The last two decades have seen a concerted and systematic attack on public services. This includes privatisation, commercialisation and outsourcing of public services to private providers. The rhetoric that underpins such policies has been the inefficiency of public management and the lack of resources in the public purse. This is linked with portraying the private sector as a more efficient manager, along with the ‘opportunity’ of raising much-needed financial resources brought by private sector involvement. In this context, organisations have come together to discuss the question of the role of tax justice in financing quality public services. The need of the hour are quality public services, funded by the state with communities participating in shaping these services, including in making decisions over the allocation of available resources. It is critical to understand the spaces for civil society intervention, linkages with broader global issues, as well as the challenges ahead. Pannelists: Chair: Harsh Mandar, Special Commissioner to the Supreme Court on the Right to Food (tbc) Anjela Taneja, Head of Policy at Global Camapaign for Education Chirashree Dasputa, Profesor at Jawaharlal Nehru University A. Naqvi, Convener of the National Platform against Water Privatization Aam Admi Party representative (tbc) The meeting is jointly organised by: ActionAid India, Building and Wood Worker’s International (BWI) South Asia, Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), Centre for Social Equity and Inclusion (CSEI), Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF), National Campaign Committee for Eradication of Bonded Labour, National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), National Confederation of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR), National Platform against Water Privatisation (NPAWP), Oxfam India, Peoples Budget Initiative (PBI), Public Services International (PSI), South Asia, Right to Food Campaign, South Asia Equity Forum (SAEF), UNI India Liaison Council (UNI ILC) India International Centre, Seminar Hall No. 1 (New Building) Friday 10 July, from 3pm to 6pm.

There were no results in the criteria