Greenpeace India

Greenpeace logo

Greenpeace India is the Indian branch of the global environmental group Greenpeace, a non-profit NGO, with a presence in 40 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. The Indian operations run four broad campaigns namely, stop climate change, sustainable agriculture, preserving the oceans and preventing another nuclear catastrophe.

Funding

Greenpeace India claims to receive 60% of its finance from donors in India, 38% from Netherlands-based Greenpeace International and less than 1% from the U.S.-based Climate Works Foundation. The organization claims that they do not accept money from governments, intergovernmental organizations, political parties or corporations in order to avoid their influence.

Sexual Harassment in Greenpeace India

In 2015 following a revelation by an ex-employee in web forum about repeated sexual harassment and rape at Greenpeace India and subsequent harrassment for complaints , multiple women employees of Greenpeace India has come out talking about similar incidents of sexual harassment , bullying and rape at Greenpeace India. The organisation was accused of protecting the offenders .

History

The global organization known as Greenpeace today, came into existence in the year 1970 while Greenpeace India has been actively working on following:

In 2001, Greenpeace exposed the contamination of Pringles Potato Chips and Isomil Baby food with genetically engineered ingredients and questioned India's GMO free status.
In 2002, Greenpeace ran a month-long campaign to create awareness on the potential threats of what could become the first GE food crop in the country, resulting in the rejection of genetically modified mustard.
In 2003, Greenpeace along with local community, forced Hindustan Lever to pack and send 289 tons of waste material from its mercury thermometer factory to a recycling facility in USA instead of dumping it in a scrap yard in Moonjikal, a crowded part of Kodaikanal town, where it may pose health risks for residents.
In 2004, Bayer pulled out Genetic Engineering Research in India, clarifying its position in a letter to Greenpeace.
In 2005, Greenpeace announced in a press conference in New Delhi, that farmers in the Narsampet mandal of Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh were cheated by over Rupees 2 crores because local officials had doctored data of Monsanto’s poorly performing Bt cotton varieties. This led to an enquiry and subsequent ban on 3 varieties of BT Cotton, suspension of Joint Director of Agriculture (JDA) of Warangal district and state acceptance of fair compensation to farmers.
In 2006, Greenpeace exposed a scandal surrounding the Indian Government permitting France to dump a ship full of hazardous waste in India.
In 2010, Greenpeace through a petition campaign succeeded in including "complete supplier liability" in the Nuclear Liability Bill.
In 2014, the organization launched its first solar energy micro-grid making Dharnai, a village in Bihar, energy independent.
In April 2015, Government of India freezed its bank accounts and suspended its license for failing to abide by FCRA norms

Anti Development Activities

Greenpeace has been charged with obstructing development activities in India by the Government of India in 2013 after intelligence Bureau inputs. Greenpeace India is charged with undertaking protests against thermal power, nuclear power, coal and aluminium mining across the India. GreenPeace has also been charged with promoting Solar energy equipment of US based Zemlin Surface Optical Corporation especially in Bihar. Greenpeace India admitted to anchoring local protests against coal mines and participating in seminars where foreign funding is sought for protests. Though it was clarified that the source of funding does not lessen the seriousness of harm to the environment, it has had little impact on the often ignorant xenophobic fanatics who see any foreign firm as "enemy of the state".

According to IB (Intelligence Bureau) report, Greenpeace poses threat to national economic security,growing exponentially in reach, impact, volunteers and media influence.

FCRA violations

Greenpeace has been charged with several cases of FCRA(Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) in India. Some of the violations include - spending more than 60% funds as management expenses and tax evasion. According to FCRA, NGOs cannot use more than 50% of foreign funds for administrative expenses. On April 28, 2015 Indian Government freezed the bank accounts of Greenpeace India and suspended its license for failing to declare details of donations from abroad under FCRA. However, the employees of Greenpeace India decided to work without salary in case funds run out.

Dharnai, India's first fully solar-powered village

On July 20, 2014, Greenpeace India set up 100 kW solar-based microgrid in Dharnai,Bihar costing 3 crores,that provides 24×7 electricity to 450 homes and 50 commercial operations.

