CITIZENS OF INDIA

ARE WE AT THE TIPPING

POINT?
 AFTER 60 YEARS PLUS

 WE WONDER HOW WE MESSED IT UP.

 CAN WE EVER PUT THINGS RIGHT?
 WE ALMOST GIVE UP HOPE…BUT
NOT QUITE, BECAUSE…
 EXCITING THINGS ARE
HAPPENING…
 PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY JOIN
TO CLAIM THEIR RIGHTS AS CITIZENS.
 THE JUSTICE SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY
COURTS, WORK TO DELIVER THESE
RIGHTS TO CIVIL SOCIETY.
 CITIZENS PLAY THEIR PART BOTH
INDIVIDUALLY & IN GROUPS.
 HERE’S WHAT MANY ARE
DOING…
 DEDICATED GROUPS ENSURE THAT
WE ARE NOT CHEATED…FIGHTING TO
GET WHAT IS DUE TO US.
 HELPING THE POORER & DEPRIVED TO
SURVIVE.
 REACHING OUT TO OTHERS…TO
CREATE A BETTER INDIA.
 AND THE MOVEMENT IS
SPREADING…
 CIVIL SOCIETY…YOU & I…ARE COMING
FORWARD IN SUPPORT.
 MEDIA, PRESS & TV, FRONTPAGE
STORIES OF WRONG-DOING AND
SHOWCASE THOSE THAT PUT THINGS
RIGHT .
 SLOWLY & STEADILY, A MOMENTUM IS
BUILDING.
WORKING TO EXERCISE OUR
RIGHTS & DUTIES

 DISCONTENT WITH THE WAY THINGS

ARE, AND, A RISING NEED TO ‘DO’
SOMETHING IS EMERGING.
 LOCAL CIVIL SOCIETY LEADERS ARE
‘POPPING UP’ ALL OVER…SHOWING
THE WAY, ACTING AS CATALYSTS.
 AUTHORITIES GET THE
MESSAGE & RESPOND
 RWA & OTHERS PROD GOVTS TO
PERFORM & DELIVER.
 THE HEAT OF PEOPLES ANGER IS FELT
AT LOCAL, STATE & NATIONAL
LEVELS.
 MEDIA PLAYS A KEY PART IN
DELIVERING THESE MESSAGES OF
DISCONTENT & EXPECTATION.
THE DEMAND FOR GOOD
GOVERNANCE…
CAN NO LONGER BE
IGNORED, CAN NO LONGER
BE DENIED…PEOPLES VOICES
ARE FINELY BEING HEARD.
 IS THERE A LIGHT AT THE
END OF THE TUNNEL?
 SLOWLY BUT SURELY THE BALANCE
OF POWER IS SHIFTING.
 SELF HELP IS RISING…EXCESSIVE
DEPENDENCE ON ‘MAI-BAAP’
GOVERNMENTS IS DIMINISHING.
 REAL DEMOCRACY IS EMERGING…
CITIZENS ARE COMING OF AGE.
A LANDMARK SUPREME
COURT RULING
…ACCELERATES THE MOVE
TOWARDS GOOD
GOVERNANCE.
 13TH MARCH 2003 WAS AN
HISTORIC DAY…
 THE SUPREME COURT RULED THAT
CITIZENS HAD THE RIGHT TO
INFORMATION ABOUT CANDIDATES.
 THEY MUST DISCLOSE THEIR ASSETS,
CRIMINAL RECORD, IF ANY, AND
EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS.
 THE ELECTION COMMISSION MUST
MAKE THESE DETAILS PUBLICLY
AVAILABLE TO VOTERS.
 IIMA PROFESSORS & PUCL
MADE THIS HAPPEN…
 THEY WENT TO COURT SEEKING
GUIDANCE AS TO WHAT WE NEEDED
TO KNOW ABOUT CANDIDATES
BEFORE CASTING OUR VOTES.
 POLITICAL PARTIES OPPOSED SUCH
DISCLOSURE.
 THE SUPREME COURT RULED
OTHERWISE.
PUBLIC PRESSURE WORKED FOR
THIS VICTORY
 CITIZEN GROUPS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY CREATED PUBLIC
UNDERSTANDING & ACTIVE
SUPPORT.
 DIALOGUES HELD WITH THE
ELECTION COMMISSION, POLITICAL
PARTIES, MEDIA, INFLUENTIALS.
FROM NOW ON, IN ALL
FUTURE ELECTIONS…
CANDIDATES MUST SUBMIT
DISCLOSURE FORMS TO THE
ELECTION COMMISSION FOR
PUBLIC DISSEMINATION.
 THE BIG CHALLENGE
 HOW CAN WE GET MORE INDIANS TO
REALISE THAT IT IS OUR DUTY AND IN
OUR INTEREST TO BECOME
INVOLVED?
 SEEKING GOOD GOVERNANCE AND
ENSURING THAT WE BEHAVE AS
RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS?

