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| Thursday, 22 April 2004 |
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Book Review : The imperative of the Right to Development The Right to Development - A Primer (With an introduction by Stephen P. Marks, Harvard University) by Centre for Development and Human Rights (CDHR), New Delhi Published by Saga Publications India Reviewed by Chandani Jayetilleke The Right to Development is a highly debated issue in the international scene. Ideas on this have been discussed in many international conferences and seminars. However, now there is need to discuss this issue more widely in all branches of civil society so that the right can effectively be translated into implementation. The CDHR has taken the initiative to fulfil this requirement in the form of this publication. The publication is aimed at introducing the concept of Right to Development (RTD) and discussing its practical application in the Indian setting. Accordingly it has been divided into two main sections. The first section traces the origins and evolution of the idea of RTD and identifies the defining parameters and content of RTD and focuses on the three primary rights - the rights to food, education and health. The book says that this is the best 'starting point' for the implementation of RTD. The last chapter in this section emphasises the importance of women's rights in order to highlight the need to focus on safeguarding and promoting the human rights of vulnerable groups. Section two covers the Indian situation relating to RTD. The first chapter in this section provides an overview of the legal and institutional mechanism in India for the protection of human rights in general and women's rights in particular. Another chapter discusses the implementation of the rights to food, health and education and this section ends with the emphasis on functioning of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) - which has emerged in recent years as an important mechanism for securing social justice and the challenges and limitations of this mechanism. Providing an introduction to the publication, Stephen Marks of the Harvard University says that the book is a significant beginning in introducing the concept of RTD. "Not only must it be followed up with more publications of ongoing research on the numerous and diverse issues that fall within the rubric of RTD, it also merits emulation in other regions," he says in his introduction running into several pages. This well-researched, and well-presented publication will be of considerable interest to human rights activists, academics, government institutions and planning agencies as well as non-governmental organisations working in the field of development and human rights. Though its contents are mainly Indian based, the lessons we, Sri Lankans could learn from it are immense. |
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