Lok Satta Movement
Encyclopedia
Lok Satta is a non-partisan movement for democratic
reforms in the country of India
, led by Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan
, a former I. A. S.
officer and renowned activist from Andhra Pradesh
, India
. The movement was started in 1996 with the founding of Lok Satta, a non-governmental organization
. In 2006, the movement transformed into Lok Satta Party.
, it later spread across the country. Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan says that democracy
is for the people, of the people and by the people. Lok Satta is a registered society whose membership is open and available to all Indians. It has district branches and neighbourhood units spread all over Andhra Pradesh
. It has over 250,000 members in the state and over 30,000 in the Greater Hyderabad region. While Lok Satta's goals are governance reforms in India
, its organizational spread is largely in Andhra Pradesh
.
in major states and promoting local initiatives, and building an effective and highly credible coalition
at the national level specifically for electoral reforms. It has also launched its political party arm in October 2006, which has met with reasonable success .
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
reforms in the country of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, led by Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan
Jayaprakash Narayan (Lok Satta)
Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan , widely known as JP, is a noted Indian politician, social reformer, TV commentator and columnist. He is the President of Lok Satta Party and currently a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Kukatpally constituency in Andhra Pradesh.http://www.loksatta.org/cms/index.php?...
, a former I. A. S.
Indian Administrative Service
The Indian Administrative Service is the administrative civil service of the Government of India. It is one of the three All India Services....
officer and renowned activist from Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The movement was started in 1996 with the founding of Lok Satta, a non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
. In 2006, the movement transformed into Lok Satta Party.
Introduction
The group declared to form a political party and contest in the upcoming elections. Though the movement initially started in Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, it later spread across the country. Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan says that democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
is for the people, of the people and by the people. Lok Satta is a registered society whose membership is open and available to all Indians. It has district branches and neighbourhood units spread all over Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. It has over 250,000 members in the state and over 30,000 in the Greater Hyderabad region. While Lok Satta's goals are governance reforms in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, its organizational spread is largely in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
.
Activities
Apart from creating India’s largest base for a people’s movement in Andhra Pradesh, Lok Satta is now deeply engaged in building a viable national platform for democratic reforms through building alliancesAlliances
Alliances may refer to:* The plural of alliance, an agreement between two or more parties* Airline alliances, agreements between two or more airlines to cooperate on a substantial level...
in major states and promoting local initiatives, and building an effective and highly credible coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
at the national level specifically for electoral reforms. It has also launched its political party arm in October 2006, which has met with reasonable success .
- Andhra Pradesh Election Watch - Checking the criminal background of politicians in 2001, 2004
- Ensure backward communities are able to vote - 2001
Goals
- DemocratizationDemocratizationDemocratization is the transition to a more democratic political regime. It may be the transition from an authoritarian regime to a full democracy, a transition from an authoritarian political system to a semi-democracy or transition from a semi-authoritarian political system to a democratic...
of political parties to make them open, member-controlled, transparent, and accountable in all aspects. - ElectoralElectionAn election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
reforms to make elections truly democratic, fair and transparent; to facilitate and promote participation of the best men and women in India's political process; and to curb electoral mal-practices. - Balanced distribution of functions between the union and the states and local governments, together with allocation of adequate resources and devolution of powers commensurate with their functions.
- Effective decentralization of governance through empowerment of local governments as participative tiers of constitutionalConstitutionA constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
, democratic governance, and direct empowerment of people as stakeholders wherever feasible. - Effective functioning of legislature, executive and judiciary at all levels, with appropriate checks and balances.
- Measures for speedy, efficient, affordable, and accessible justice to people.
- Measures to make bureaucracy truly accountable, responsive, and efficient at all levels.
- Institutional checks to prevent abuse of office, including freedom of informationFreedom of informationFreedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
for transparent governance; insulation of crime investigation and prosecution from partisan pulls and political vagaries; creation of an effective, independent anti-corruption mechanism; and creation of an independent mechanism for appointment of constitutional functionaries.
Principles
According to Lok Satta, the specific reforms derived from the above generic principles must be in conformity with the following basic principles of democracy:- FreedomFreedom (political)Political freedom is a central philosophy in Western history and political thought, and one of the most important features of democratic societies...
- Self-governanceSelf-governanceSelf-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of organization.It may refer to personal conduct or family units but more commonly refers to larger scale activities, i.e., professions, industry bodies, religions and political units , up to and including autonomous regions and...
- EmpowermentEmpowermentEmpowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, racial, educational, gender or economic strength of individuals and communities...
of citizens - Rule of lawRule of lawThe rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
- Self-correcting institutional mechanisms