Monday, May 24, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Minorities panel says Dinakaran victimised

 

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Minorities-panel-says-Dinakaran-victimised/Article1-547652.aspx

Minorities panel says Dinakaran victimised
Nagendar Sharma, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, May 24, 2010

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has said the uncertainty
surrounding the fate of beleaguered Karnataka High Court Chief Justice
PD Dinakaran amounts to victimisation.

The national watchdog for protection of the rights of minorities has
hinted the treatment given to Justice Dinakaran has angered the
Christian community in Karnataka.

In a letter to law minister M Veerappa Moily, NCM vice-chairman HT
Sangliana has said though no corruption charge has been proved against
Dinakaran, he has been targeted just on the basis of media reports.

"The Justice Dinakaran case should be decided quickly; if he is found
guilty of corruption charges, suspend or terminate him, but without
any probe how can he be treated like this?" Sangliana said.

"A number of lawyers from Bangalore have met me and told me that the
charges are false, but I told them it is for a probe to decide that.
The question is how long will the process take, nobody knows," he
said.

"The minorities, particularly Christians, are not satisfied at the
turn of events," he said.

The NCM is the second organisation to speak in favour of Justice
Dinakaran, a Dalit Christian. The National Commission for Scheduled
Castes chief, Buta Singh, had in October last year said the judge was
being targeted as he is a Dalit.

Justice Dinakaran continues to be in the Karnataka HC, but he is not
hearing any cases since December last year.

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati's yes for special force for statues, memorials

 

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Mayawati-s-yes-for-special-force-for-statues-memorials/Article1-547826.aspx

Mayawati's yes for special force for statues, memorials

Indo-Asian News Service
Lucknow, May 24, 2010

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is set to go ahead with her
decision to form a special force to protect her multi-billion dream
projects -- memorials and statues, officials said on Monday.

"We will have the new outfit in place by next month. We commenced the
recruitment exercise a couple of months ago," disclosed state police
chief Karamveer Singh.

"Since the entire recruitment was to be of ex-servicemen whose list
had been sought from the local soldiers' welfare board, the process
would not take time," he said.

The new State Special Zone Security Force will be designated to guard
different memorials and statues raised by Mayawati at a whopping cost
of more than Rs.6,000 crore.

These include the Ambedkar Memorials in Lucknow and Noida, Kanshi Ram
Memorial, Kanshi Ram Sanskritik Sthal, Rama Bai Ambedkar Maidan,
Buddha Vihar and Kashi Ram Green Eco Garden -- all in Lucknow.

The Kashi Ram Green Eco Garden is coming up on the sprawling 120-acre
of land vacated after the shifting of the Lucknow district jail to the
city's outskirts.

However, it is learnt that the central government is against setting
up such a special force with powers to arrest and prosecute.

Highly placed sources told IANS that the central government had
written to Governor B.L. Joshi, saying the creation of such a force
would be illegal.

The idea is to give the force a permanent status because a similar
force created by the previous Mayawati regime in 2003 was disbanded by
her successor Mulayam Singh Yadav.

While Raj Bhawan sources are tight-lipped, a top official said: "The
state government does not necessarily require an enactment for raising
a special force. It could be done through a simple administrative
order. That has already been issued."

As per the original plan, the new force of about 1,000 men would be
headed by an officer of the rank of inspector general, who will be
assisted by a superintendent of police and a few deputy
superintendents.

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[ZESTCaste] No deal with Mayawati, Mulayam on cut motions: PM

 

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/no-deal-with-mayawati-mulayam-on-cut-motions-pm/622896/

No deal with Mayawati, Mulayam on cut motions: PM

Agencies Posted online: Mon May 24 2010, 11:29 hrs
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said there was no
deal with BSP supremo Mayawati and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to
garner their support during the recent opposition-sponsored cut
motions in Lok Sabha.
"There was no deal....Whatever misconceptions you have in your heart,
kindly get rid of them," Singh said in reply to a question at a press
meet on whether the UPA government had struck an understanding with
Mayawati and Yadav.

Opposition parties, led by BJP, had alleged that the government had
used the CBI to pressurise Mayawati, Yadav and RJD chief Lalu Prasad,
all of whom are facing disproportionate assets cases, to win their
support.

