[Reader-list] NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PEOPLE'S MOVEMENTS

[Asit Das]

*NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PEOPLE'S MOVEMENTS*

*National Office: *6/6, Jangpura B, New Delhi – 110 014

*Phone:* 011 24374535 | 9971058735

*E-mail:* napmindia at gmail.com <napmindia at gmail.om> | *Web:*
www.napm-india.org

*NAPM Congratulates Prafulla Samantara on receiving the Goldman
Environmental Prize, Asia, 2017*

     *Long Live Dongria Kondhs**’** Struggle to Save Niyamgiri Hills!*



*New Delhi, April 24:* Prafulla Samantara, National Convener, National
Alliance of Peoples’ Movements and the leader of Lokshakti Abhiyan, Orissa
has been awarded The Goldman Environmental Prize, Asia, 2017. The Goldman
Environmental Prize honours the achievements and leadership of grassroots
environmental activists for their sustained and significant efforts to
protect and enhance the Natural environment.

He has been awarded the Prize for committing his life for the peoples’
struggle and the hardships that he has faced in the historic 12-year legal
battle along with Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti that affirmed the indigenous
Dongria Kondh’s land rights and protected the Niyamgiri Hills from a
massive, open-pit aluminium ore mine proposed by Vedanta.

Prafulla Samantara, 65, a socialist by thoughts, has been a part of many
leading Peoples’ struggles, one of which is Anti-POSCO Movement (*POSCO
Pratirodh Sangharsh Samiti*) in Orissa. POSCO planned to invest in the
mining industry, the building of a Steel Plant, captive power plant and a
port in Erasama block of Jagatsinghpur District. Along with the activists
like Abhay Sahoo, Prashant Paikaray, Manorama, and many others, he stood
against the land acquisition process by POSCO; and has fought the legal
battle in the Courts. He has undertaken Satyagraha, hunger fasts,
padyatras, rallies against the building of Dams and Barrages and the
emerging issues out of it on the upper stream of river Mahanadi. Living on
the campus of Lohia Academy, Bhubaneshwar, he has kept its doors open for
everyone and movements struggling for equity, justice and rights-based
development. Respected by peoples’ movements and academics and
intellectuals alike, he has given articulation to a socialist vision for
Odisha and is an ardent advocate of the open loot of the natural resources
of Odisha by corporations. He has been kidnapped, assaulted and attacked on
many occasions by the mining company for his activism, and continues to
receive threats for his ‘anti-development’ stance. But He stands strongly
against such threats by believing in *“We Shall Fight, We Shall Win!”*

National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements welcomes the decision of the
Goldman Environmental Prize and congratulates Prafulla Samantara. This is
an award for the valiant struggles of the communities to save the
environment and secure their right to live with dignity and oppose
destruction and loot of land, water and forest by corporations in the name
of development. Medha Patkar, Narmada Bachao Andolan - NAPM, while,
congratulating Prafulla Samantara for winning this award said,“*It is the
victory and recognition of the struggle of the Dongria Kondh tribe, the
people of Niyamgiri Hills and the Comrades like Lado Sikaka and Lingraj
Azad against the big Corporates. It is a victory of the movement and
everyone who over the years has contributed to this struggle.  Prafulla has
proved his own commitment and courage to the world and this award succeeds
in countering the false propaganda of the agencies who call it an extremist
movement. This is a struggle of the poorest of the poor against the biggest
corporations in the world. We are proud of and supporter of his work
because he is a fighter*”  NAPM National Conveners Aruna Roy, Rajasthan,
Arundhati Dhuru, Uttar Pradesh, Vimal Bhai, Uttarakhand, Meera
Sanghamitra,Telangana, Aashish Ranjan, Bihar, Sudhir Vombetkere, Karnataka,
Suniti S R, Maharashtra, Rajendra Ravi, Madhuresh Kumar, Delhi, Amulya
Nidhi, Madhya Pradesh and many others congratulated Prafulla Samantara on
his recognition.

*For details write to **napmindia at gmail.com* <napmindia at gmail.com>
* 9818905316*