Asha Parivar

Mission of Asha Parivar: To work for just and humane society free of all discriminations based on religion, caste, gender, race, nationality, class, education, age, political power, muscle/military power, employer-employee relationship (and similar human created categories which become the basis for discrimination and domination) and to bring human beings in harmony with the rest of the nature.

Objectives:
1) To work towards a caste free society.
2) To work for communal harmony among people of various religious faith.
3) To work for borderless, peaceful and democratic South Asia and World.
4) To work for quality education and healthcare for all.
5) To work for transparency and accountability in governance, police and judiciary.
6) To ensure right to food and work for all.
7) To work for economic equality. Labourers, artisans, farmers and every family must have minimum regular income. Gap between rich and poor must be erased.
8) To work to eliminate violence towards women, children, dalit, tribals, minorities and poor.
9) To support right of local/traditional communities over natural resources in fighting against corporatisation of natural resources and services.
10) To work towards decentralization of political power with more autonomy to local bodies.
11) To work to stop human rights abuses by state as well as non-state forces.
12) To work for disarmament and real security based on trust in human relationships.
13) To work for electoral reforms and to support pro-people, honest, committed individuals as candidates in elections.
14) To work towards tobacco-free, liquor-free, pollution-free and, in general, a healthy society.
15) To support a model of development which does not degrade environment and human habitation and which is based on equitable distribution of fruits of modern developments.

(Agreed upon in the first meeting of Asha Parivar held on 27th of May 2007 at Hyderabad, India. People present at the meeting included Ram Krishna Raju, Faisal Khan, M. H. Gandhi, Gurmukh Singh and Sandeep Pandey. Comments/suggestions are welcome towards further refinement of the objectives in light of the mission of Asha parivar).

Presently, Asha Parivar is a people's organization focused on empowerment of the poor and on strengthening of democracy at the grassroots. Its current activities include:

a) Empowerment of marginalized communities/common citizens through a movement for transparency and accoutability using RTI and NREGA in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh. This includes struggle against corruption.

b) Working for communal harmony and peace in Kashmir and North-East India.

c) Working towards a nuclear free and visa free South Asia with like minded groups.

d) Working with a local group 'Voice of Ayodhya' to counter the abuse of temple-mosque issue in Ayodhya for political gains.

e) Helping the local community of Mehdiganj, Varanasi to stop exploitation of their ground water by Coca Cola.

f) Helping the marginalized communities to access better health and education facilities to improve their quality of life.

Contact info@ashaparivar.org for further information on our programs and activities.