When the Delhi government decided to privatize the water infrastructure in the Indian capital in 2000, a strong resistance movement emerged. These activists, which included Arvind Kejriwal (now the Delhi Chief Minister), have played a critical role of maintaining access to water for Delhiites and have shown the power of collective action.
Due to the successful campaign which exposed the corruption of this potential World Bank project, the project was halted. Arvind Kejriwal explains the influence of the World Bank Group in the bidding procedure to predetermine which corporation (Price Waterhouse Coopers) would profit from the management of such an important public resource in the city of Delhi.
Activist and resident of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal was an activist for governmental transparency long before he became the state’s Chief Miniser in 2013. He has received awards for his involvement with grassroots organisations in India, prominent one being the “Indian of the Year in Public Service” in 2006. He also co-founded the grassroots organisation Parivartan, devoted to the cause of ensuring just and accountable governance in India.
More info: http://www.worldbanktribunal.org/water.html
Produced by: Independent People’s Tribunal of the World Bank Group in India
Year: 2007
Language: English
Region: Delhi, India, South Asia
