30 years of CAG

We are starting CAG's 30th year celebrations with a public conversation about the need to enhance transparency and accountability, and the role that citizen participation can - and should - play. Good governance, pro poor planning and citizen empowerment have been on the agenda of governments and civil society alike, but there is much left to be achieved. The conversation on October 10, 2015 will highlight four instances of conflicts and discuss ways to address these challenges.

The session on Corporate Consumer Responsibility presents problems in sales and after sales that consumers experience when they buy manufactured goods, financial and healthcare services, and food products. In the discussion on Smart Citizenship, we will discuss the challenges to delivering social, economic and environmental impact posed by the lack of data, and the need for an approach which engages citizens in complementary digitally mediated and face-to-face processes that respect local knowledge systems. Our third session on Climate Change stresses on the need for businesses to act urgently to combat climate change and invites discussion on this global challenge from the perspective of energy, automobiles and buildings. The session on Riverfront Development will discuss the current envisioning of 'development', the displacement and exploitation of sections of marginalised and vulnerable populations ​it entails, and the insights we can gain from Ahmedabad's Sabarmati development experience for Chennai.

These discussions will be framed by two key lectures. For the Inaugural lecture we have Justice Dr. S Muralidhar, who has a rich experience with human rights jurisprudence and has delivered legal support to the under-privileged and marginalised, including fighting for the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy and inhumane evictions of slum-dwellers by the Government of Delhi. This year's Founders' Day lecture will be delivered by Mr. Prashant Bhushan, a legal activist who has fought for human rights and environmental protection, and been a strong advocate against corruption and for accountability of public officials.

We are honoured to have speakers from civil society, business and governments and welcome everyone to participate.