Update 30

A final annoucement about the Rozgar Adhikar Yatra follows below. Please circulate widely.

ROZGAR ADHIKAR YATRA STARTS TOMORROW (13 MAY)

A country-wide "Rozgar Adhikar Yatra" will be launched on 13 May 2005 by a broad coalition of organisations and individuals committed to the right to work. The aim of this Yatra is to consolidate the campaign for a full-fledged, universal and irreversible Employment Guarantee Act. Beyond this, the Yatra seeks to affirm the right to work as an aspect of the fundamental right to live with dignity.

The Yatra will travel through 10 states before returning to Delhi at the end of June. State conventions, public meetings, cultural activities and public demonstrations will take place on the way. A long list of "invited speakers" have already agreed to take part in some of these activities including A.B. Bardhan (CPI), Annie Raja (NFIW) Aruna Roy (MKSS), Arundhati Roy (writer), Baba Adhav (veteran trade unionist), Dipankar Bhattacharya (CPI-ML(Liberation)), Jean Dreze (economist), Kavita Srivastava (PUCL), Kuldip Nayyar (former MP, Rajya Sabha), Madhuri Krishnaswamy (Jan Sangharsh Morcha), Medha Patkar (NAPM), Pradip Prabhu (Kashtkari Sanghatna), Prabhat Patnaik (JNU), Prakash Karat (CPM), Siddharth Varadarajan (The Hindu), Sitaram Yechury (CPM), Subhash Bhatnagar (NCC-USW), Subhash Lomte (NCCRW), Suneet Chopra (All India Agricultural Workers Union), Sunil bhai (Jan Sangharsh Morcha), Swami Agnivesh (Bandhua Mukti Morcha), V.P. Singh (former Prime Minister), among many others.

The Yatra will be launched from Constitution Club (New Delhi) on Friday 13 May. The event is due to begin at 9 am with a cultural programme, followed by brief statements from political leaders and eminent citizens. The Yatra will depart at 11 am, in a bus specially painted for this purpose. All are cordially invited.

For further details including the itinerary of the Yatra, please send a line to rozgar@gmail.com, check the "Yatra" section at www.righttofoodindia.org, or contact "People?s Action for Employment Guarantee" (tel (9811553633 [Annie], 9810810365 [Subhash] or 9810060481 [Kamal]).

Last updated: 26 May 2005