Over 70 organisations from across the country have held a ‘People’s Summit’. Naming themselves ‘We 20’, the organisations are opposing the economic and political agenda of the G20.
‘We 20’ has decided to step up campaigns against the policies of the G20. They have drafted 13 working papers on agriculture, climate change, banking, finance, labour, employment and shrinking democratic places.
The working paper on shrinking democratic places said the Centre is targeting non-governmental organisations by putting restrictions on foreign funds.
NGO funds cut off
“A very large number of NGOs that rely on Foreign Contribution Regulation Act for institutional funding to work with different marginalised sections have been starved of funds, because their FCRA renewals have either been cancelled or withheld indefinitely! This has severely impacted the work of numerous organisations whose interventions have been helpful for communities in distress or facing neglect of the state,” the document said. It lamented the arrests of journalists and activists and said independent media is muzzled by the present regime.
The position paper on agriculture called for stakeholder dialogue on the sector and said big business’s influence on agriculture should be rejected. “The power of big business is the key obstacle in the development of sustainable agriculture because the smallholder farmers and small and medium enterprises are held back only by big business from shifting to sustainable, diversified and resilient agriculture and food systems. In this regard, some G20 countries, like India, have a lot to share with many poor nations,” the paper said.
Lack of social security
The paper on Labour and Employment said any discussion on providing universal social security must start with an analysis of why the majority of workers do not have it.
“Nine out of 10 Indian workers do not enjoy any social security benefits. This situation has persisted through more than three decades of deregulation and liberalisation of the Indian economy, accompanied by high GDP growth. The economic model we have been following champions a small segment of large corporations over all other segments of society and equates their growth with the development of the nation,” the paper said.
The position paper on Inequality said wealthy Indians benefit the most from government policies. “It is the need of the hour that a 2% wealth tax and 33% inheritance tax be applied on the top 1% Indians to ensure universal social and economic rights for all,” it said.
