ROLE OF WOMEN IN SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION: A non-party peoples’ organisation towards a just and equal society, MAZDOOR KISAN SHAKTI SANGATHAN, (MKSS), spearheaded by Aruna Roy (born 26 May 1946) is an Indian political and social activist, is a People’s Organisation and part of the growing Non-party political process in India. The MKSS works with workers and peasants in the villages of Central Rajasthan. It was set up by the people of the area in 1990 to strengthen participatory democratic processes, so that ordinary citizens could live their lives with dignity and justice. The organisation was born out of a struggle for community land held illegally by a feudal landlord. The subsequent struggle for minimum wages made it evident to the people, that transparency and accountability of systems of governance are basic to access any right. It became clear that access to relevant information is a fundamental tool for ensuring transparency and accountability of the government, and of all bodies that affect public interest. Our Money; Our Accounts: In the mid-1990s, under her guidance, the MKSS began a campaign that advocated the public's right to scrutinize official records, a crucial check against arbitrary governance. The MKSS attacked corruption at the grassroots level and sought accountability of public officials in matters related to disbursement of government funds. The fact that the MKSS was founded and led by a woman activist, namely Aruna, commended the organization and its cause to the favour of Sonia Gandhi. Aruna leveraged this advantage further by ingenuously linking the Right to Information with issues related to women's employment, livelihood and empowerment. With Sonia Gandhi's support, the Congress-led government of Rajasthan passed the Rajasthan Right to Information Bill in 2000. Rajasthan, never otherwise noted for its progressive outlook, passed such a legislation, and Aruna received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership the same year. Aruna decided to use the award money of US $ 50,000 to set up a trust to support the process of democratic struggles.
By
S. Muralidharan, Executive Director, Knowledge Foundation & Campus Around the Corner
| 03 15 2011 15:00:58 +0000
Devoting their time and talent to make our country develop... Women have a great part to play in the progress of our country, as the mental and physical contact of women with life is much more lasting and comprehensive than that of men. For nothing was it said, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world”. Magnificient creation of God
By
Swati Desai, LLB student, ILS Law College
| 03 14 2011 16:59:08 +0000
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