I have been thinking of meditation and mindfulness for many years; way back when, I was a grad student at MIT when the first international Mind and Life meeting brought the Dalai Lama in dialog with neuroscientists and launched the field that’s now called contemplative neuroscience. A few years later in 2010, I was on the stage with the Dalai Lama at the MLI meeting in Delhi 👇🏾.

Those were heady days; I thought that we were finally about to combine insights from Indo-Tibetan philosophical and contemplative traditions, techniques from neuroscience and new technologies to create a better world…

After 4 days of intense deliberations, the Janta ka Faisla jury read out their verdict. Both the Hindi text of the verdict (what was read out) and the English translation are given below. We are also attaching links to an extended verdict with detailed recommendations that was agreed upon by the jurors at the end of this article.

CM’s advisor promises to table the Jury Verdict of ‘Janta ka Faisla’ in Labour Planning Task Force

• On the third day of the ‘Janta ka Faisla’ event, Pradeep Sharma, who is the advisor to CM Bhupesh Baghel, appeared before the janta jury.
• Government will bring a new scheme for the labourers to resolve their problems: Labour Commissioner

Raipur-

On the third day of Janta ka Faisla programme, Advisor to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel Pradip Sharma, CII Western region former chairman Pradeep Bhargava, Labour Commissioner Alex Paul Menon and representatives of civil society appeared before the citizens’ jury and tried to…

Janta ka Faisla Day 1

Govt reaches public’s doorsteps

Raipur, Chhattisgarh

The progamme Janta Ka Faisla dedicated to the serve the interests of migrant labourers started at the Pastoral Centre Hall, Byron Bazar, Raipur as per the schedule on Monday. In the beginning of the session, the citizen’s jury of migrant workers asked burning and genuine questions to the experts, civil society and representatives of the government. The jury’s questions are mentioned below:

- People used to migrate for jobs for two reasons. First, for their own interest and second, under distress and financial compulsions also known as distressed migration…

Even in the best of circumstances, elite readers and viewers don’t see migrants and other marginal communities as equals, as fellow citizens. While the ongoing pandemic has unleashed an enormous amount of compassion, there’s a limit to our generosity; in contrast, what I am able to command by virtue of being a citizen has no expiry date.

There’s a difference between a gift and a right.

Janta ka Faisla reverses the gaze between the powerless and the powerful; it enacts a situation in which migrants fully occupy their roles as equal citizens with the right to sit in judgment on…

Janta Ka Faisla (JKF) is a platform for deliberative democracy that seeks to address the needs of migrant workers and represents them as full citizens of India. It offers migrants an opportunity to participate in a jury that addresses the challenges of Indian society, whether they are from Samaaj, Sarkaar or Bazaar. Chaupal, in partnership with Socratus Foundation and National Foundation for India (NFI), is organising the first Janta ka Faisla in Raipur from July 11th — 14th that will place migrant workers at the centre stage, drawn from different occupations and regions from Chhattisgarh.

The jury will hear from…

If you recall, the first wave of COVID and the subsequent lock down affected migrants across India, many of whom had to fend for themselves, walking hundreds of kilometres back home in some cases. That tragedy has now been overshadowed by the even greater challenges presented by the second wave. Between the two, COVID has thrown a harsh light on India’s systems of care and welfare.

Janta ka Faisla, our Citizen’s Jury, is back! We are organizing the first Janta ka Faisla with migrant workers in Chhattisgarh in July. We will be reporting on that event every day for the next month and a half — from today until independence day on August 15th.

Expect interviews with migrants, articles on their deliberations, expert interviews and other news items on a daily basis. Together, we hope to showcase a new approach to the practice of citizenship, one that helps create a society of the people, by the people and for the people. Here’s an interview from last year as we start our journey to a better world.