house except a cattle caretaker (Puran Singh) who was sleeping in the room.
The Security Forces tied the hands of Bishram Singh and abused others. There were about 12 security forces well dressed and guns in hands. They asked, “Is anyone inside”? They told to the security forces that their cattle caretaker is sleeping inside. The Jawans asked to bring him out of the house. Jasinta entered into the house for waking up cattle caretaker and bringing him out of the house. The security forces also entered into the house and started firing. One bullet hit Jasinta’s chest when she was coming out of the house with Puran Singh (cattle caretaker) and another bullet hit Puran Singh’s left hand. Jasinta fell down and died in the spot.
The security forces told Bishram Singh that he should tell the police officers, the media and the people that his elder brother’s wife was killed in crossfire and also told not to go for protest against the police. They threatened him for dire consequences if he goes against the will of the security forces. After the postmortem was conducted on April 28, Bishram was asked to put his signature on a blank paper. After the final rites, the villagers started protest against the cold blood murder and they had even gone to file a FIR against murderers of Jasinta but the FIR was not register in Barwadih police station. The case was merely recorded in a daily dairy. However, the police file a FIR, which blames the Maoists for murder of Jasinta.
After series of protest, the government announced Rs.3 lakh as compensation and a government job to the family of the deceased. Unfortunately, nothing has been done yet. The Family members were not given postmortem report, death certificate and copy of the FIR. On May 14, the police deployed a Journalist Sanjay Kumar of Hindustan (Hindi daily) as a mediator who brought Jairam Singh to Barwadih police station, where the officer in charge Birendra Ram asked Jairam Singh to put his signature on a blank paper and accept a cheque of Rs.90,000. But when Jairam Singh denied for putting his signature on a blank paper, the officer in charge sent him back with empty hand. Ironically, the security forces shot dead Jairam Singh’s wife, threatening to the family members for dire consequences and they are also attempting to swallow the compensation package. Despite the family members and villagers made many attempts by from pillar to post but no action was taken against the security forces and local police.
The Cattle caretaker Puran Singh, who is under treatment in Latehar Sadar hospital, also tells the complete story of what had happened in the house of Jairam Singh on April 27, which has no contradiction with the words of Bishram Singh. But the Barwadih police are putting hard efforts to convert the cold blood murder as a result of crossfire between the Security Forces and the Maoist. According to the Police version, the bullet of the Maoists killed Jasinta. While observation, we found the marks of two bullets on the wall, which had been fired from the entrance of the house reveals the truth. In the case of crossfire there would have been some sign of firing on police from inside of the house. The best evidence is, after firing on Jasinta, the security forces went inside the house and conducted search operation but they did not find any Maoist. The house has only one entrance therefore there is absolutely no change of the Maoists fleeing away, which clearly means there was no change of crossfire but it is a clear case of cold blood murder committed by the security forces.
After brutal murder of Jasinta by the security forces, her husband Jairam Singh has been playing a role of mother too. He looks after his three kids – Amrita Kumari, Suchit Kumar and Vibha Kumari. Now his youngest baby Vibha Kumari is surviving on cattle milk. Whenever the security forces faced bullet there is a tendency of the national media debate. The biggest question here is why there is no such national debate for Vibha, Suchit and Amrita? Why those beautiful shining faces do not debate in television channels when innocent children are made orphans by the bullet of the security forces? Why the Media is not sensitive to the issues of the Adivasis like Jasinta’s kids? Are these three kids not innocent? Are they a security threat to the nation? Why don’t we believe on the words of innocent villagers who have been facing the bullets of the security forces continually? Why there is a tendency of believing only on the holy words of the security forces and local police whose bullets take away the right to life of these innocent villagers.
