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Welcome to India FNF Alumni Network
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Written by Rajesh
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NEW DELHI: It is close to two decades since India veered away from "socialism" to loosen the state's grip over the economy and to create a bigger play for market forces, but political parties must continue to declare allegiance to "socialism" enshrined in the Preamble of the Constitution to get recognition from Election Commission.
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a PIL against the anomaly. Significantly, the top court cited an interesting reason to turn down the petition argued by senior advocate Fali S Nariman. It said no political party, including those responsible for getting the state to vacate the "commanding heights" of the economy, had objected to being required to swear by socialism.
Section 29-A of Representation of People Act mandates that no political party would be registered by Election Commission unless it bore "true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established and to the principles of socialism, secularism and democracy..."
The Centre, in its affidavit before the SC, had defended the provision in RP Act mandating political parties to stick to the concept of socialism and said it was "one of the fundamental principles underlying the Constitution".
Appearing for the PIL petitioner, NGO `Good Governance India Foundation', Nariman said market forces were the determining factor since early the 1990s which marked the beginning of liberalisation era in India and it was a dichotomy to force political parties to owe allegiance to "socialism".
TIMES OF INDIA
A Bench comprising Chief Justice S H Kapadia and Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar asked why no party had ever protested against it.
While Nariman said the declarations owing allegiance to Constitution were given in a routine manner though most did not practise it, many feel that the "habit" suggests that turning away from socialism is still not regarded fashionable or correct even after the ideology lost its appeal.
Nariman also cited the objection of Dr B R Ambedkar, main architect of the Constitution, to insertion of the word "socialist' in the Preamble and how it was left out from the Constitution after a lengthy debate during the Constituent Assembly proceedings.
But solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam said all parties knew their duties and none had ever objected or moved the Election Commission challenging the requirement to give declaration owing allegiance to the word "socialist".
Taking the cue, the Bench disposed of the petition saying though the PIL raised an important question of law, it was purely academic in nature at present. "The court will decide such a question as and when a political party which is refused recognition by EC raises it," the Bench said.
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Written by Co-ordinator
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.attach_div {float:left;margin:3px;} .attach_content_div {font-size:14px; text-align:center;} Weimar: City Council gives Human Rights Prize 2010 to Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi of India Posted on 2010/06/29 The City Council announced in its session of 23rd June, 2010 that it will give the Human Rights Prize of the City of Weimar 2010 to Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi of India. Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi has been working for 15 years for the rights and interests of the Dalits, primarily in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Extract from citation for City of Weimar Human Rights Prize As the founder of the Peoples‘ Vigilance Committee on Human Rights ( PVCHR ), he strove to maintain and enforce the fundamental rights of vulnerable groups such as children, women , Dalits and indigenous minorities. Dr. Raghuvanshi with his committee put in place structures that allow it to demand these basic rights. He also documented many kinds of human rights such as starvation, police torture, child labor, etc., and tried through cooperation with local human rights groups to care for the victims individually. Because of their commitment to human rights are he, his family and associates face permanent hostility (including death threats ) from political opponents. Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi was proposed for this Award by the "Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom". The city of Weimar has the honour to remember its special historical responsibility and remember all the nameless victims of dictatorships and tyrannies in the world, a human rights award. Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. Weimar's cultural heritage is vast. It is most often recognised as the place where Germany's first democratic constitution was signed after the First World War, giving its name to the Weimar Republic period in German politics, of 1918–1933. However, the city was also the focal point of the German Enlightenment and was where writers Goethe and Schiller developed the literary movement of Weimar Classicism. The city was also the birthplace of the Bauhaus movement, founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius, with artists Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Oskar Schlemmer, and Lyonel Feininger teaching in Weimar's Bauhaus School. Previous Winners of the Weimar Human Rights Prize include Sonja Biserko of Serbia, Jestina Mukoko of Zimbabwe and Father Shay Cullen from the Philippines.
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Written by Co-ordinator
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“Surely the city has more pressing issues than renaming of roads!” said Nitai Mehta, founder Trustee of Praja Foundation. Praja.org with support of FNF released a White Paper that highlights the huge gap between civic issues faced by the citizens of Mumbai and the role of elected representatives in addressing the same.
During a period between January 2008 and November 2009, the number of complaints filed relating to roads by the citizens of Mumbai stood at 74,801. Bad patches, resurfacing of roads, fallen trees on roads, reinstatement of trenches, potholes were some of the major complaints by the citizens.
