A consortium of non-governmental organisations is galvanising underprivileged and economically weaker sections of the society against the alleged loop-holes and malpractices prevalent in the social sector schemes. The consortium under various banner is organising people’s march—‘Jan Adhikar Yatra’—to protest infringement of people’s right.
The ten-day march will travel through villages, hills and forests of Jharkhand from October 1, 2015. Plays, songs, meetings, rallies and other means will be used during the Yatra to raise the issues of employment guarantee and the alleged quiet sabotage of NREGA; Food security and non-implementation of the National Food Security Act; Jal, jungle, jameen and displacement from land; Forest rights and the Forest Rights Act besides Social security pensions.
The consortium accused the block officials of disregarding the Supreme Court’s interim-order on August 11 that Aadhar was neither mandatory nor a condition for assessing benefits one was already entitled to.
The consortium unearthed gross violation of the interim-order in lathehar where three people presented a written affidavit to the NGOs about getting denied work under MNREGA for not producing Unique Identification (UID) number while claiming that similar reports are coming from other parts of the country.
“Earlier we have submitted affidavit of this kind but this is the first since the Supreme Court judgement I have come across a case where they are still refusing work to people who do not have a UID. I got the affidavits on Sunday,” said social activist, Jean Dreze.
Dreze also blamed the central and state government of being in constant denial of the ground realities vis-a-vis denying jobs to people for not producing Aadhar number. The group of NGOs are also mobilising people against the decline expenditure, employment, rights and rising delay in wage payments in MNREGA.
Notably, the SC’s order also mentions that production of an Aadhaar card would not be a condition for obtaining any benefits otherwise due to a citizen and Aadhaar card would not be used for any purpose other than the PDS Scheme, particularly for distribution of food-grains and cooking fuel such as kerosene.
The Yatra will consist of five regional rallies that will be organised in all five divisions, all converging to Ranchi where a concluding rally will be held on Sunday 11 October.
“We will collect documents from wherever violations are being reported to pressurise the state government as per the strategies that will be frame after October 11 rally,” said member of the consortium, Anil Anshuman.
The organisation that will mobilise people from different part of the State are- Adivasi Moolvasi Asthitva Raksha Manch; All India People’s Forum, Bagaicha; Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti; Bharat Jan Andolan; Bhojan ka Adhikar Abhiyan; Ekta Parishad; Jharkhand Jan Sanskriti Manch; Jungle Bachao Andolan; NREGA Watch; United Milli Forum and Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan among others.