Draft EIA 2020
The Environment Impact Assessment is an essential tool to ensure that any development project considers the voices of the people and prioritises environmental protection, public health, and local livelihoods.
The Draft EIA2020 Notification dilutes many environmental regulations, gives clearances to hazardous industries and reduces scope for public voice to be heard. And this too during COVID when we should be building back green.
Art by Nivedita
Recent Projects
Wake Up to EIA 2020
Tracing India's environmental protest history, this song shows exactly why it is crucial for us to MAKE OUR VOICES COUNT. Originally written to #WithdrawEIA2020, the song is still extremely important today in light of the widescale environmental and social destruction, and the absolute lack of care for human, land, & ecological rights.
Voices from Adani Sites
A video screening to listen to the voices of those who have been systematically silenced by decision makers, corporates, mainstream media, and urban upper-caste elites.
The video covers issues ranging from land laws and rights, fishing commons and pollution issues with mining, to tribal rights, ecological damage, and police violence against locals.
Videos from Godda (Jharkhand), Kattupalli (Tamil Nadu), Goa, Mundra (Gujarat), Vizhinjam (Kerala), Kavalappara (Kerala), Farmer Protests (Delhi), and Juru Country (Queensland, Australia).
Community Discussion Circle
This discussion circle is a virtual community space for youth to engage with environment related movies, podcasts, songs, writings and art together! The discussion circle is planned to happen once in a while and even if only 3-4 people join. If you like the idea and would be interesting to join and create this together, please join the open group!
Some examples of pieces we will engage with:
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Poems by Jacinta Kerketta
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Report: Impact of Climate Change on Life and Livelihoods of Dalits, by National Dalit Watch of National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights
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Articles and videos on caste and climate change by Round Table India
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Podcast: Water and Caste, hosted by Swati Kamble
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Documentary: Fight with Care, Pulicat, TN
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Podcast: Healing the Land IS Healing Ourselves, by All My Relations Podcast
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Why Dalits dislike environmentalists, by Gail Omvedt
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Ghibli Studio movies: Princess Mononoke or The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
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Shorelines: Space and Rights in South India, book by Ajantha Subramanian
Renewable Energy Research
A 3 month long research project with around 30 young people interested in learning how to conduct academic research and write a research paper. We took on the topic of Renewable Energy in India and have explored various different forms of energy from mainly a scientific perspective.
10 Week Education Program with DLRC
We conducted a fun educational program about environmental justice and local governance with 8th-11th grade children from DLRC School, Pune. Through field work, discussions, and interactions with experts, we covered topics such as urban planning, waste collection and management, water supply and rivers, environmental law, art & activism, writing and filing RTIs, and public consultations.
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Legal Writing - Reports and Summaries
Case laws on 'conflicts of Interest'
Research on scientists who are involved in preparing EIA's through various institutions are also members of environmental decision making boards/committees which is a clear conflict of interest.
Case laws on implementation of State Tree Acts
Every state has their respective Tree Act, under which a Tree Authority is constituted and acts. However, it is largely observed that such Tree Authorities or Tree Officers are reduced to rubber stamp authorities to grant. This work is regarding the defunct Tree Authority in Goa since the Goa Daman & Diu Tree Preservation Act 1984 was passed by the State legislature.
Construction near ESZs and National Parks
Can new resorts be constructed within the 10km deemed ESZ of any National Park or Wildlife sanctuaries? If yes, what sort of clearances are required? What is the status of ESZ of Nagarhole Tiger Reserve? What are the violations which occurred in order to grant wildlife clearance for the double tracking for the Castlerock-Kulem railway line?
Purview of Judicial Review in Executive Decision-Making
The executive cannot decide powers of a statutory body that has been constituted through a statute. This is what has been done in Mollem where, through an office memorandum, various statutory body such as the NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) and other statutory bodies have been amalgamated into one body, headed by an MOEF officer. These bodies have become ineffective and cannot function independently. Question is, can the executive can do this through an office memorandum?
Hul Johar, Jai Bhim, Jai Savitri!
हुल जोहार, जय भीम, जय सावित्री!
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Shared Values/सामूहिक आचार-विचार
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Sensitivity to social inequalities and understanding our own positionality in the environmental justice conversation. सामाजिक असमानताओं के प्रति संवेदनशीलता और पर्यावरण न्याय की बातचीत में अपनी खुद का दृष्टिकोण का ध्यान रखना
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A willingness to listen, learn and engage with ‘difficult’ conversations. 'मुश्किल' बातचीत करने की और उनसे सीखने की इच्छा
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Vigorous but respectful critique and mutual conversation. जोरदार लेकिन सम्मानजनक समालोचना और आपसी बातचीत
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Deep respect for all living and nonliving beings and relationship. सभी जीवित और निर्जीव प्राणियों और रिश्तों के लिए गहरा सम्मान
About Yugma Collective
The Yugma Collective is a community focused on understanding, addressing and campaigning against mainstream ‘development’ paradigms and their environmental and social implications. The collective centers feminist, anti-caste and indigenous ways of relating and being with the world, especially in the context of the climate crisis.
Environmental management policy that is blind to social inequalities only further enables the dominant power structures and economic order. All of Yugma’s discourses, projects, and relations are, and must be, deeply rooted in respect, love, community, justice and constant learning/unlearning.
We have a horizontal organizational structure, with no leadership positions. Instead, we have informal ‘coordinators’ on a rotational basis, who take up and/or distribute any administrative or technical tasks that our activities may entail. These mechanisms, hopefully, will provide channels where hierarchies are challenged and power and space can be negotiated. Decisions are taken collaboratively and through conversation. We aims to move in the direction of a slow and self-driven community, rather than a large-scale and fast-paced work-oriented organisation. Since Yugma Collective is also an ongoing experiment in organisational democracy, the organisational structure is always open to reflection, dialogue and change.
Grievance Mechanism
We take harassment & discrimination very seriously. Harassment may be in relation to caste, gender, class, religion, sexuality and / or other identities. Something may be considered harassment if it makes a person feel uncomfortable, attacked, threatened, violated, unsafe, and/or discriminated against. Please click the button to know how to access the GRM
Collective Open Whatsapp Group
If you would like to join the Yugma Collective team, please get in touch with us via email (yugmanetwork@gmail.com). To join the community open whatsapp group for updates and projects to get involves in, click the button below.