While BSP had voted with the government against the cut motions, SP
and RJD had staged a walkout.

During the press conference, the Prime Minister also refuted the
charge that government had misused the CBI.

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[ZESTCaste] Caste-based census against statute: RSS

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Caste-based-census-against-statute--RSS/622739

Caste-based census against statute: RSS
Vivek Deshpande Posted online: Mon May 24 2010, 00:52 hrs
Nagpur : The RSS has said that caste-based census is against the idea
of a casteless society envisaged by leaders like Babasaheb Ambedkar in
the Constitution and will weaken the ongoing efforts to create social
harmony.
Sangh sarkaryawah Bhaiyyaji Joshi, however, told the media here on
Sunday that it was not against registering citizens under various
categories like Open, SCs, STs, OBCs etc. "The RSS has from beginning
been striving for a society without any caste sense. We are not
against registering categories, but we oppose registering castes."

Joshi, however, said yardsticks should be fixed to provide
reservations to OBCs, and it would not be proper to do it without
holding discussions among various social groups and communities.
"Currently, there are different yardsticks in different states."

Claiming the current census doesn't have any means to identify and
segregate the illegally living foreigners in the country, Joshi said,
"It would not be proper to use this census for providing Unique
Identification card." He said the cards should be issued only after
confirming the persons' nationality.

The RSS general secretary also drew attention towards the
human-itarian crisis owing to the ongoing blockade agitation in
Manipur.


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[ZESTCaste] Ambedkar film: better late than never (Opinion)

http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/24/stories/2010052452661100.htm

Opinion - Readers' Editor : Online & Off line

Ambedkar film: better late than never


S. Viswanathan


In a significant intervention, the First Bench of the Madras High
Court directed the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) on May
18 "to take all possible steps to release at an early date the Tamil
version of its English film, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, released in 1998.
The Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Elipe Dharma and Justice
K.K. Sasidharan also directed the State Government to "decide the
issue regarding tax concession as claimed by the distributor of the
Tamil version" within two weeks. Disposing of a writ petition filed by
a lawyer, S. Sathia Chandran, under Article 226 of the Constitution,
the judges further directed the NFDC, a Government of India enterprise
based in New Delhi, to release the film "as expeditiously as possible
and in any case, within a period of four weeks" from the date of
receipt of the order. Article 226 of the Constitution relates to the
power of High Courts to issue certain writs. Clause 2 states: "The
power conferred by clause (1) to issue directions, orders or writs to
any Government, authority or person may also be exercised by any High
Court exercising jurisdiction in relation to the territories within
which the cause of action, wholly or in part, arises for the exercise
of such power, notwithstanding that the seat of such Government or
authority or the residence of such person is not within those
territories.)"


The orders, when acted upon, will hopefully bring to an end the long
wait of film-lovers in Tamil Nadu, particularly those working in the
fields of human rights and social justice, besides large sections of
the general public, including Dalits, to watch the acclaimed film.
Directed by paediatrician-turned-filmmaker Jabbar Patel, the film was
released 12 years ago to mark the birth centenary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
(1891-1956), one of the architects of the Constitution of India. The
film was produced at a cost of Rs. 7.75 crore with funds provided by
the central and Maharashtra governments in 1991.


Veteran Malayalam actor Mammootty's stellar performance as Dr Ambedkar
brought him the National Award for acting in 1999. The film also
bagged awards in the categories of Best English Film and Best Art
Direction. On the choice of Mammootty, Jabbar Patel said in an
interview to The Week: "I searched all over the world for somebody who
would be able to perform and look like Ambedkar. I chose Mammootty
after screening hundreds of actors in India and abroad."


Critical acclaim

The feature film received detailed reviews and critical acclaim in the
media across the country. Several mainstream newspapers and magazines
published insightful interviews with Jabbar Patel on his highly
professional filming of Dr Ambedkar's life and times. "In fact, the
talent that has gone into the film is what makes it well-researched
and slickly-produced," said a reviewer. The scriptwriters included a
former Editor of Free Press Journal, Aru Sadhu; and an
Ambedkar-scholar, Y.D. Phadke, reviewed the script for authenticity.