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At the launch of the International Property Rights Index 2010, Siegfried Herzog, the incoming Regional Director South Asia, emphasized that Property Rights formed the basis for freedom and autonomy. He said that economic efficiency and social stability could only be achieved through the implementation of a robust system of Property Rights. In his keynote address, he recommended local solutions and flexible forms of property rights for developing economies. He compared the status of property rights in India with the Philippines, where he is currently the Project Director of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. The programme was organized by the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit together with its partner Liberty Institute and the publishing house Academic Foundation |
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Written by Manali Shah
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Views of the seminar: No Education: No freedom, No Opportunity Reflecting back on the seminar - No education: No Freedom, No opportunity - and concentrating more on the objectives that the foundation (IAF – FNF) had set behind the seminar, I realize that it has communicated in-depth and achieved to a very great extent what they had set out for. With well structured sessions which wholesomely covered to an extent every issue in education that needs to be debated from a very liberal perspective. Extending from the 7th of February to the 19th the seminar had an interesting bend of 23 participants – teachers, policy advocates, students, educational consultants and most importantly people wanting to work for better and liberal policies for their countries. The moderators of the seminar, Dr. Stefan Melnik and Dr. Monica Ballin provided a culture that not only helped the thought process going amongst the participants but also facilitated the intermingling of minds. Conversations with the moderators over breaks or dinners were invigorating, leaving the participants thinking and debating on issues even they were left to themselves.
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Written by Manali Shah
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India FNF Alumni Network (IFAN)
in partnership with
Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit
Invites you to a documentary screening followed by discussion on
Auto Rickshaws: Boon or Bane for Delhi?
1 April 2010, New Delhi
Resource Person: Key stakeholders
Moderator: Prashant Narang, Prabodh
Registration: 1630 hrs onwards
Documentary screening: 1700 hrs – 1730 hrs
Discussion: 1730 hrs-1800 hrs
Hi-Tea: 1800 hrs --1900 hrs
Venue: Indian Women Press Club, Opposite Le Meridian Hotel, Janpath, New Delhi
RSVP: India FNF Alumni Network, New Delhi; Mobile nos.: 9811322297 (Prashant Narang) & 9818499293 (Nupur Hasija, FNF New Delhi) ; email:
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Third Wheel |27 minutes|Hindi
On one hand, government spends heavily on employment guarantee schemes and provides stimulus to combat the global financial crisis, on the other hand, it restricts the livelihood of self-employed poor through the license-permit raaj and it is even ready to displace poor in the name of beautification in wake of Commonwealth games. One such sector is Intermediate public transport sector in Delhi which already heavily regulated leading to not just a grey market but also sub-standard services for the commuters. Should these be phased out? Autorickshaws in India: you may like them, depend on them or hate them-but you cannot ignore them. Can deregulation and opening up of this sector release it from the clutches of the exploitative auto mafia?, see preview of the film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVWjuH8p1_Q&feature=youtube_gdata.
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Written by Manali Shah
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“The Third Wheel: A Documentary on Economic Freedom for the Urban Poor”
(27 minutes, English and Hindi)
A film by Prabodh and Centre for Public Policy Research under the banner of Liberal Youth South Asia, Directed by Saumitra Rath
About the film
Tuk-tuks or auto rickshaws are a common sight in most Asian countries. Known as the transporter for the lower and middle class, they are an integral part of the transportation system of the country. However, one wonders why there has been little improvement in their design or why they seem to be guilty of overcharging their customers and flouting the laws. In India, as is the case with most professions, the auto-rickshaw is governed by a licensing system which has produced the unintended consequences, mainly being, financial mafia. The film explores this omnipresent profession and tries to go beneath the surface to find out what is really gone. And in doing so, it connects even those stakeholders who are usually ideologically opposed on most issues.
In January 2010, Delhi's Environment Pollution Control Authority has recommended to the Supreme Court to remove the cap on number of licenses given to auto rickshaws for the same reasons as cited in the documentary-the emergence of the auto mafia.
View the film
Catch a short version of the film at, http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=firstwheel2009#p/u/0/TVWjuH8p1_Q
Order your copy from
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(Rs 100)
What can you do?
Organise screenings for key stakeholders in the transport debate (commuters, auto rickshaws unions and drivers, government officials, civil society, MPs and MLAs, media). The film is available in Hindi and English.
Write about this issue in media as it is something faced in all cities in India
Talk to auto rickshaw drivers and learn more about why they overcharge or say no to commuters etc. Prashant Narang
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