----------------------------------------------------- Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your family members, relatives, neighbours and friends. Help other CONSUMERS to be better informed. ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- GOACAN to observe YEAR of the ZAGRUT GRAM SABHA ----------------------------------------------------------------- GOACAN will observe YEAR of the ZAGRUT GRAM SABHA from October 2010 to September 2011 to take the movement for making democracy work a step further and to coincide with the 50th year of Goa's liberation from Colonialism.
The year long activity which is a continuation of its earlier campaign Gram Sabha Zagrut Za, will focus on participatory democracy to environmental democracy on the one hand to understanding the impacts of Liberalization, Privatisation and Globalisation on democracies in a Post colonial era on the other. The campaign will look at how agenda setting by various vested economic & political interests play out on State Govt. policies which in turn affect the decision making at the grass roots whether it be in demands for Special Status for Goa, expanding the borders of the State for a Greater Goa, to negotiating loans & aid packages from JICA, ADB and the World Bank. GOACAN through the village based Consumer Forums will initiate a thorough discussion at the level of the Gram Sabha on matters that impact the consumers in the market place. The rights of the Consumer get compromised because of ineffective Citizens participation in meetings of the Gram Sabha, which is due to insufficient information and delay in giving feedback on policy decisions of the Govt. The campaign will focus on collating & documenting information from Govt. and Non Govt. sources, will use the Right To Information Act effectively to get copies of Consultancy Reports, Environmental Impact Assessments, Budgets, Audit Reports, Tender Documents, Reports of Public Hearings and Minutes of Taluka, District, State, National and International Meetings. These documents which eventually impact the life of the villager will be sourced and presented to the elected representatives, mandated Committees and the Gram Sabha at large. GOACAN through the village based Consumer Forums will put in circulation Reports of various State, National and International Committees and Statutory bodies that have been involved in setting, engineering and restructuring Govt. policy. Reports of the Commonwealth Heads of Govt. Meet in 1983, the Tourism Master Plan of 1987, the proposals for Goa as a Free Port, the consultancy on Casinos & Golf Courses and the Japanese Holiday Village Plan will be sourced for the purpose. Reports & Recommendations of Conferences & Consultations organised in Goa by the National Commission for Women, National Human Rights Commission, Narcotics Control Bureau, besides those of UNEP, UNWTO, UNICEF and ILO which covered issues of Environmental Protection, Sex Tourism, Child Prostitution, Human Rights, Migrant Labour and Human Trafficking will also be sourced and circulated. GOACAN will also highlight during the year the various New Legislations, Amendments to Acts & Rules, Notifications & Circulars that cover Land Acquisition, Environmental Protection, Mining, Coastal Regulation Zone, Land Development and Building Construction, Special Tourism Areas, Water Supply & Sewerage, National Highways, Defence & Coastal Security and Right To Information among others. GOACAN will continue to lobby with the Directorate of Panchayats to convene Village level Open Houses, Taluka level Consultations and the effective use of the Complaint Boxes for Redressal of Grievances of the Gram Sabha members by the Block Development Officers and the respective Deputy Directors. ---------------------------------------------------------- GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK ---------------------------------------------------------- promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa ---------------------------------------------------------- GOACAN Post Box 187 Margao, Goa 403 601 GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507 mail: *[email protected]* Visit: *http://goacan.blogspot.com * ----------------------------------------------------------
