Dear friend,

Please treat this as a special personal invitation to the General Body Meeting
of the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) planned on 9th and
10th November, at Tara, Panvel, near Mumbai.

This, of course is for those who fully agree with the ideological and
strategically position of the NAPM. The Alliance as you know came into
existence since 1992 and has consistently stood on a triangular ideological
base, with three pillars: opposition to globalization and liberalization based
economy; goal of secularism and caste annihilation, with opposition to
fundamentalism and discrimination of all kinds; and support to an alternative
paradigm of development, based on equity, justice and sustainability with
appropriate technologies.

NAPM has struggle and reconstruction, both, as its prime strategies with
empowered mass base of the marginalized and exploited and communities to civil
society groups as its frontal force. NAPM is an alliance, but also takes the
form of an organization, whenever and wherever it gets directly involved in an
agitation or a movement. Its democratic organizational structure at the state
and national level evolves from its allied organizations who choose their
Conveners every two years and also co-opt selected individual members to the
Conveners’ Committee. The National Conveners are elected at the National
Convention every two years.

NAPM has always tried to support the movements of its allies and has also taken
up the social, economic and political causes at state, regional and national
level. NAPM’s intervention into serious crises and calamities has been in
the
wider perspective of human rights and civil liberties on the one hand and
decentralized development based on equity and self reliance on the other. NAPM
has contributed to the international campaigns and allied actions questioning
the role and policies of the World Bank, ADB, and other multilaterals and
bilaterals as well as WTO.

Dalits, adivasis, women, unprotected workers, farmers and labourers as well as
minorities, amongst both the rural and urban poor receive the attention and
support from NAPM for their causes, which are taken up without losing the value
of social integrity, respecting diversities within. NAPM’s allies and
activists
are thus fully involved in fighting the onslaught on farmland and natural
resources (water, forests, fish and minerals) and the Special Economic Zones,
symbolizing unjustifiable discrimination between agriculture and industry.
Displacement is questioned by NAPM and its contribution towards drafting of
national policies on development planning and just rehabilitation is taken
forward through mass movements as also dialogue and deliberations. It asserts
communities’ rights to resources, livelihood, right to work and positive
discrimination.

NAPM is now pledged to improve upon its organizational processes to evolve a
well-knit structure and participatory approach to enable its allies to seek and
give support to each other and unitedly take up the wider cause of
socio-economic and political transformation in this country and, to an extent,
beyond.

THE UPCOMING GENERAL BODY MEETING OF NAPM IS TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 9TH &
10TH,
2008 AT YUSUF MEHRELLY CENTRE, TARA, TALUKA PANVEL, DIST RAIGAD.

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO THIS IMPORTANT MEETING. AMIDST THE ECONOMICS AND
POLITICS INFESTED WITH COMMUNALISM, CORRUPTION AND CRIMINALIZATION, YOUR
JOINING US WILL GO A LONG WAY IN STRENGTHENING THE PEOPLE’S MOVEMENTS
TOWARDS A
NEW PEOPLE’S POLITICAL FORCE. HENCE THIS EARNEST REQUEST.

HOW TO REACH:

People from the south can take a train which stops at Panvel. Other can take a
bus from Mumbai to Panvel. Buses are available at Dadar Post Office, Dadar TT
(East), Opp: bBs stop for Mumbai-Pune Asiad buses. Panvel is at one hour
distance from Mumbai by road.

The venue at Tara is 15 minutes from Panvel bus station on the way to
Alibaugh/Pen/Goa. Board any local bus which goes towards these places and
alight at Bandhan Wadi busstop. Walk ahead for 3-4 min, to locate the Yusuf
Mehrully Centre to your right. In case you need some help in planning your
travel, please let us know.

Stay and lodging arrangements are to be provided at Tara itself. Please reach
on the 8th night or 9th early morning and be there till 10th late evening.

ONE SMALL AND FORMAL REQUEST:

YOU MAY KINDLY FILL UP AND SEND BACK THE FORM FOR INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATIONAL
MEMBERSHIP, IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY FILLED THE SAME. THE MEMBERSHIP FORMS ARE
UNDERNEATH. YOU CAN ALWAYS PAY THE MEMBERSHIP FEE AT THE GB MEETING.

Awaiting your confirmation at the earliest

Medha Patkar Mukta Srivastava (09969530060) Sanjay M. G (9869400508)

Suniti S. R (09423571784) Simpreet Singh (09969363065)

For further assistance contact:

Pervin Jehangir (09820636335)

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