Born to socially active parentsand grew up in an environment imbued with a sense of social justice and freedom, Medha Patkar is an Indian social activist and social reformer turned politician. She is majorly known for her work with people displaced by the Narmada Valley Development Project (NVDP), a large-scale plan to dam the Narmada River and its tributaries in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.Tune into IBN-Lokmat this Saturday, 5th April 2014 at 9.30 pm to hear the courageous woman Medha Patkar speak about her activism & achievements in societyand her views on the upcoming general elections.This show of Great Bhet is presented by Hero & co presented by AJNARA.
Apart from being the founder of Narmada Bachoao Andolan and National Alliance of People's Movements,she is also the recipient of numerous awards, including the Goldman Environmental Prize, Amnesty International's Human Rights Defender's Award and the BBC's Green Ribbon Award. Medha Patkar is one of Aam Aadmi Party’s most prominent candidates and will contest the 2014 General Elections from Northeast Mumbai.
Today, Medha Patkar is a name that needs no introduction. She is one of the most popular and strong social activists fighting for human rights of the people in our country. In 1986 to save thepeople getting affected in NVDP, she and her supporters organized marches and protests against the local government entity that was seeking financial grants from the World Bank for the Sardar Sarovar project. Patkar established the organization Narmada Dharangrastra Samiti, which in 1989 became the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA; Save the Narmada). The NBA’s major aim was to provide project information and legal representation to the concerned residents of the Narmada valley.
Through the NBA, Patkar sought help for those rendered homeless and without livelihoods because of the construction of the Sardar Sarovar and other large dams along the Narmada. Patkar also worked with local communities to develop alternatives for energy generation, water harvesting, and education, and created a system of residential and day schools in villages of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat. She was recognized internationally as well for all her social work in the country.
Tune in to know more about the achievements &social activism of Medha Patkar on IBN-Lokmat this Saturday, 5th April, 2014 at 9.30 pm.
Missed this episode? You can catch it on Sunday, 6th April 2014 @ 12 noon and 5:00 pm only on IBN-Lokmat.