Entrants's Name: Seema Prakash

Country: India

Field: Employment/Labor

Innovation - idea: We are empowering the rural communities to ensre corruption free implementation as work is now their Constitutional Right.www.ashoka.org

Innovation - why it is pioneering: Since Independence of India Work was never recognized as a right of millions of wage earners in the rural sector.It was impossible to make the government responsible. The government ran employment schemes as dole outs and were subjected to widespread corruption. Now since the work has become a Right the wage eraners are empowered to oversee its fair implementation and have greater collective power

Strategy - how it achieves impact: The wage earners have begun to realize that work is no more a dole out by the government. It ensures a 100 days of assured employment. It ensures the food security, enhances the purchasing power and provides opportunities to unionize and collectively bargain for better wages, social security and work site facilities. It has provided succour from migration atleast for couple of critical food insecure months. The wage earners are now beginning to raise questions on the quantity and quality of work, gauge information and frequently complain corruption. This has made the Administartion more responsive, responsible and transparent. The labors have realized a new gush of collective strength and moving towards unionization that was not possible earlier for 39 million workers in the unorganized sector of India. The union is gearing up to demand enacting of Social Security Act for unorganized workers speedily, revision of daily wages as per inflation and repeal of certain anti labor policies.

Strategy - growth plans: We are actively facilitating formation of union of unorganized sector workers with a immediate focus on pressure building on the government by the civil society to speedily table the long pending Social Security Bill in the Parliament. The Bill was frmaed in 70s but couldnot be tabled yet due to sheer lack of political will by various political parties that ruled the nation. The struggle is long to reinstate the prowess of workers in the centerstage of national political decision making for their own dignity of labor. We are proactively inputting information and awareness on the rights of the workers to oversee fair and transparent implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.The sensitization has been growing to keep vigil, seek information, scan documents and advocate their causes. A National Coalition of workers and civil society organizations has been formed that is carrying out National campaign to build pressure to pass the Unorganized sector Social Security Bill

Impact to date: The initiative has gained momentum and the coalition of workers and like minded civil society organizations is moving towards unionization to exert substantial pressure on the government to table the long pending Social Security Bill for the around 40 million workers in the unorganized sector. At the grass roots the wage earners have begun to feel free to demand work as their Right to Life and Dignity and in cases of deprivation and irresponsibility have dared to knock the doors of Apex Court for justice. The wage earners have felt a new leash of empowerment to demand higher wages, better work facilities and greater negotiation opportunities. The greatest impact has been that most of the tribal families we relate to have an increased purchasing power though marninal now but is proving effective at checking distress migration tendedcies, have reasonable household food securtiy and decline in child malnutrion so widespread in region as the manifestation of hunger and poverty.

Future impact: We will have a strong workers' collective (union) of the unorganized sector workers with adequate social secirity cover, enhanced purchasing power with dignified work site conditions and workers dominating the centerstage of national decision making to influence the policies as per the dignity of their sweat and blood sacrificed in nation's development. At the brass tacks we will have empowered and sensitized wage earners' lot potent at ensuring fair and corruption free implementation of National Rural Employment Gurantee Act. The vulnerable will have round the year household food security and their children will grow up healthy and productive citizens. We are confident that our model will used as a reference to Advocate for similar policies in workers' favour in other Asian countries like Nepal, Bangladesh or even Afghanistan where new democratic set ups are being established. We forsee a tremendous dent in the hunger and poverty scenario gripping India.

Sustainability - resource base: We work with a meagre but very precious Fellowship (stipend) recieved from Ashoka. Little support comes from friends and well wishers.

Major challenge for the field: The Indian government's proactive stance of shrinking from its welfaristic responsibilities especially for the burgeoining work force in the unorganized sector. The gradual reduction of subsidies, privatization of essential commodities and lack of political will to address the issues of hunger and poverty with a human face. The vulnearble are pushed further in the swamp of absolute poverty.

Contact Information:

Name: Ms Seema Prakash - Social worker
Mailing address: MIG1, RAMNAGAR, KHANDWA , (MP), INDIA 450 001
Country: India
Email: seemaprak_spandan@yahoo.ca
Tel: 0733 2225501/9425928355

Bio: Since more than five years I have been sensitizing and mobilizing the marginalized communities to keep up their struggle to demand the Right to Food and Work as the only viable recourse for their redemption from hunger and poverty. I have strongly held that millions of workers have been pushed to edge of unemployment and abject poverty as work and food have not been their fundamental rights and has multiple manifestation from distress migration to childhood malnutriton to depressing infant and maternal mortalities. I kept up my endeavors at drawing the attention of the state government to widespread malnutrition and deaths thereby which wasn't considered a priority issue but now is and many actions have been initiated by the government. The malnutrition caused by the acute household food insecurity and lack of employment opportunities led to join the peoples' movement that ensured the passing of historical National Rural Employment Guarantee Act that has turned work as the fundamental right of every rural wage earner. I set up models of community participation in Anganwadis, the government run child care centers that is being appreciated at national level and being vouched by the government. I also exerted substantial pressure to let the district Administration agree to provide the lepers cheap rations as a right. Within the state I have been able to convince and bring in coalition of wide variety of individuals and agencies to make the Administartion responsive, responsible and apt at grievance redress. The Right to Information and Media Advocacy have been used as effective tools.