WHY RIGHTS

sunil
 Why Rights?
 ‘Cause i am human and have decided to
stay in a social manner
 ‘Cause i pay my taxes
 ‘Cause i follow rules
 ‘Cause i allow government even to arrest
me or kill me and my family if I go against
society
 ‘Cause i decided not to be an animal or to
live with violence
 Why Rights?
 'Cause the moment i am born i am an
Indian citizen
 'Cause the constitution of India allows me
many rights
 ‘Cause the Govt has signed many
agreements in the world to respect human
rights (UDHR), to respect women’s rights
(CEDAW, ICPD, etc), to respect child
rights, etc. and gets world aid based on
these declarations
 Why Rights?
 ‘Cause India is no longer poor – it is the
4th Largest economy in the world (PPP)
basis
 ‘Cause we have 4 of the richest 10 people
in the world – more than even USA!
 ‘Cause we are rich enough to send a
spacecraft to the moon
 Why Rights?
 ‘Cause we are rich enough to have nuclear
weapons
 ‘Cause we are the largest importer of
weapons in the world
 ‘Cause our defence budget crossed Rs 1
lakh crore (Rs 10,00,00,00,00,000)
 ‘Cause each of our fighter
planes costs RS 300 crores
each and we HAVE to buy at least 12 at a
time)
 Why Rights?
 ‘Cause we should be ashamed that even
the poorest countries around us and those
who were liberated after us have better h
ealth and education
!
 Gandhiji’s Talisman

I will give you a talisman…

Recall the face of the poorest
and the weakest man whom
you may have seen, and ask
yourself if the step you
contemplate is going to be of
any use to him. Will he gain
anything by it? Will it restore
him to a control over his own
life and destiny? Then you will
find your doubts and yourself
melting away…
 Why
a Human Rights Approach to
Development?
 Every human being has rights
 All human beings have right to live with
dignity & without fear
 Protection of weakest main objective of
human institutions – formal & informal

The RBA is a process of enabling &

empowering those not enjoying their
human rights to claim their rights
 From Needs to Rights
Needs Based Approach
1. Needs may or not be met; not
obligatory
2. Needs are subjective; can vary
from person to person
3. Needs are also defined by the
giver and depends on the
goodwill and wishes of the
giver; sense of charity
4. May be limited or reduced
when there are less resources
Rights Based Approach
1. Rights are enforceable and
places an obligation on the state
to fulfill it
2. Once established, rights apply to
all people within the country at
all times
3. Holder of rights has a role in the
negotiations; rights are fulfilled
because the holder is entitled to
them
4. Rights cannot be limited or
reduced. They can evolve and
can be broadened. Rights are
dynamic and open to expansion.
 5 Main Entitlements
of all humans:
•Not to starve
•Not to suffer ill health
•Have chance to better their economic
condition
•Access to knowledge & information
•Decide on anything that affects their lives
 Four essential components for
establishing rights:
a. Recognition of the right
b. Rights have to get established into laws
or policies or schemes before it can be
enforceable
c. Need to be claimed by someone
d. Judicial system has to be in place to
address rights violations
The State (government) has the
obligation to:

RESPECT
PROTECT
FULFILL &
PROMOTE
the rights of its citizens
The World's Richest People
03.05.08, 6:00 PM
RANK NAME CITIZENSHIP AGE NET WORTH ($BIL) RESIDENCE

1 Warren Buffett United 77 62.0 United States

States
2 Carlos Slim Helu Mexico 68 60.0 Mexico
& family
3 William Gates III U.S.A 52 58.0 United States
4 Lakshmi Mittal India 57 45.0 U.K.
5 Mukesh Ambani India 50 43.0 India
Rs 1,72,000,00,00,000
6 Anil Ambani India 48 42.0 India
Rs 1,68,000,00,00,000
7 Ingvar Kamprad Sweden 81 31.0 Switzerland
& family
8 KP Singh India 76 30.0 India
9 Oleg Deripaska Russia 40 28.0 Russia
10 Karl Albrecht Germany 88 27.0 Germany
Institute of Development Action (IDeA), c/o the ant Rowmari PO Khagrabari, via Bongaigaon,
Dist Chirang(BTAD), Asom 783380 idea@theant.org www.theant.org
The GSDP of Assam during 2006-07 has been
worked out at Rs.49850.30 crore at constant
(1999-2000) prices and at Rs.65033.42 crore at
current prices. Budget 2008-09 speech by Fin Min Assam 2008
Newspaper Report, Aug 30, 2007: The Indian spending
spree kicked into high gear this week when the Defence
Ministry called for bids to fill an order for 126 fighter jets, a
contract worth Rs. 42000 Crores, or $10.2 billion.
March 19, 2008Union Budget 2008-09 has allocated Rs.
105,600 crores for India’s Defence. Crossing the one lakh
barrier for the first time, and accounting for nearly 14.1
per cent of total central government expenditure.

Institute of Development Action (IDeA), c/o the ant Rowmari PO Khagrabari, via Bongaigaon,
Dist Chirang(BTAD), Asom 783380 idea@theant.org www.theant.org
 Country INDIA B'Desh Bhutan Sri Sweden USA
(Data from Lanka
UNICEF Report 2008
)
Rank/Rate            
Under 5 Mortality
Rate Rank From
BELOW (U5MR) 49 55 54 135 189 151
Under 5 Mortality
Rate per 1000 live
births 76 69 70 13 3 8
Infant Mortality Rate
(IMR) per 1000 live
births 57 52 63 11 3 6
%age low birth
weight below 2.5 kg 30 22 15 22 4 8
% age children
below 1 yr
immunised against
TB/Measles 71/59 96/81 92/90 99/99 17/99 0/92
Institute of Development Action (IDeA), c/o the ant Rowmari PO Khagrabari, via Bongaigaon,
Dist Chirang(BTAD), Asom 783380 idea@theant.org www.theant.org
 Country
(Data from
UNICEF Report
2008) Sri
INDIA B'Desh Bhutan Lanka Sweden USA
Crude Death Rate

per 1000 8 8 7 7 10 8
population
Crude Birth Rate
per 1000
population 24 26 19 15 11 14

Total Fertility Rat 2.9 2.9 2.3 1.9 1.8 2.1

e
Female Literacy
as %age of Males 66 76 - 97 - -

Maternal Mortalit
y Ratio 300 320 260 43 5 8
per 1 Lakh births
Institute of Development Action (IDeA), c/o the ant Rowmari PO Khagrabari, via Bongaigaon,
Dist Chirang(BTAD), Asom 783380 idea@theant.org www.theant.org
 Country
(Data from World
Development Report
– from World Bank Sri Swede
2008) INDIA B'Desh Bhutan Lanka n USA
Rank/Rate            
PPP Gross National
Income (in 000 Crore
Rs) 19398.2 1554.8 - 455.4 1452.8 60871.8

Density per sq km 373 1109 - 306 22 33

Population below $1 5.6
per day 34.3 41.3 0 0
Population below $2
per day 80.4 84 - 41.6 0 0
Maternal Mortality
Ratio per lakh live
birth 540 380 - 92 2 17
Per Capita GDP $
per year 820 480 1410 1300 43580 44970