The Campaign Support and Networking team at NCAS has been involved in reaching out to different groups working with a rights based approach, in many parts of the country. The attempt is to support and play the role of adding value to the campaigns as a resource centre by extending certain resources to the processes of advocacy.

AREAS OF SUPPORT:

Building alliances, collaborations and partnerships with like-minded groups, grassroots organisations and national level networks for broad based and effective advocacy. Helping with Structuring, designing and organising events, mobilising groups for advocacy with the government.

Documentation and information dissemination, which involves documentation of a particular issue, process as well as action-research and dissemination of information.

Bringing out publications like Advocacy Perspectives, Info-pack, Advocacy Update and Action Alerts to strengthen the ongoing campaigns and sensitise civil society, policy makers and media on vital issues.

Building capacities of the campaigns by providing inputs on different tools of advocacy for e.g. Budget, issue based Capacity building, media advocacy etc.

Helping in use of media as an effective tool for building, strengthening campaigns. Exposing and highlighting issues through print and electronic media, organizing interface between media and social activists/ issue experts, audio visual documentation.

KEY ISSUES:

Our focus is based on the current socio-political economic scenario and civil society environment as well as our own resources, capacities and interests. We are currently working on issues of livelihood and environmental rights especially in the Central Eastern Belt of the country and Maharashtra. We are also involved with the Campaign on Right to Water, Work and Food as well as the Drought Eradication Campaign in Maharashtra. At the national level we are associated with the Wada Na Todo Abhiyan and Social Watch Coalition among other campaigns.

Current initiatives

• Support to groups struggling with the impacts of the upcoming Special Economic Zones in Maharashtra

People's Delegation Meets Commerce Ministry on SEZ issue - 20th Sepetember 2006>>

Take action now - Protest against SEZs>>

• Support to the campaign against unregulated growth of the Sponge Iron Industry

Risk analysis study of a Sponge Iron Plant at Chhattisgarh>>

Report of the 2nd regional meeting in Raipur - 26-27, February 2006>>

Memorandum to the Central Pollution Control Baord on World environemnt Day 2006>>

Status of Standards for Sponge Iron Plants - 1st September 2006>>

For more information: Contact

Rifat Mumtaz:
Rifat has been working in the development sector from the past 7 years. Advocacy on the issues of rights of the marginalised sections has been her core area of work. Her niche has been on the issues of land rights, corporate land grab and environment governance. She also engages with the issues of women and violence and minority rights. She is With NCAS from 2003 in the Campaign Support Unit. She is Post Graduate in Political Science and Social Work, also an Advocacy Intern from the batch (2001-2002).