Dear Friends,
Recently many of you responded to items on AID-Awareness and AID
website. Here is an update:
1. Kondh Schools:
We are happy to inform you that the 10 schools have restarted. Since
its appeal, AID received several donations to help the schools. Also
thanks to the initiative of one of the readers of AID-Awareness,
another organization took this up urgently and has renewed its
commitment to continue the schools. Moreover the Rishi Valley schools
have written saying they are interested in giving free training to
Kondh teachers. We are grateful to everyone who responded.
2. Tragic deaths at IIT-Kanpur:
We have received over 800 signatures, that includes 18 IIT faculty and
nearly a 100 current IIT students, to our online letter to director of
IIT-Kanpur. The letter has been sent to the director. It is good to
see the support both from those in IIT as well as from the outside as
the issue of treatment of labourers concerns all of us. Though we have
not done an official press release, the issue has been covered by Times
of India and Indian Express since it went online on the website. These
are linked at www.aidindia.org
We have also been informed that IIT director has ordered an official
enquiry on the deaths and there is some movement on the issue of
contract labourers. This is largely due to the work of Minimum Wage
Monitoring Committee and others within the IIT- system who have been
fighting for labour rights and solidarity via our letter has also
helped.
3. Two more issues:
Currently two more issues we are working on and need your urgent
attention are the Candle-Light Vigil on Oct 2 to help bring attention
to farmers suicide and agrarian crisis in India. The other is the Narmada issue
where 25,000 families displaced by Sardar Sarovar dam are yet to be
rehabilitated, while the state is interested in further raising the
dam's height putting even moe families in danger of displacement
without rehabilitation. Please sign the Narmada petition at and sign
up for Candle light vigil or fast:
Narmada issue:
http://petitions.aidindia.org/NCA_september2007/
Farmers
Suicides Candle Light Vigil:
http://agri.aidindia.org/node/12
(If
your city is not on the list for Candle Light vigil and you'd like to
organize one at your home or neighbourhood then please send an email to
info@aidindia.org
or
smukumar@gmail.com)
4. Seven Year Fast by Irom Sharmila: Another
current campaign on AID-Awarness has been the 5-day solidarity fast to
support the 7-year fast by Irom Sharmila to repeal the Armed Forces
Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that have led to large-scale violation of
human rights in precious regions of Jammu and Kashmir and North East
India. Her fast fast is Irom Sharmila's response to one among countless
incidents of arbitrary
killing by the Armed Forces in the north east when on 2nd November
2000, 10 innocent civilians were killed at Malom near Imphal, Manipur.
AID-Maryland,
Boston and Bloomington chapters have endorsed this solidarity action
and we hope that more of us take interest in these regions which are
integral parts of India and the world, yet neglected from our minds on
the question of how ordinary people are coping there with all the
special acts imposed by the government. The solidarity action is a
reminder that it is with love we need to understand different regions
of our country, not by waging a war on our own people. The details are
at: http://www.ashaparivar.org/petition/Sharmila/call4action.php
The
Manipur people's groups have excellent videos on mixing music and
culture with the conditions that have led to the call to repeal the
AFSPA: Music
Video and
Manipur Mayhem
The
issue of AFSPA is new to AID. We hope volunteers, readers and
supporters can use this opportunity to become more aware by reading the
material put out by AID, Asha Parivar and the groups in North East.
We welcome your views on it.
Thank you for your support and we hope you can also sign the Narmada
petition
and Farmers
Suicide
Candle Light Vigil.
--Ravi Kuchimanchi
Sept 18, 2007
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