For nearly five months, in the midst of a pandemic that has claimed more than 50,000 lives in India, the Parliament and state assemblies ha...
For nearly five months, in the midst of a pandemic that has claimed more than 50,000 lives in India, the Parliament and state assemblies have not been in session. Policies have been framed and decisions made by the Cabinet without parliamentary debates, discussions or legislative scrutiny that define the country’s democracy.
To highlight this absence of checks and balances, several civil rights organisations across the country have organised a “Janta Parliament” – a series of virtual discussions on policy measures addressing problems triggered by Covid-19 and the lockdown.
Hosted by Jan Sarokar, a collective of civil rights campaigns, Janta Parliament meetings began on August 16 and will continue till August 21, with more than 200 speakers discussing the fallout of Covid-related policies in 10 different sectors. These include health, the economy, agriculture, food security, education, environment, labour, vulnerable communities and civil liberties.
Each session is attended by select members of Parliament and state assemblies. The discussions are streamed live on multiple platforms, including Jan Sarokar and the social media pages of various campaign organisations.
In the sessions, grassroots activists and citizens’ representatives highlight the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown in their respective districts and propose a set of demands from the government, which all speakers and session participants then...
