The Ministry of Rural Development has introduced a draft rehab policy (NRP) 2006 on their website for comments while providing seven days for comments on such a critical policy and that too by only making it accessible on the website. This is incompetence at best, gross negligence and manipulation at its worst.

In this context we have drafted the attached letter asking for an extension of date for comments or else the draft would be rejected by people's groups and communities. Manshi and Rifat from the National Center for Advocacy Studies, Pune felt that while people would be sending protest letters and comments we need to have one letter from a large number of groups. Pervez, from Urban Street Vendors Lokseva Kendra put up a draft addressed to the Ministry of Rural Development. We request that all groups and individuals who support this letter sign in the link “Comments” at the end of this posting and thesouthasian will fax it to the ministry on 30^th October.

To                                                                                                        21^st  OCTOBER 2006

Department of Land Resources

Ministry of Rural Development

New Delhi

SUBJECT –DEMAND TO EXTEND TIME FOR COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT NATIONAL REHABILITATION POLICY 2006

Sir/Madam,

This is in reference to the notice issued by your department in the Times of India dated 4^th October 2004 announcing the availability of a draft National Rehabilitation Policy 2006. The notice states that comments to the draft must be submitted before 11^th of October 2006. We would like to record our objection with your Ministry on this.  The Rehabilitation policy is a matter of grave importance for millions of farmers, tribals, women, children, rural and urban communities around the country whose lives and livelihoods have been or will be affected by displacement due to various reasons. A comprehensive and just Rehabilitation Policy at the National level has been demanded several times by people’s groups and communities for many years now. Providing a period of merely seven days for comments on the draft is completely unjust and unacceptable in a situation where the Policy is going to have such a large scale impact. This is not the first time that a draft policy has been adopted in a hurry. Our previous experiences have shown that how rehabilitation policies without adequate consultation have failed completely.

Further, the draft has been put up on your website, which is not easily accessible to a large population in the country.

We also realize that there are very critical and substantial differences in the draft that the National Advisory Council has submitted to your Ministry after consultation with people’s groups in March 2006 and the current draft NRP 2006. It is only fair that concerned groups have the time to examine and study these differences and provide the necessary comments to the Ministry.

In the light of the above, it is only reasonable for us to demand that the period for comments on the policy be extended so that we are not forced to reject this draft without having adequate time to comment on it. We would also demand that the policy be disseminated widely for comments and consultation.

Expecting an immediate response from the Ministry on this.

Pervez
For Urban Street Vendors Lokseva Kendra
 “Improving the Quality of Life by Encouraging Self Employment & Poverty Alleviation among Unemployed Urban Poor.”
NGO. [ Non-Government Organisation], SHG. [ Self Help Group]
MFO  [ Micro Finance Organisation], in Association with ICICI Bank under Partnership Model. Tel: 26286807, 26256508,  9833752701. email:  pervez@mtnl.net.in
Website: http://www.freewebs.com/pervez