When the Delhi government decided to privatize the water infrastructure in the Indian capital in 2000, a strong resistance movement emerged. These activists, which include Arvind Kejriwal, 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. This process of privatizing the management of municipal water has happened across many cities and its important for people to understand how this happens, why and under what conditions. 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.
"Do we need the World Bank in India?", asks Kejriwal.
Activist and resident of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal is an activist for governmental transparency. 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 founded the grassroots organisation Parivartan, devoted to the cause of ensuring a just and accountable governance in India.
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