Members (Archive)

Anil Kumar Singh

Anil Kumar Singh is a social activist from Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. He is Executive Committee member of mm&P from Uttar Pradesh. He is associated with Samarpan Manav Kalyan Samiti in Allahabad. He has been working on issues of education, health, livelihood and gender discrimination among the vulnerable communities in Allahabad. he has been striving for the rights of the marginalized from three decades now.

Ashok Bhai Chaudhari

Ashok Bhai Chaudari is the founder of Adivasi Ekta Parishad. He has been working on the issues of adivasi people from past four decades. He is involved in rights based advocacy from fast 5 decades. he has also been actively involved in creating new leadership for vulnerable communities. He is also the founding member of Adivasi Samanvay Manch which is a National Alliance of individuals and groups working on tribal issues.

Bansi Lal Binjhna

Bansilal Bhinjana grew up witnessing the atrocities on the mine labourers as he started working in marble mines in Makrana at the age of 16. In 2005 owing to the degrading health conditions of the mine workers, Bansilal led an organised protest calling for the compliance of occupational health and safety standards in all mines in Jodhpur region. The protest was also for compulsory allocation of helmets, boots, masks and gloves to the mine workers. He was inclined towards the desire to mobilize and unionise the workers. Rajasthan State Mine Labour Union was formed in 2009. Bansilal has also been raising the call for greater social security for the mine workers with the need to establish a welfare fund that is put in use for socio-economic betterment of the mine workers and their children. He has been an active member of the mines, minerals and People alliance representing the state of Rajasthan.

Bhagya Lakshmi

Bhagya Lakshmi is an Executive Committee Member of mm&P representing Karnataka. She is an anti-mining women rights activist from Bellary, Karnataka. She has been working against sexual harassment in extractive industries, rise of Devadasis due to illegal mining, drug abuse amongst children and gender bias in mining needs. She is Associated with SAKHI a social organization in Bellary.

Deme Oram

Deme Oram is a tribal rights activist working mainly in Sundargarh district of Odisha. He is involved in tribal rights activities all over the country. His work focuses on land rights of the tribals, governance in Vth Schedule areas.

Indu Netam

Indu Netam a Gond Adivasi born in the small village of Markatola in Bastar district became a social activist at a very young age. She led a revolutionary movement against the mining companies that had entered her village for mining silminite and kyanite. Indu works for the rights, self-esteem and survival of Adivasi life and culture, for building an Adivasi news agency, and to prevent mining companies from taking Adivasi lands from past 2 decades. Indu has been an important member of the mm&P alliance representing Chhattisgarh. She associated with Advisa Samata Manch.

K. V. Pratap

K.V Pratap is an Executive Committee member of mm&P from Mancherial district Telangana and represents Telangana state. He is a lawyer by profession and has been dealing with various human rights issues in Telangana. He is also the President of Citizens Welfare Association, Mancherial Telangana and Chairperson CSNEHA Foundation in Mancherial.

Manphool Singh

Manphool Singh is an Executive committee member of mm&P from Haryana. He is a grassroots activist working for compensation and rehabilitation of silicosis affected mine workers in Haryana. He is himself a victim of silicosis and hence determined to work for the silicosis patients. He is associated with PRASAR, New Delhi.

Mukesh Birua

Mukesh Birua is a tribal rights activist working in Chaibasa, West Singbhum District, Jharkhand and Joda Barbil, Keonjhar District, Odisha. Since 2004 has been actively associated with various grassroots struggles. His focus areas of work include- Adivasi (Tribal) Rights, Adivasi (Tribal ) Culture & Science, Fight for Water, Forest & Land, Tribal Self Governance, Fifth Schedule, PESA in Jharkhand, had been co-spokesperson against the CNT Act Amendment along with the organization secretary of the Adivasi Sangharsha Morcha (top leader) and forced the Jharkhand government to bend and return the amendment. He was the Central General Secretary of the Adivasi Ho Samaj Mahasabha. The famous Chaibasa Nagarpalika movement was transformed into a mass movement by his efforts. Mass movement started in 2010, and public representative also joined the movement in 2011. Due to big mass movement in 2011, Jharakhand government has removed all 13 villages from Chaibasa municipality. Presently he is representing Jharkhand in the National Forum of mines minerals & People (mm&P). He is by profession a Bio-Chemical Engineer.

Munni Hansda

Munni Hansda, a phenomenal women from the Kathikund block of Dumka district has spearheaded a revolutionary movement against mining and other ‘development activities’ in the Kathikund region. Joined the Jharkhand Ulgulan Manch which is a network of people’s movement. Munni Hansda has successfully led the Kathikund agitation against the thermal power plant proposed by Kolkata Based RPG owned CESC Ltd (Calcutta Energy Supply Company). She has been a struggling against the violation of Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act, PESA and other constitutional guarantees to the tribal people. She is an active member in mm&P representing Jharkhand.

Rajesh Tripathi

Rajesh Tripathi got involved in social work right from his college days. His work began as a volunteer with Harsh Mandar who was then serving as an Indian Administrative Service Officer in Chhattisgarh. He works with Jan Chetana Manch. He has been actively taking on issues of illegal mining, displacement, corruption, degrading natural resources and ineffective governance. He is an active member of the mm&P alliance and has been involved in tribal rights and in general land rights advocacy on various platforms.

