2008
The 3rd REX Karmaveer Forum in 2008 led to a sustained campaign for electoral reforms, in association with NNFI- National Network for India and the UNODC.
This also set the pace for fighting corruption.
In 2008,REX Karmaveer community and iCONGO also collaborated withOnir Anirban (Filmmaker extraordinaire, REX Karmaveer Global Fellow and Karmaveer Puraskaar award recipient) to produce the firstcrowd-funded Bollywood Movie in India titled “I AM”, which tackled 4 big social issues legalisation of gay rights, child sex abuse, communalism and single parenting.
IMPACT & OUTCOME
This led to the creation of the No Criminals & Engage Voters campaign during the assembly elections in 2009.
This also led to designing the campaign SAY NO TO CORRUPTION with the UN who were our partners in the 3rd REX Karmaveer event, as they had requested us to conceptualise, create and launch the Karmaveer Chakra award in partnership with the UN.
The patrons for this REX Karmaveer Forum in 2009, were 2 legendary former Chief Election Commissioners.
We launched the CERI (Campaign for Electoral Reforms in India) process.
CERI was about creating progressive electoral reforms under the leadership of 2 former Chief Election Commissioners, Mr. James Michael Lyngdoh and Mr. Krishnamurthy.
Together, we worked on this silently for influencing policy with the right people in the Government offices, for 4 years from 2008 to 2012.
In early 2012, a policy document on electoral reforms was created in consultation with electoral experts from across the globe who all met in October 2011 at a round table in Berlin.
This POLICY DOCUMENT was given to the then current CEC, Mr. Quraishi (now a REX Karmaveer Laureate), who set up a special committee to look into all our suggestions and create an action plan.
We had a Karmaveer Puraskaar Noble Laureate, Mr. M.C. Raj who is a Dalit Leader and author leading the process for electoral reforms. The thought leadership created for electoral reforms by the REX Karmaveer forum is now recognised the world over.
Highlights from the CEC Press Release that appeared in several Newspapers: Meanwhile, the Centre for Electoral Reforms in India (CERI) said Mr. Quraishi had informed it that a three-member committee, headed by senior Chief Electoral Officer Sudhir Tripathi and consisting of representatives from the EC and the Law Commission, had been set up to study the demand for a proportional representation system. The committee would look into the ways and means of ushering in the proportional representation system, a CERI release said. The committee would have its first meeting next week with CERI.