More information on Goa Sudharop awardee Swati Kerkar, recipient under GOA SUDHAROP's 2010 theme "YEAR OF THE GOAN VOLUNTEER SPIRIT" ....
Swati Kerkar is a proactive and far-sighted campaigner for environmental concerns. She is actively involved with village groups of Goa and is an important leader of the SEZ Virodhi Manch (SVM) which led the successful struggle against SEZs in Goa. In 2007, she along with few other young people put together a team of 80 young villagers of Keri to create an awareness and an eventual agitation against the SEZ located at the Bhootkhamb plateau. She was the main petitioner from Keri village in the SEZ case which saw the High Court terming the allotment of land to the SEZs as 'illegal'. Since Swati comes from a farmer's family and has herself worked in the fields, she is also involved with the Goenchea Xetcarancho Ekvott. She has worked to counter illegal and destructive quarrying in her village and works as an active volunteer in GoaMAP (Mining Affected People).
