Women of 24 villages take out rally against the Mandal-Becharaji special investment region

Thousands of women of 20 villages of Patadi and Mandal blocks organized a rally on July 1 against the proposed project in 24 villages falling in the Mandal-Becharaji special investment region (SIR) region, where Maruti-Suzuki is planning its expansion plant. Gram sabhas were organized in all 24 villages at the conclusion of the rally in which the implications of the SIR on the area were discussed in detail, especially its adverse impacts on farmers, pastoralists and peasants of the region.
A Jameen Adhikar Andolan Gujarat (JAAG) statement said, the women divided themselves in four groups and visited the different villages where they apprised other women of the SIR Act and the proposed SIR in the region. The women asserted in one voice, at the end of the meetings, that the SIR project did not hold out any hope or benefit for the people of the region. They also forcefully voiced their fears of landlessness and resultant impoverishment in the area, along with loss of their culture and way of life, if the plans of the SIR fructified.
The statement quoted Chanchiben from Chhatrot village to say, “If the government grabs our land, we will have no livelihood left; we also lack the skills for decent employment in industries and we do not want to be unemployed so we will join the Azad Vikas Sangathan to fight for our land. We want to say that we will give our life but not our land”. She also reiterated the slogan of the movement “Jaan Denge Jamin Nahi”.
Jyotsnaben from Vanod village said, “At no cost are we ready to give our land because land is not just land for us, land is our mother and which is more than life for us”. Hansaben Patel from Vinchhan village said that “our land has sustained us over several generations and we are not ready to grab the means of livelihood from our children, because no mother can grab anything from her child. Land is the soul of India which is considered agriculture-based country”.
Jashiben from Vadgam explained, “SIR will benefit the industrialist and not to the rural economy or people. To develop industries villagers will not sacrifice and that is our decision. We will go to Gandhinagar, Delhi and try to convince our related ministers to stop the “SIR” and save our land.”
Women initiated rally with slogans and visited all the streets of each caste in the villages. Discussion about the object of rally to the women of village during the rally where they organized rally and call the women from all over the village. Discussions were held in “mahila sabha” about land acquisition in SIR. listing of women leaders in villages where they held meeting.
One interesting thing is that all the women came in rally joined themselves and all the expenditure of travelling was borne by them. All the women came with their water and food in their tiffins so no expenses were incurred for food. After finishing the rally in all the 24 villages, women met in Detroj and planned next programme and strategies to spread awareness in the community and the region. Women declared the JAAG also announced its programme of women's action, which was as follows:
* Selection of women leaders during first week of July.
* Cadre building of women wing during first week of July.
* Planning meeting which will be on July 7.
* Mahila Maha sammelan at end of July.
* Rally to Gandhinagar on August 9.
* Rally to Delhi on August 15.

Comments

When Pakistanis whispered: ‘end military rule’ — A Moscow memoir

During the recent anti-terror operation inside Pakistan by the Government of India, called Operation Sindoor — a name some feminists consider patently patriarchal, even though it’s officially described as a tribute to the wives of the 26 husbands killed in the terrorist strike — I was reminded of my Moscow stint, which lasted for seven long years, from 1986 to 1993.

Ahmedabad's civic chaos: Drainage woes, waterlogging, and the illusion of Olympic dreams

In response to my blog on overflowing gutter lines at several spots in Ahmedabad's Vejalpur, a heavily populated area, a close acquaintance informed me that it's not just the middle-class housing societies that are affected by the nuisance. Preeti Das, who lives in a posh locality in what is fashionably called the SoBo area, tells me, "Things are worse in our society, Applewood."

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

RP Gupta a scapegoat to help Govt of India manage fallout of Adani case in US court?

RP Gupta, a retired 1987-batch IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre, has found himself at the center of a growing controversy. During my tenure as the Times of India correspondent in Gandhinagar (1997–2012), I often interacted with him. He struck me as a straightforward officer, though I never quite understood why he was never appointed to what are supposed to be top-tier departments like industries, energy and petrochemicals, finance, or revenue.

Environmental report raises alarm: Sabarmati one of four rivers with nonylphenol contamination

A new report by Toxics Link , an Indian environmental research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi, in collaboration with the Environmental Defense Fund , a global non-profit headquartered in New York, has raised the alarm that Sabarmati is one of five rivers across India found to contain unacceptable levels of nonylphenol (NP), a chemical linked to "exposure to carcinogenic outcomes, including prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women."

PharmEasy: The only online medical store which revises prices upwards after confirming the order

For senior citizens — especially those without a family support system — ordering medicines online can be a great relief. Shruti and I have been doing this for the last couple of years, and with considerable success. We upload a prescription, receive a verification call from a doctor, and within two or three days, the medicines are delivered to our doorstep.

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Revisiting Gijubhai: Pioneer of child-centric education and the caste debate

It was Krishna Kumar, the well-known educationist, who I believe first introduced me to the name — Gijubhai Badheka (1885–1939). Hailing from Bhavnagar, known as the cultural capital of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, Gijubhai, Kumar told me during my student days, made significant contributions to the field of pedagogy — something that hasn't received much attention from India's education mandarins. At that time, Kumar was my tutorial teacher at Kirorimal College, Delhi University.

A sector under siege? War and real estate: Navigating uncertainty in India's expanding market

I was a little surprised when I received an email alert from a top real estate consultant, Anarock Group , titled "Exploring War’s Effects on Indian Real Estate—When Conflict Meets Concrete," authored by its regional director and head of research, Dr. Prashant Thakur. I had thought that the business would wholeheartedly support what is considered a strong response to the dastardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor.

Search This Blog