Raju Pandhara

Raju Pandhara is a social rights activist from Palghar District Maharashtra. He has been working on various land issue and land rights of Adivasi people and violation of constitutional rights of adivasi people.  He is also involved in lobbying with western India farmers and jointly working on land issues and destructive project, to save the land of farmers. He is associated with Bhumi Sena in Maharashtra. He is also one of the founder member of Adivasi Ekta Parishad.

Ravi Mittal

Ravi Mittal is an Executive Committee Member of mm&P representing Uttarakhand. He has been working on various issues relating to illegal mining, health, education, Forest rights, Cleaning of rivers, livelihoods of marginalized communities.

Ravindra Velip

Ravindra Velip is a social rights activist and ward member From Caurem Village, in Quepem Taluk, Goa. Ravindra has been fighting resolutely against the avaricious mining that has been a major cause for destruction of the serenity of South Goa and also adversely impacting tribal lives. As a Panch he has been successful in organising the panchayat and the gram sabha against the illegal mining in Maina and Caurem villages. Ravindra has tenaciously fought the oppression of the mining corporations, the state and the judiciary and has been successful in putting a stay on iron ore transportation.

S. A. Azad

S.A. Azad worked with several voluntary organizations doing social work, in Lal Kuan, a small village in the heart of Delhi state in 1999 to initiate work on education with children of labourers engaged in stone mining and stone crushing. As he started working with them, he identified that the workers in the stone factories died due to improper diagnosis of silicosis. From then on Azad began his work on Silicosis. He began a detailed survey and started involving himself in to campaign for Occupation Safety and Health. He campaigned intensively for environment and public health. People’s Rights & Social Research Centre (PRASAR) came into being as an organisation working to eradicate the occupational health problem in the area under the influence of Azad. Groups such as PRASAR, Delhi Forum, Toxics Link, Popular Education and Action Centre (PEACE), Human Rights Law Network and Centre for Education and Communication and some individuals have joined hands to form the Khan Mazdoor Adhikaar Manch. One of the first things this group did was to petition the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and demand compensation and rehabilitation from the Labour Ministry for those affected by silicosis, starting with the workers from Delhi. Azad has also been involved with the struggle of Od/Beldar community fighting for their land rights. He has also been working intensively on urban issues.

Sadhna Meena

Sadhana Meena is a fierce grassroots activist from Udaipur District in Rajasthan. She is associated with Adivasi Ekta Parishad. She is Executive Committee Member of mm&P representing Rajasthan. She has been working relentlessly on issues of illegal mining, environmental degradation due to mining in Zawar Zinc Mines, health of women in and around the mining sites, rehabilitation and resettlement of the displaced people. She has represented mm&P at the regional and national level.

Sant Ram

Santram Duggal is an Executive Committee Member of mm&P representing Himachal Pradesh. He is also President of Zilla Parishad, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. He is associated with Himalaya Niti Abhiyaan in Mandi.

Siya Dulari

Siya Dulari has been a key figure in the Dabhoura region of Rewa District, Madhya Pradesh working amongst dalits and adivasis on issues of natural resource rights, livelihood, nutrition and child rights. She began her journey as a social activist by teaching kids in the dalit and adivasi communities and empowering the women to form SHG’s. It was in 2007 that she along with her colleague Ram Naresh formed the ‘Rewanchal Dalit Adivasi Seva Samiti’. One of the landmark initiative that the Samiti has taken is the building of ‘Siya Colony’ which is three kms from the Dabhaura town. The idea behind such a settlement is that hundreds of families living in interiors of forest with no access to basic facilities such as health and education get a place to stay. The unoccupied government land can be used for the purpose of providing housing for such families. This has been taken up by Siya and she has been successful in granting such housing for the marginalised communities. The struggle is still on to provide electricity in the newly formed settlement. Siya has also been actively representing Madhya Pradesh in the mm&P programs.

Shiv Kumar Malagi

Shivkumar Malagi is a firebrand activist from Bellary district in Karnataka. He has been working on various development issues in Bellary from past 10 years. He is an Executive Committee Member of mm&P representing Karnataka. He is associated with Jan Sangram Parishat in Bellary. He has been working on issues of governance, District Mineral Foundation, implementation of development schemes, land alienation and forest rights.

Swaraj Das

As a student during the revolutionary years in West Bengal, Swaraj Das was inclined towards the political empowerment of the depressed classes. Swaraj formed the ‘Project Affected People’s Association’ (PAPA). The association was empowered to demand their rights both social and monetary to the mining companies. The Union has been successful in demanding heath insurances, jobs to the kins of workers who have died in service etc. He is an active participant from West Bengal in the mm&P alliance.

Thamizh Iniyan

Thamizh Iniyan is a social activist from Thiruvannamalai district in Tamil Nadu. He is Executive Committee Member of mm&P representing Tamil Nadu. His work focuses on the rights of farmers in Thiruvannamalai district. He is also actively involved against the illegal sand and granite mining in Tamil Nadu.

Yousuf Beg

Yousuf Beg is a social activist from Panna in Madhya Pradesh. He has been working with diverse social and developmental issues faced by the people in Panna. He is the founder of Pathar Khandan Mazdur Sangh in Panna and founder member of Prithvi Trust. The Sangh has been following the issues of Silicosis at various platforms and even moved the NHRC to demand justice to the silicosis patients. They work towards increasing presence in mining affected areas and ensuring the safety and health of mining workers. Beg is also working towards providing rehabilitation and compensation to the displaced in Umrawan due to eviction from Panna Tiger Reserve. He represents mm&P at regional and National level.