Social groups believe that Mr. Uma Shankar, a well known IAS officer known to proactively follow through on corruption, is being targetted unfairly by political forces in Tamil Nadu. A campaign is on to support him.

Greenpeace reports that India's coastal ecology is threatened with over 300 planned projects in the Indian coastal area that violate regulations.

While the central government talks about rights of adivasis and recognizes that they have been systematically oppressed, Orissa government is using extra-judicial militia to threaten adivasis. Is this precursor to another violent operation in Orissa. Write to the Orissa CM.

A petition by Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao for the public funding of the Rajiv Awas Yojana and a critique of Public Private partnerships and their track record in low cost housing.

This is an urgent call to all democrats and responsible citizens to register their protest to the government of India for not having taken into consideration widespread demands since 2005 by independent legal experts, human rights defenders and secular activists for a much needed proper legislation on Communal Violence. Despite repeated efforts from civil society groups seeking specific changes in the proposed communal violence, the government has turned a deaf ear.

Various civic society groups in India are opposing the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill - it places the liability of a nuclear accident on the tax-payers; private vendors who built it go free.

With alleged ongoing activity by Maoists groups and a major security thrust by State forces, reports tell of violence affecting people in Lalgarh.

The brutal eviction drive of Netaji Nagar a slum community situated in the near vicinity of Eastern Express Highway is on with Police personnel from Pant Nagar Police Station and builders unleashing terror on the innocent residents with the purpose of forcibly evicting the residents and handling the plot to the builder who has been leased 60 acres of land at throw away prices.

The distinction between news, views and political campaigning (read advertising) is no longer clear.The media is no longer the fourth pillar - the watch dog for the functioning of the democracy. We, the citizens, need tools to hold the media accountable.

The Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace passed a resolution opposing the nuclear deal pointing out that it would affect development of truly sustainable energy alternatives while affecting the local environment and the political milieu of South Asian

This Petition aims at stopping the unsustainable Proposed 300 million dollar Ski Village in Himachal.

The campaign to stop funding hate (CFSH) presents an analysis concluding that chapters of Hindu Student Council in the USA are connected to the Sangh even though many members of the chapters may not be cognizant of this connection.

The increased use of force in suppression of demands by locals in Jagatshighpur, Orissa with respect to concerns about the setting up of POSCO is concerning to many citizens of India.

Pressure has been mounting against the detention of Dr Binayak Sen in Chattisgarh with swelling number of people demanding unconditional and immediate release of Sen.

Indian lawyers, advocates and judges are endorsing support for Pakistani lawyers in their fight against the power grab by General Musharraf.

This week Buddhist monks and nuns in Burma began marching and chanting prayers to call for democracy. The protests spread and hundreds of thousands of Burmese people joined in -- they've been brutally attacked by the Burmese military regime, but still the protests are spreading.

The National Alliance of People’s Movements, a network of over two hundred people’s movements in India working for social and economic justice, believes that the India-US nuclear deal has grave consequences for India’s national security and sovereignty, for India’s relations with its neighbours, for India’s economy, for the health of its people and for the state of its environment.

Local communities are opposing a set of hydel projects planned in Sikkim that threatens homes, livelihoods and the local economies. Not surprisingly, though, the government continues without taking into account people's concerns. We are requesting readers to to ask the government to change its re-evaluate its processes.

In Orissa and in Madhya Pradesh, state forces are being used to perpetrate violence against communities opposing government policies. Is this becoming a norm? Its time to call and ask the governments what they are thinking!

Numerous human rights organizations have expressed concern at the deployment of force against farmers and tribal communities facing displacement in Orissa. A report by Amnesty International follows. Please petition the Orissa Chief Minister to respect human rights.

Bhopali activists continue to demand government action against polluted groundwater. The pollutants from Union Carbide's (and now Dow's) processes. Join the Bhopalis as the demand clean water.

Dr. Lenin Rahguvanshi, a human rights activist working for the Dalits and the backward class in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India has been receiving death threats from local political figures from the upper caste communities, asking him to stop his work with dalits or he and his family would be murdered.

While farmers continue to commit suicide owing to crop failure and debts, the government refuses to take an action against Dow even while it is discovered by the US Securities and Exchange Commission that the company made improper payments to regulatory officials in India, introducing numerous pesticides that fall outside Indian regulations.

A report released by a committee of Singur-based organisations investigating the Singur unrest in West Bengal over a land deal between the government and Tata Motors has revealed that the government's claim of most of the land being waste was utterly false.

Police fired on protesters rallying against the setting up of the Karcham Wangtu hydro electric project in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. We are requesting your expression of solidarity with the Karcham Wangtu Sangharsh Samiti and the Himalayan Policy Campaign Committee, demanding justice from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

Members of the Indigeneous People's Center for Policy and Human Rights in the North East write about violations of public hearing and other democratic processes and state violence against peaceful opposition of the Tipaimukh Project on the Barak River.

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.

An estimated 20,000 small farmers and other food producers in Singur (West Bengal, India) will be evicted on September 27, 2006 by the Left Front West Bengal government. In the name of "development", their 1,253 fertile lands will be given to Tata Motors, a giant Indian company. We urge you to support the struggle of Singur people to keep their land. Please sign on to the petition letter online: http://www.foodsov.org/html/takeaction05.htm

The Southasian supports a request for support for a Dalit Sikh laborer who was beaten up for filing cases against landlords who raped his daughter. His limbs had to be amputated and now funds are being sought for artificial limbs.

• Environmental Laws Changed to Suit Industry; People Not Consulted 
• Disastrous EIA Notification Likely to be Announced Soon 
• Call Environment Minister A. Raja (91 11 23010468, 23010764)
• Mail MoEF at envisect@nic.in asap and express your strong concerns about this secretive and fastrack move
• Sign the Petition opposing this ad hoc amendment

Requesting financial contributions to support civic society led national awareness campaign against the amendment to constrain our Right to Information. Please click here to donate. 6% of our target has been raised at this point.

The Indian Government's recent decision to drop the long pending Right to Education Bill (RTE) and pass it on to the State Governments as a model bill, is a completely outrageous decision ignoring not only a fundamental right but also the genuine expectations of each and every citizen.

Communities around the nation have joined hands in opposing the amendment to the Right to Information. We are asking you to take small steps that can strengthen the freedom of India.

Do you remember being filled with pride when people praise India for being the largest functioning democracy in the world?
Do you remember hanging your head in shame when people ridicule India's reputation as one of the most corrupt nations?

If you answered yes to one or both of the above questions, then you should ACT NOW.

Numerous civic society groups are concerned about the impact of implementation strategy of Trade-Related aspects of Intellectual Property rights (TRIPS) in India. A petition is being presented to the PM of India to analyze these concerns.

Adivasis of the Hoshangabad district in Madhya Pradesh have been fighting for their right to a dignified life. This struggle has now reached a critical juncture where your support is required.

The Government of India plans to introduce an amendment to the RTI that will exempt file notings and cabinet papers from disclosure under the Right to Information Act 2005. This is the second attempt to do so; the earlier attempt in Dec 2005 was scuttled under protests from citizens of India.

The global community is anguished that, in the latest outbreak of violence in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Armed Forces as well as the LTTE are targeting unarmed civilians.

The Right to Information Bill allows citizens of India to access public information and hold the government and the bureaucracy accountable.

The Friends of Tibet protests the policy of The Hindu group of publications and its editorial board led by N. Ram in censoring stories about Tibet, Dalai Lama and Falun Gong.