[Urbanstudy] Decisions of the people, by the people, for the people: The Hindu - Mobile edition

[ESG India Gmail]

Well argued by Ashish Kothari, the importance of FPIC for inclusive development to work.

"Democracy is alive and kicking in India. No, I am not referring to the Assembly elections. It is unfortunate that the term democracy has been reduced to the drama of periodic elections and the subsequent reliance of the electorate on politicians and bureaucrats. When these powerful few do not perform, or, worse, indulge in cynical manipulation of power, we grumble and curse and await the next elections for redressal. This is not democracy. 

A direct form of democracy
A series of events reported in the last couple of months provides a very different meaning to democracy, one that harks back to its Greek origin (‘demos’ and ‘kratia’, or power of the people). Unlike the representative form that most countries have adopted, these events point more to a direct form in which people on the ground have the primary power of decision-making."


http://m.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/forest-rights-act-decisions-of-the-people-by-the-people-for-the-people/article8612211.ece

http://m.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/forest-rights-act-decisions-of-the-people-by-the-people-for-the-people/article8612211.ece
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.mail.sarai.net/pipermail/urbanstudygroup_mail.sarai.net/attachments/20160518/a91eb2d3/attachment.html>