The state determines how power is exercised, how decisions are made, and what is the right of citizens to participate in this decision making process. Judiciously, governance includes accountability both political and bureaucratic; it includes freedom of participation, information, expression supplemented with an impartial judiciary.

Indian democracy has some of the finest structures of governance with state legislative assemblies and local self-governments, but is unfortunately not functioning optimally; the five–year term of the government is been used to suppress the peoples’ mandate, the bureaucracy shuts itself inside huge castles and local governance remains influenced by caste, gender and religion dynamics.

In this backdrop, our efforts is to make the communities know the basic fundamentals of governance, make them aware of the policies, plans and laws governing them, provide them with technical support and advice. All this to develop systems of participatory democracy, with just representation.

providing information and trainings to communities

For all these years, Hazards Centre has been conducting workshops, seminars, public meetings on the issues such as the Master Plan, Right to Information, Regularisation of Unauthorised colonies, policies on slum rehabilitation, implications of 74 th Constitutional Amendment and so on.

Empowering communities on their right to basic services, policy framework on employment and housing had also been the central theme of all Hazards Centre activities. We have tried to emphasize how the government is using the various provisions under law and policies to repress the disgruntlement amid the people.