I can understand the pain, suffering and agony of losing the parents. But here the story is extremely different. When my parents were brutally murdered, I was young enough to understand and bear the pain, suffering and anger of such a heinous crime. But these children don’t especially baby Vibha doesn’t. She doesn’t know where her mother has gone. She only cries in search of her mother’s lap. She cries in search of mother for breast-feeding. And of course, she cries in search of her mother’s love and compassion. Is she not innocent like the kids of our brave security forces? Who will wipe out tears from her eyes? How will she react when she would come to know that the security forces gunned down her mother? Can we blame her if she walks on the path of revenge against the security forces? Will the security forces again gun down her because she would become the biggest national security threat and we’ll let our licensed gunmen to enjoy impunity as they have been doing in a democratic country? Will this nation ever be sensitive to those thousands of Adivasis children like Vibha, Suchit and Amrita or we have to witness many more children crying for breastfeeding, love and compassion of their parents. Where does buck stop for violation of the rights of innocent Adivasi?
–
Gladson Dungdung
H R Activist and Writer
Ranchi, Jharkhand
Ph. No. 0651-3242752
Mobile No. 09334449335
Email: gladsonhractivist@gmail.com
Website: www.jharkhandmirror.org
Citizens oppose state government’s favourable stand on GM Maize in Punjab
Last modified on 2010-06-24 04:19:35 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Eminent citizens, Farmers’ Unions’ representatives and environmental activists from Punjab today questioned the reported government stand in favour of GM crops, reflected in the support sought for Bt Maize by the Chief Minister’s delegation to Planning Commission a few days ago. They demanded that the CM explain on what basis/scientific evidence and through what process of decision-making did the government take this stand for the state of Punjab which is already reeling under a severe environmental health crisis and paying a heavy price for its short-sighted vision for farming in the state.
Umendra Dutt of Kheti Virasat Mission said that “GM Maize, as latest scientific studies show, results in adverse health effects including ones associated with the kidney and liver, the dietary detoxifying organs; other effects were noticed in the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system. He quoted the 2009 study by Spiroux et al to support his contention and highlighted that in another study by Dr. Zollac involving GM Maize, transgenic seeds responded differentially to the same environment as compared to their respective isogenic controls, as a result of the genome rearrangement derived from gene insertion, pointing to unintended changes”. Dutt also mentioned that in an official study done by the Austrian government, it was found that GM maize was linked to infertility and reproductive health effects.
Questioning the intention of the Punjab CM, social activist Hemant Goswami said that it was apparent that the CM and his family were favoring the industry for reasons best known to them, and they are not at all bothered about the welfare of the people and the farmers in specific. “The Punjab Government is pushing poison down the throat of people of Punjab. I also challenge the partner in Punjab Government, BJP, to clarify its stand on genetically modified crops. We want to know what the Punjab BJP thinks on the issue since other BJP-ruled states are clearly taking a stand against GM technology and we have a coalition government with BJP here. The whole world knows about the harms of Genetically Modified crops, there are reams of scientific documents on this. Still, the Badals are trying to push foreign interest over farmers’ welfare. Punjab farmers are suffering high rates of cancer and other diseases due to unsustainable and unscientific perspectives of the Government. In such a scenario, when Punjab should be pushing for organic and bio-fertilisers, it is inviting an even-bigger disaster in the name of Bt and genetically modified (GM) crops. Punjab should even withdraw Bt Cotton but it appears that Punjab is still to learn from its past mistakes. Such a short-sighted approach will surely put the Punjab farmers and people on an irreversible suicidal path.” Hemant added.
Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, General Secretary, Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan lamented this move and said, “Farmers have been looted and plundered by the MNCs in the name of modern technologies like hybrids and agri-chemicals; now, the Genetically Modified (GM) nexus is further trying to entrap us on the basis of many false claims. Bhartiya Kisan Union opposes the move vehemently”.
Neeraj Atri of Bharat Swabhiman Trust mentioned that “Bt is promoted with the claim that it offers resistance against some pests. It does not reduce water consumption or offer better yield than our natural maize. In terms of environmental effects, Bt Maize is shown to simply swap one pest with another as a study from the USA shows. Further, some Bt Maize varieties have been shown to be susceptible to aphid infestation. GM Maize, including herbicide tolerant maize as with other GM crops, is shown to increase overall chemical use in farming and this is leading to resistant weeds in countries like the USA. This will pose more problems for Punjabi farmers than the solution it is purported to be.”