The story of Dharnai has also impressed Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. However,this is insignificant compared to massive initiatives by state governments of Gujarat,Rajasthan and MP which generate bulk of 3000 MW of solar power

According to Kamal Kishore, a resident of Dharnai,this helped village get over kerosene lamps and solved their energy crisis.

The micro-grid is being co-operated by two other organizations BASIX and Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED).

India has an installed energy capacity of 211 GW while its peak energy demand is said to rise to 335 GW by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan (2012–2017), to meet this demand the government will have to install within the next four years, twice the capacity it has been able to install in the last 60 years.

Samit Aich, Executive Director of Greenpeace India claimed that nuclear/thermal power plants will not be able to reach small villages like Dharnai.However the claim is disputable as in states like Gujarat every village has been reached on existing grid.

Naveen Mishra of CEED has also urged the Bihar government to recognize the potential of the decentralised renewable energy systems (DRES) and replicate the Dharnai model across other dark villages of Bihar.

The Mahan Coal Mine Project Controversy and Activist Struggles

The Mahan Coal Mine project, as it is termed, is a joint venture between Hindalco Industries Ltd, India and Essar Energy Plc, of the Essar Group, an Indian multinational conglomerate partly floated on London Stock Exchange in 2010. A recent controversy erupted in early 2015, when Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai, was offloaded from a London bound flight taking off from Delhi Airport without any reason by Indian Intelligence Bureau.

Pillai told the Guardian:

“I wanted to come to London to tell British MPs about what I’ve witnessed in Mahan. A community of 50,000 people has been fighting this London-based company, Essar Energy, trying to save their forest home. Essar just wants to bulldoze the forest and replace it with a coal mine."

Per Greenpeace, there are anywhere between 54-62 villages who depend on the forest for their lively hood, additionally, the Mahan forests, that the mining company plans to destroy by cutting down over 500,000 trees, houses hundreds of migratory bird species and wildlife. The project was first floated in 2006 and rejected in 2011, by the then Environment Minister who cited following reasons of his rejection

“it is an undoubtedly biodiversity rich area. It will destroy good natural forest cover and interfere with wildlife habitats”. He further added that "by the companies’ own admission, the coal mined from this area will only last for the next 14 years and therefore he does not find the proposal reasonable".

The environment minister was relieved from his job shortly afterwards and in February 2014, the project later received a green signal from government, under the new minister M. Veerappa Moily, following which Greenpeace activists staged a protest that resulted in Essar Group suing 'Greenpeace India' and the villagers of Mahan Sangarsh Samiti for 500 crores.

Also, in June2014, an article published in reuters confirmed that the new government under Narendra Modi asked RBI to attain government authorization before releasing foreign funds to Greenpeace India .

Later in September 2014, the Indian High Court ordered the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs to unblock funds of Greenpeace India. Executive Director of Greenpeace India, Samit Aich stated in the press that:

“The High Court’s direction to the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) throws light on the completely arbitrary manner in which the government has attempted to muzzle voices of dissent in a democracy in the name of financial scrutiny, Greenpeace is forced to believe the MHA is attempting to financially choke and discredit Greenpeace India in order to proceed smoothly with its pro-corporate agenda”.

Pillai was barred from travelling out of India because of Indian Government's concern of her testifying against India in foreign sovereign Parliament where Indian Governments counter view would not be heard. According to Government of India, such hearings are tilted and used as instruments of foreign policy-unlike UN committees where each country is allowed its say.

Pillai and Greenpeace called it action against social activists and cite financial times report from India that:

"Many social activists now fear that New Delhi’s tough tactics against Greenpeace maybe the opening salvos in an effort to silence non-governmental organizations considered impediments to Narendra Modi’s development agenda, especially the prime minister’s plan to kick-start stalled mining and industrial projects".

See also

• Greenpeace
• Kodaikanal mercury poisoning
• 2006 Ivory Coast toxic waste dump
• Essar Energy

External links

• http://dharnailive.org/
• http://www.greenpeace.org/india/en/about/Success-Stories/
• http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8b7a1492-9cbc-11e4-a730-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3P19fmKpx