Although the producers said the film was dubbed in nine languages, the
Tamil version is yet to see the light of day. Tamil Nadu's Information
and Publicity Minister Parithi Ilamvazhuthi told the State Assembly on
May 7, 2007, that the State Government had granted Rs. 10 lakh to dub
the Ambedkar film in Tamil. He also recalled that the State Government
provided a grant of Rs. 99 lakh to make a film on the champion of the
social justice, Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, and ordered tax exemption for
screening the film. He promised that the film would be released
"soon." Recently, advocates and students of Madurai Law College and
social activists staged a demonstration in Madurai demanding the
release of the film. They raised slogans against governments at the
Centre and in the States for not arranging the release of the film
even a decade after its making. They attributed motives to the
authorities. Nothing much seems to have happened. The petitioner said
in his affidavit: "It is an undisputed fact that if the film on Dr.
Ambedkar is released in Tamil, it would certainly awaken and enlighten
the toiling masses, the Dalits, towards working for an egalitarian and
truly casteless society, which is the ideal of the Constitution, as
dreamt of by Dr. Ambedkar."


It is not as if Tamil Nadu is the only State in which there was no
public screening of the film in the regional language. Even in States
where the film was exhibited, the authorities were reportedly not very
keen to take it to larger audiences. The indifference of the
authorities, some Dalit activists said, was aligned with the
reluctance of "upper caste" owners of cinema houses in several places.


Its screening and questions

The inordinate delay in the attempt to get the film screened in Tamil
Nadu raises some questions. How was it that either the government
enterprise, NFDC, or central and State government authorities did not
take any serious initiative for such a long period to provide access
to the film for the people of a progressive State, which accounts for
the third largest presence of Dalits in the country, for whose rights
Dr Ambedkar fought all his life and for whom it could have been an
inspiring experience? How could the leaders of the principal political
parties, who are legitimately proud of their long, uncompromising
struggles against caste-based discrimination and their continuous
fight for social justice, have been so slow in taking to the people
the message of the one who dedicated his life, his outstanding
intellect, and his many gifts to the concept of affirmative
discrimination and facilitated the extension of reservation benefits
to more sections of the socially and educationally backward people, on
an appropriate occasion? One possible explanation from the authorities
for this lapse could be that when the film was launched in the late
1990s at the national level, some regions in Tamil Nadu were badly
affected by caste-related violence and mindless killings and so it was
not the right time to screen the film. But then, even assuming that
such fears were not ill founded, it should be noted that the situation
in the State took a turn for the better from mid-2000. The screening
of the film could not have been much of a problem. In any case, a
national leader like Dr Ambedkar, whose contribution to the Indian
polity and democracy was second to none and whose influence today is
perhaps greater than at any point during his lifetime, deserves
better.


Boasting a film industry that produces about 120 films every year and
generates an annual revenue of not less than Rs. 800 crore and more
than 1,800 cinema houses, Tamil Nadu could hardly throw the blame on
any resource crunch for the delay in arranging for the public
screening of a historic film of undisputed educational value. The
authorities would do well to expedite the process of giving a tax
waiver to the film and facilitate its screening for the benefit of all
sections of the people, especially the youth and students. The role of
the media in monitoring and indeed ensuring such socially beneficial
outcomes is important.

readerseditor@thehindu.co.in


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[ZESTCaste] Failed PDS starves Gaya's Maha Dalits

http://www.thehindu.com/2010/05/24/stories/2010052454651300.htm

National

Failed PDS starves Gaya's Maha Dalits

Shoumojit Banerjee

Hunger deaths present a sober reality check to Bihar government


GAYA: With the National Democratic Alliance government in Bihar
playing cowboys and Indians with the Centre over the number of BPL
(below the poverty line) families in the State, Gaya's hunger deaths
proffer a sober reality check to the government consistently
serenading its schemes for the Maha Dalit community.

Three years ago, 14 members of the Bhuiyyan community (a Maha Dalit
sub-caste) from a village in Gaya's Mohanpur block died after eating
the rotten meat of a dead goat. The reason for this desperate act was
non-availability of grain in the village for long.

Fast-forward two years to the Dobhi block, where more than six
starvation deaths were reported. All the victims belonged to the
Bhuiyyan-Musahar sub-caste and their names did not figure on the BPL
list.

