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Ashoka Fellow since 1982   |   India

Vasudha Vasanti Dhagamwar

MARG (Multiple Action Research Group)
Ashoka commemorates and celebrates the life and work of this deceased Ashoka Fellow.
This description of Vasudha Vasanti Dhagamwar's work was prepared when Vasudha Vasanti Dhagamwar was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 1982.

The New Idea

Vasudha Dhagamwar is working toward a national policy for resettlement of project displaced people, especially tribals. Her goal is to secure proper rehabilitation and compensation for displaced people. She is attacking the problem from several angles at once. She seeks to gain legal grounds forRead more

The Problem

Vasudha explains that there is a belief on the part of the tribals that the government would never displace them and if it did displace them it would take good care of them. By law, government must work with people in affected areas (from dam projects) to let them know what is about to happen andRead more

The Strategy

Dhagamwar has set up a national legal aid center which brings important public interest test cases before the courts. Her goal is to obtain precedent-setting judgments, especially those from India's Supreme Court, on behalf of the poor and unrepresented, then to provide follow-up services throughRead more

The Person

Vasudha has worked for over a decade in the legal field, both in teaching and in grass-roots legal aid and public interest work. She hopes for the evolution of a national policy for resettlement of project displaced persons. She has been invited to be a lecturer to IAS students (IndianRead more

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