India: Join MKSS to celebrate "May Day" Mazdoor Mela on the 1st of May 2013

“Nyay Samanta Ho Aadhar, Aisa Rachenge Hum Sansar !!â€

Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan
Village Devdungri, Post Barar, District Rajsamand
Rajasthan -313341

Bhim Challo Bhai, Bhim Challo. Ek Mai ko Bhim Challo!!!

Dear Friends,

Please join the MKSS for celebrating “May Day†on the 1st of May 2013.

On the 1st of May 1990, 23 years ago, poor peasants and workers collected at Patia ka Chowda , Bhim, Rajsamand District- after a year of deliberations about the need to organize and struggle- to form the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) . This day has become an important day for workers in this part of Rajasthan. We come every year to express our solidarity and take a pledge to work together to struggle for common, stated concerns.

We invite you to celebrate May day (Labour Day) with us, this year (1st May 2013) at the Patia Ka Chowda, Bhim. In continuation of the MKSS tradition, the Mazdoor Mela will be a celebration and a day for collectively defining the themes for public action for the coming year. This year, amongst other issues, we will make plans for deepening the struggles for universal pensions, increasing the spread of MGNREGA workers unions, and passage and implementation of the Grievance Redress, Whistleblower Protection, and Right to Hearing Bills and Acts. (We attach a page detailing our current and future concerns.) We will also share our stories, anecdotes, challenges, hopes, and concerns in an open public meeting. This will be amidst the bustle of a mela- the sale of clothes, toys and food at cost price with dance, music and laughter.

We would welcome prior information of your travel plans and the number of people likely to attend, so that we can make your stay more comfortable. You will have to bear your travel costs, but food will be available at inexpensive rates.

Bhim is 65 KMs South Of Beawar on the Delhi- Bombay highway (NH 8). Beawar is a major railway station on the Delhi Ahmedabad route. In case you need to talk to us on the phone, you could call the phone numbers below.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Zindabad,

In solidarity,

MKSS sathies

Contact Numbers : +91 9413204488, (Shankar) +91 9414003247, (Devdungri) +91 9929519361

Patia Ka Chowda, Bhim, Rajsamand District, Rajasthan

May 1st 2013

………

MKSS Themes current and for the coming year

Pension and dignity for the elderly

buddhape me aaraam doh, pension aur samman doh!

There have been many developments in the year of 2012 – 2013. The MKSS has been actively engaged in a Pension Parishad Campaign as a part of a national alliance of unorganized workers demanding universal old age pension. The campaign which began in February 2012 has grown substantially over the last year, culminating in March 4th – 8th in a dharna in Delhi of more than 10,000 workers from across the country. The force of the campaign resulted in the Government expressing a commitment towards restructuring the NSAP programme (with provisions for the elderly, for widows and for the disabled) and making a unanimously supported announcement in Parliament to this effect.

Though there may be a long struggle before this commitment is realised, even bringing the issue centre stage has been a huge step forward. On the 1st of May, we shall celebrate this victory and discuss how to take this struggle ahead.

Employment on demand with dignified wages

har hath ko kaam doh, kaam ka pura daam doh !

In assessing the MGNREGA, it is clear that developments have not been positive. In Rajasthan, where the demand for the MGNREGA has its roots, workers in some works across the State are being paid (recorded on the muster rolls) a daily wage of as little as Rs. 1 to Rs. 30 when the wage rate is Rs. 133 and no action is being taken. The abysmal implementation of the MGNREGA in several ways (demand not being captured, unemployment allowance not being paid, low wage rates, delays in payment, etc) has resulted in fall in demand for MGNREGA. This is the desired outcome for many in the administration who belong to land owning, agricultural or industrial families who have suffered from the bargaining power of labour employed under the MGNREGA. The MGNREGA wage rate is also significantly lower than the Minimum Wage of the State which is to be indexed to Rs. 166.

As the year ahead is election year, the Rajasthan Government has made several popular announcements. From April 1st, 2013, workers can apply for up to 150 days of MGNREGA work per day. Families who finish 100 days of work will receive a bonus of Rs. 2100. The MGNREGA wage rate has also been indexed to inflation and raised to Rs. 149. On the 1st of May, we shall strategize how to make the most of these opportunities, and how to hold the State accountable to proper implementation of the MGNREGA to keep alive this lifeline for the poor.

From the right to information to the right to hearing

soochana se jawabdehi ki aur

On the 1st of May we shall also celebrate the fact that the State of Rajasthan has passed, and is implementing the Right to Hearing Act, with many provisions drawn from the Grievance Redress Bill pending in Parliament. In the district of Rajsamand, with the help of the MKSS the administration has attempted to implement this Act through Right to Hearing Camps and has seen dramatic results of thousands of complaints being addressed and redressed under every possible government scheme with regard to food, pensions, electricity, health benefits, water, etc. The Right to Hearing has proved to be a necessary and indispensable complement to the Right to Information as it ensures accountable governance from the Panchayat level up words.

Key elements of the Right to Hearing Act which have emerged through the camps organized in Rajsamand over the last few months are the following –

1. A single window at the Panchayat level to receive any piece of paper (complaint, application, etc) and to give a dated receipt. From the 20th of April, it shall be mandatory for all Panchayats offices to stay open for two fixed hours every day.

2. Public disclosure of names of beneficiaries and details of benefits provided under every scheme at the Panchayat and Block level through wall paintings.

3. A weekly public hearing at the Panchayat and Block level where officials from each department will be present, and all complaints will be heard in a public forum. This will become mandatory across the State of Rajasthan from the 20th of April.

4. A written response within 21 days of issuing the dated receipt. This is regardless of whether or not the issue can be redressed. This will become mandatory across the State of Rajasthan from the 20th of April.

Aruna Roy
Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS)
Village Devdungri, Post Barar
District Rajsamand 313341
Rajasthan
e mail: mkssrajasthan@gmail.com
web site : www.mkssindia.org
Telephone : +91 9413204488
+91 9929519361
01463-288247