Balkar Singh Dakunda, President, Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta Punjab said, “It is clear that the government is being run with a short-sighted vision with regard to agriculture and agricultural livelihoods in the state. The Bt in Cotton and Maize could in fact worsen the water situation in Punjab. Citing a few scientific studies Balkar Singh mentioned that leaves or grain from Bt maize have proved to be toxic to aquatic life if it enters streams, by way of dead leaves or grain. So instead of helping people, it can actually spoil the existing water sources too.”
Umendra Dutt further stated “The state government, especially the BJP constituents of the government, have to explain their role and stand in this decision of the government to seek support for GM crops. How do they explain this when many BJP-ruled states are clearly directing their state agriculture towards sustainable farming? If the BJP constituents in the government have not been consulted in this process, the CM has to explain how this decision was possible and how does this reflect the stand of the coalition government. It is surprising that even in states where Congress or UPA constituent parties are ruling, the governments, in consultation with farmers’ organisations, scientists and civil society groups have taken a cautious stand against this controversial and unproven technology, while the Punjab government (in a state where agricultural technologies have left their adverse effects) is clearly going against common people.”
Hemant Goswami further demanded that Manpreet Badal should explain his role in the siphoning off of about 80 crores in the name of experimenting with organic farming. Instead of seriously trying the option of organic farming, it has been reported that crores were spent on the farms of politicians and bureaucrats in the name of organic farming and the rest was siphoned off. “We should understand that the Punjab Government is deliberately making these schemes related to organic farming fail so that there is no option left other than purchasing patented seeds, insecticides and fertilisers from big MNCs. Corruption in the name of organic farming also has a long term effect of weakening the agriculture sector and provide a justification for helping the seed and chemical companies.” Hemant emphasised.
We ask the following questions to the Punjab Chief minister—
1. Is this decision his personal decision or a decision of the Cabinet?
2. Is this decision based on the recommendations of any broad-based body which has representation of scientists, medical experts, farmers’ unions, civil society representatives and consumer groups? If no-why not? If yes which one?
3. Has any committee of scientists given any report on which his decision is based? Such a decision has to be based on the recommendations of Experts including from the fields of Agriculture, Health, Veterinary science, Environment and Peoples Organisations like Peasants, Consumers and NGOs.
4. Has the government studied the whole controversy which is going on in the whole world regarding GM Crops, including trade security implications, the scientific debates etc.?
5. Is this issue (bringing in GM Food Crops) a state matter or a national matter?
6. Does Mr. Badal know that the final agenda of the corporations bringing GM seeds is for MNCs to take total control over Indian agriculture, throwing the peasantry out of the agriculture?
Eminent social activist Dr Gaurav Chhabra and Onkar Chand , R K Kaplash Chairman , Consumer Coordination Council also aired their views.
Appeal to help Right to Food campaign
Last modified on 2010-06-02 05:04:34 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Greetings
I am sending e-mail to a select group of people who had earlier showed interest in the work of Right to Food campaign. The campaign has been performing an important role in connecting all the grassroots across the country and co-ordinating various advocacy related work regarding food security in the country. If you wish to know more about it, you can visit our website at http://www.righttofoodindia.org/ or join our Facebook page.
The Right to food campaign holds a secretariat for it’s co-ordination work, which comprises one full-time person presently. The campaign secretariat is facing serious financial crunch at this point of time, with a few thousand left in the accounts. Apart from the co-ordination, the work of the secretariat also includes dissemination of information on right to food activities to the campaign members in India and other interested people/organizations through the website, the e-groups, primers, the campaign updates etc. The secretariat also organizes and co-ordinates meetings and conventions. As explained in the appeal the secretariat functions on a shoe-string budget. Apart from the office expenditure, the funds are used for getting our primers and other publications printed. Updated accounts and detailed information can be found at www.righttofoodindia.org. The Secretariat of the campaign has a policy of accepting donation from individuals and in rupees only.
I personally request you to help the campaign by finding some willing individuals who are ready to commit at leasta Rs. 500/- a month on regular basis to help ensure smooth operations. [An appeal for further circulation is also attached.]
Thanks in anticipation
Sejal
http://sejswhirlpool.wordpress.com/