RTFC annual convention in Gaya

[Right to Food]

Dear Friends,

 

The Annual Convention of the Right to Food Campaign is to be held from 6th-8th April in Gaya, Bihar. This date and venue was first proposed in a meeting held on October 7th, 2006. This was followed by a series of smaller meetings at the ISF and in Patna; following which a meeting of local groups was held in BodhGaya on the 15th of January. The minutes of the meeting are pasted below.

 

In order to involve maximum groups of the region (from Bihar and Jharkhand) an important meeting is being held on Sunday the 27th January at Gandhi Sangrahalaya, Patna at 10 a.m. You are invited to attend this meeting. If you cannot personally attend it we request you to send a reresentative. The few meetings in the past had the active participation of  representatives of the BGVS, and individuals involved with the Right to Food Campaign since its inception. The Patna meeting is being organised by a few of these, they include  Ghalib (09931858396), Balram (09934320657) and Karoo 09334679729. Please contact them in case of any clarification needed.

 

A few repesentatives of the steering commitee and the right to food campaign secretariat will also participate.

 

The preparation process has just begun and we solicit your help for it. A meeting of the advisory group of the secetariat shall be called shortly to discuss the same.

We hope you will be able to participate and make this convention successful.

 

Thankyou

Yours Sincerely

Gurminder Singh, Navjyoti and Spurthi Reddy

 

Preparatory Meeting for the the Right to Food Campaign Annual Convention

15^th January, -Samanvay Ashram, Bodhgaya

 

This meeting was attended by the following: Upendra Kumar (Gram Nirman Kendra, Gaya), Janardhan Kumar (Jeevandeep, Gaya), Soumen Ray (National centre for Labour, Calcutta), Rolly Shivhare (Right to Food Campaign, MP Support group), Kavita Srivastava (PUCL, Rajasthan), Balram, Karoo (Dalit Chetna Trust), Rameshvar Prasad (Dalit Chetna Trust), Nagendra Singh (Gaya), Kanchan (Centre for Social development, Patna), Kaushal Ganesh (Gaya), Munna Pasvan (Gaya), Roushan Mandela (Gaya), Bharat Bhushan (Gaya), Suresh Prasad (Navjyoti, Dhumariya), Ghaneshvar Prasad(Navjyoti, Dhumariya), Pratima Devi (Navjyoti, Dhumariya), Ambika Prasad(Disha, Bodhgaya), Spurthi Reddy (RTFC Sectt) and Gurminder Singh (RTFC Sectt.).

 

The meeting began with sharing a background of the Right to Food Campaign and its 2 conventions, with the assembled people. Karoo put forth his views on why he wishes the annual convention to be held in Gaya. He said that in the past year around 60 deaths have taken place, of which about a dozen in Gaya alone.

 

It was emphasized that the local organizing group should be able to take all the interested organizations of Bihar and Jharkhand together and work. Moreover these committees shall be open and people can volunteer to join. Karoo also felt that all meetings, henceforth, should be called with signatures from all members.

 

Balram shared that he had spoken with about 100 organizations in Jharkhand to participate and lend support to the Convention. Kavita took the responsibility of speaking with the other steering committee (incl. national networks and other) members about this. It was decided that meetings will be called with more groups in Jharkhand and Bihar regarding this. A large no of groups will be invited for the meeting in Patna, along with all national networks. A coordination committee (of the Convention) shall be formed here.

21^st January: Gaya local groups.

27^th January (date to be confirmed): Patna (with groups from Bihar)

2^nd February: Jharkhand meting (Balram to confirm venue).

 

A tentative budget was presented by the RTFC sectt. Team:

 

Soumen Ray shared experiences of organizing the Badu (kolkata) Convention- regarding fundraising etc.   He also complained that the report of the Badu Convention had still not been made and should be circulated before this one.

 

People responsible for calling the Gaya meeting (21^st January): Upendra, Munnu ji, Kaushal, Rameshvar, Bhushan, Karoo and Sunil. A welcome committee comprising local leaders will also be formed. Also an email address shall be created for facilitating communication between Gaya and the RTFC sectt.: rtfga...@gmail.com

 

There were a few suggestions for the programme:

1. The Bodhgaya Bhu Andolan   started on 8^th April. Thus it was suggested by Balram and Karoo that on the last day of our convention (8 ^th Apil 2007) a rally be organized.
2. Kavita proposed that we should invite Medha Patkar for the opening session, along with local leaders of the Bodhgaya Bhu Andolan.
3. Rameshvar Prasad proposed that we discuss:

(a)    The bill restricting foreign fundng to NGOs

(b)   Role of Supreme Court in Schedule/Amendment 9 of the Constitution.

     4.    A suggestion was also made by Balram that we should prepare a souvenir on this occassion. it shall be  acompilation of articles written on the right to food, and various schemes. for this advertisements can be sought.

 

If we have missed out on any issue, we request you to add it.

 

Thankyou

Yours Sincerely

Gurminder Singh and Spurthi Reddy

Right to Food Campaign Secretariat, Delhi.

 

--
Secretariat - Right to Food Campaign
Q - 21-B, Top Floor
Jangpura Extn.
New Delhi, Pin Code 110014
India
Ph: 91-11-43501335
website: www.righttofoodindia.org
email: right...@gmail.com

--
Secretariat - Right to Food Campaign
Q - 21-B, Top Floor
Jangpura Extn.
New Delhi, Pin Code 110014
India
Ph: 91-11-43501335
website: www.righttofoodindia.org
email: right...@gmail.com