LET’S ASK OURSELVES THE BIG

QUESTION.
 WHAT MAKES A GOOD
CITIZEN?
 BECOME AWARE THAT IN A
DEMOCRACY, EACH OF US MUST
ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF
ACTING AS GOOD NEIGHBOURS, GOOD
COUNTRYMEN.
 SEEK & EXERCISE OUR RIGHTS…
FIGHTING CORRUPTION &
INDIFFERENCE, AS A COMMUNITY.
 WHEN DOES CITIZENSHIP
START?
 RIGHT NOW…REGARDLESS OF AGE,
GENDER, CREED OR SOCIO-ECONOMIC
STATUS.
 AND IT NEVER ENDS…THROUGHOUT
OUR LIVES, AS CITIZENS, WE MUST
STRIVE TO MAKE OUR COUNTRY A
CARING, KIND AND JUST SOCIETY.
 HOW CAN ONE GET
INVOLVED?
 BAND TOGETHER TO FORM A
GROUP WITH SHARED
CONCERNS…JOIN AN EXISTING
CIVIL SOCIETY GROUP.
 ASK YOURSELVES ‘WHAT DO WE
NEED TO CHANGE NOW?’
 GET DOWN TO MAKE CHANGE
HAPPEN.
 GET STARTED NOW

REACH OUT & BENEFIT FROM

THE EXPERIENCE OF
OTHERS…WE CAN PUT YOU IN
TOUCH.
 HERE ARE SOME GROUPS TO
WORK WITH…
 ADR, Ahmedabad; AGNI, Mumbai.
 CHRI, Delhi; LOKSATTA, Hyderabad.
 LOKNITI, Delhi; PARIVARTAN, Delhi.
 PUBLIC AFFAIRS CENTRE, Bangalore.
 MKSS, RAJASTHAN.
 National Network For India, All India.
 :
This presentation brought to you by

National Network For India Trust

 Subodh Bhargava, Promod Chawla, Prem
Trustees:
Shankar Jha, Jai Kumar, Samuel Paul, General Vinod
Saighal, Roshan Seth, Tara Sinha & R K Somany
 Prof Arun Kumar - JNU on Economic matters
 Sanjay Parikh as Legal Counsel
 Have 80G IT approval
 Address: NNFI, 131 - 132, Som Dutt Chambers 1, 5 Bhikaji Cama Place,
New Delhi 110066
  Tel: (9111) 65684505/26161246/26563394, Fax: (9111) 26182867

 Contact: email: electoralreforms@nnfi.org.in

 About NNFI
 There are former Secretaries, eminent Jurists, known Public figures, serving
officials, Corporate leaders, Pan IIM IIT, TiE, Youth Groups, AIF & NRI’s, Alumni of well-
known Colleges & Public Schools as members.. Networked NGO’s are in our digital
outreach so are persons active in Think Tanks such as the Indian Humanist Group,
Gandhian movement, Indian Social Institute, IIC, IHC & Chambers of Commerce also
Good Governance Groups & Management Institutes. Our Trustees are somewhat known
amongst Print & Electronic Media.
 
 No formal intervention is done without the consent of Trustees & goes to Authorities
concerned under the Joint signature of all 9. The topic taken up is debated within the Net
outreach - pros & cons are put forth & submission made thereafter. We have gained
expertise & links also taken a position over five years gone by in:
  
 -          1 Electoral Reforms
 -          2 Power Tariff & Electricity
 -          3 Water, availability & Jamuna cleaning
 -          4 Highways & Roads
 -          5 Public Transport & Traffic
 -          6 Education
 -          7 Judicial improvement
 -          8 Local Governance including Civic Services & Municipal Corporations
 -          9 National e-Governance program
 -          10 Police Reforms
 ASK THIS OF…

 YOURSELF…AM I ACTING AS A GOOD

CITIZEN…AS A CONCERNED & CARING
INDIAN?
 OTHERS…ARE THEY DOING THE RIGHT
THING…PROVIDING GOOD
GOVERNANCE & FAIR JUSTICE?
A SIMPLE GUIDING MOTTO…

‘POOCHO
AUR PAO’
WHEN YOU CHANGE, OTHERS
DO SO TOO.
 AS YOU LEAVE TODAY MAKE A
PLEDGE TO ACT.
 GET INVOLVED AND MAKE THINGS
CHANGE.
 DEMAND YOUR RIGHTS…AND HONOUR
YOUR OBLIGATIONS.
CITIZEN OF INDIA

JAI HIND