STRUGGLES FOR EQUALITY

CLASS-VII :                SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE-II

CHAPTER 10.     STRUGGLES FOR EQUALITY

•        All Indians as equal before the law and states that no person can be discriminated against because of their religion, sex, caste or whether they are rich or poor.

•        All adults in India have the equal right to vote during elections.

•        This ‘power over the ballot box’ has been used by people to elect or replace their representatives.

•        Poverty and the lack of resources continue to be a key reason why so many people’s lives in India are highly unequal.

•        Discrimination on the basis of a person’s religion, sex, caste is another significant factor for why people are treated unequally in India.

•        Poverty and lack of dignity and respect for certain communities and groups come together in such powerful ways that it is difficult to identify where one aspect of inequality ends and other begins.

STRUGGLES FOR EQUALITY      

•        When dams are built or forest areas declared sanctuaries for animals, thousands of people are displaced.

•        Whole villages are uprooted and people are forced to go and built new homes, start new lives elsewhere.

•        In urban areas bastis are often uprooted. Someof them are relocated to areas outside the city.

•        This displacement of people and communities is a problem that has become quite widespread in our country. People usually come together fight against this.

TAWA MATSYA SANGH

•        This is a federation of Fisher worker’s cooperatives- an organization fighting for the rights of the displaced forest dwellers of the Satpura forest in Madhya Pradesh.

•        Tawa river- Flows from Mahadeva hills of Chindwara district and joins Narmada in Hoshangabad.

•        Tawa Dam- started in 1958 and was completed in 1978. it submerged large areas of forest and agricultural land.

•        Tehri dam- submerged old Tehri town and 100 villages. Around 1 lakh people were displaced.

•        In 1994- Govt. gave right of fishing to private contractors in tawa reservoir.

•        These contractors drove the local people away and got cheap labour from outside.

•        The villagers stood united and decided that it was time to set up an organization for their rights.

•        The newly formed Tawa Matsya Sangh (TMS) organized rallies and a chakka jam (road blockade).

•        The govt. create committee to assess the issue.

•        In 1996- people given the rights for fishing.

THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION AS A LIVING DOCUMENT

•        The Indian constitution recognizes the equality of all persons.

•        Movements and struggles for equality in India continuously refer to the Indian constitution to make their point about equality and justice for all.

•        In a democracy, there are communities and individuals trying to expand the idea of democracy and push for a greater recognition of equality on existing as well as new issues.

•        The dignity and self-respect of each person and their community can only be realized if they have adequate resources to support and nurture their families and if they are not discrimination against.

 

 

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