Living Democracy Movement was launched on the World Environment Day on 5 th June 1999, by more than 2000 people at the village Agastyamuni in District Rudraprayag in Garhwal, Uttar Pradesh in Northern India. The purpose behind the formation of Jaiv Panchayats is to conserve our heritage and to establish the rights of communities over the biodiversity of their areas. The Jaiv Panchayat is a movement to bring alive democracy.
Democracy is more than just elections.
Living Democracy is true freedom of all life forms to exist on this earth. Living Democracy is true respect for life, through equitable sharing of the earth's resources with all those who live on the planet. Living Democracy is the strong and continual articulation of such democratic principles in everyday life and activity. Living Democracy is using democratic institutions rather than centralised institutions to articulate democratic principles.