Right to Food Campaign
 

Update 21

Dear friends,

A "rozgar adhikar yatra" is due to start in Delhi on 13 May, and to travel across 10 states before returning to Delhi at the end of June. See below for further details, based on a preparatory meeting held on 1 April. Please consider joining or supporting the yatra.

Reetika

ROZGAR ADHIKAR YATRA

(first preparatory meeting, 1 April 2005)

A preparatory meeting was convened in Delhi on 1 April to discuss plans for a ?rozgar adhikar yatra? during the summer. This was a follow-up to the training workshop held in Udaipur on 13-17 March, with activists from the "food-for-work" districts. The following decisions were taken:

  1. The yatra will start from Delhi on 13 May (the last day of the Budget Session of Parliament), and return to Delhi around the end of June after going through Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. (An attempt will be made to organize another yatra in south India, simultaneously or later on.)
  2. A tentative itinerary was worked out - see below. This itinerary is divided into three "rounds": Delhi to Bhopal (13-28 May), Raipur to Ranchi (30 May to 16 June) and Ranchi to Delhi (20 June onwards).
  3. The banners displayed in Parliament Street in Delhi on 21 December 2005 will travel with the yatra and be displayed en route in various towns and villages. (Reminder: These banners come from all over the country and bear some 10 lakh signatures demanding a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act.)
  4. Other activities to be taken up during the yatra include public meetings, cultural activities, training workshops, press conferences, etc. The basic objective is to strengthen the campaign for a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act by spreading public awareness of the issue and helping grassroots organizations around the country to mobilize public support.
  5. . Special activities (public meetings etc.) will be organized in districts where the "National Food For Work Programme" (NFFWP) has been initiated.
  6. The following organizations will be requested to take special responsibility for coordinating each round of the yatra:
    • Round 1 (Delhi to Bhopal): Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, National Alliance of People's Movements, National Centre for Labour, Kashtkari Sangathan, Jan Sangharsh Morcha.
    • Round 2 (Raipur to Ranchi): Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, National Federation of Indian Women, All India Agricultural Workers Alliance, Gram Swaraj Abhiyan
    • Round 3 (Ranchi to Delhi): All India Agricultural Workers Union, New Trade Union Initiative, Samajik Nyay Morcha, National Coordination Committee for Unorganised Sector Workers, National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers, All India Progressive Women's Association

    (Note: Many of these organizations have already agreed but some are yet to be consulted. The list is not "exclusive" and is likely to be expanded.)

  7. Active involvement of the central trade unions will also be sought.
  8. The secretariat of People's Action for Employment Guarantee, located in Siddiqui Building in north Delhi, will act as the overall contact point for the yatra (see address and other details below).
  9. An attempt will be made to ensure that about 20-25 activists participate in the yatra at any point of time. The yatra is likely to involve 2-3 vehicles (e.g. a truck or bus and 1-2 jeeps).
  10. A planning meeting will be held on 6 May in Delhi, to rehearse the plan of action in advance of the yatra. The National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) has been asked to coordinate this planning meeting.
  11. Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS) has agreed to take special responsibility for helping to prepare suitable campaign material for the yatra (pamphlets, slogans, songs, etc.). A cultural workshop will be convened by BGVS in advance of the yatra. The date and venue will be announced as soon as possible.
  12. The yatra will proceed under the single, joint banner of "Rozgar Adhikar Yatra". The main slogan is "har haath ko kaam do, kaam ka pura daam do".
  13. A tentative budget was prepared, involving a total expenditure of Rs 3 lakhs for the yatra. Support will be accepted in three forms: (1) local hospitality, (2) contributions from organizations that are participating in the yatra and, (3) individual donations in rupees with no strings attached.

Further information will be posted as and when available at www.righttofoodindia.org (in the "employment guarantee" section), and also circulated through other means. For the time being, enquiries may be sent to rozgar@gmail.com or to People's Action for Employment Guarantee, Siddiqui Building, Bara Hindu Rao, 6122, Bahadurgarh Road, Delhi 110 006 (tel 2351 0042 [land line], 09811553633 [Annie Raja], 09810810365 [Subhash Bhatnagar], 09811087811 [Navjyoti]).

(Members of the following organizations participated in the meeting: All India Agricultural Workers Union, Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, National Campaign for the People's Right to Information, National Alliance of People's Movements, National Coordination Committee for Unorganised Sector Workers, National Federation of Indian Women, People's Action for Employment Guarantee, Right to Food Campaign secretariat.)

Proposed Itinerary

Round 1: Delhi to Bhopal (13 to 28 May)

  1. Delhi (13 May)
  2. Udaipur (14 May)
  3. Dungarpur
  4. Dahod
  5. Panch Mahal
  6. Nandurbar
  7. Badwani
  8. Dhar
  9. Indore (27 May) [state convention on EGA]
  10. Bhopal (28 May)

Round 2: Raipur to Ranchi (30 May to 16 June)

  1. Raipur (30 May - to be confirmed)
  2. Surguja
  3. Palamu
  4. Gaya [state convention]
  5. Nawadha
  6. Dhandad
  7. Puruliya
  8. Ranchi (16 June)

Note : A three-day convention on 'employment guarantee and the right to work' is due to be held in Ranchi on 17-19 June. Further details will be circulated after a preparatory meeting to be held in Ranchi on 17-18 April.

Round 3: Ranchi to Delhi (20 June onwards)

  1. Ranchi
  2. Sonebhadra
  3. Sidhi
  4. Mirzapur
  5. Allahabad [state convention]
  6. Delhi

Last updated: 12 April 2005