Similarly at Tetua tola, populated with 150-odd Bhuiyyan-Musahar
families, barely 69 villagers have their names on the BPL list. A mere
14 received some part of the benefits of the old-age pension scheme.
Hardly any of the villagers was given the yellow Antyodaya Anna Yojana
(AAY) card that would entitle them to 25 kg of grain at subsidised
rates.

Gaya's hunger deaths reached their climax last month with the death of
Congress Manjhi of Manan Bigha, who had been ailing for the past three
years. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis six months ago and he died
on April 14 — too ill and too weak to work.

Authorities attributed his death to an illness and not to starvation.
A Maha Dalit though, Manjhi also did not figure on the BPL list.

In each instance, the kith and kin of the victims were given a token
one quintal of rice after their deaths. This, understandably, was to
calm the frayed tempers.

"Till date, there have been more than 100 hunger deaths in Bihar, with
26 of them having occurred in Gaya alone. Every single one of them
smacks of incredible bureaucratic-political torpor," says Rupesh,
state advisor to the Supreme Court Commissioner.

According to activists like him, very little has changed for the
Bhuiyyans in the last 2,500 years.

At a Jan Sunwai (public hearing) organised this Wednesday by activists
of the People's Union for Civil Liberties and Koshish, a right to food
organisation, a thousand-odd Bhuiyyans took part, braving the
scorching heat, for making their voice heard after a very long time.

Not one of them had consistently been given food grains on their BPL
'red' cards since June 2009, while barely a dozen were ever issued
with AAY cards. "Even in States with dismal human rights records,
there has been at least some advancement. But here, there has been
very little progress," said Harsh Mander, special commissioner of the
Supreme Court and jury member at the hearing.

Noting that "there is a systematic breakdown in Bihar's Public
Distribution System," he said: "It is vital for the district
administration to get the anganwadi centres in working order if the
Bhuiyyan-Musahar communities are to get any relief in the near
future."

Mr. Mander pointed out: "In case of hunger deaths, there is a long
time period during which the victim has consistently survived on a low
ration of foodgrains. When the autopsy is performed, there will remain
bare traces of morsels." The Human Rights Commission ruled that there
was no need to submit a post-mortem report for hunger deaths.

"Unless there is a mechanism to control corruption at delivery, it
will not make any difference to the government switching to cash
transfers from the PDS," says Father Jose of the PUCL's Bihar unit.


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[ZESTCaste] Govt pushing for reservation in pvt sector

 

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Inflation-to-ease-to-5-6--by-Dec--PM/622880/

Govt pushing for reservation in pvt sector
Agencies
Posted online: May 24, 2010 at 1302 hrs

New DelhiPrime Minister Manmohan Singh said the government is working
towards creating an atmosphere where trade and industry come forward
to reserve jobs for the socially underprivileged - a practice in vogue
in the public sector.

Reserving jobs in private sector or affirmative action was part of the
national Common Minimum Programme of UPA-I and it had initiated a
national dialogue with political parties and industry to see how this
can be implemented.

"To take forward the affirmative action, we need to create an
atmosphere so that trade and industry participants help us on this
issue. We are working hard towards that and we acknowledge it needs to
be taken forward fast," he said replying to a question on progress on
affirmative action.

The UPA-I had said in May 2004 that it "is very sensitive to the issue
of affirmative action, including reservations, in the private sector.

"It will immediately initiate a national dialogue with all political
parties, industry and other organizations to see how best the private
sector can fulfil the aspirations of scheduled caste and scheduled
tribe youth."

At present, the law provides for reservation for Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes, among others, in public sector jobs, besides quota
in education.

Inflation to ease to 5-6% by Dec: PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the government was confident of
bringing down inflation to 5-6 per cent by December, while blaming
high prices on the global developments such as the financial crisis.

"Prices continue to be a matter of concern ... it is affecting the
country's masses ... but I believe by December we can bring it down to
5 to 6 per cent," he said at his national press conference here to
mark the completion of one year UPA-II in office.

Singh said the government has been monitoring inflation and has been
taking measures to check the rising prices, particularly food products
hit by poor monsoons last year.

"But for this (high inflation), international financial crisis and
high prices of petroleum prices in global markets are to blame.
Besides, droughts and floods in some parts of the country last year
also affected our economy as whole," Singh said.

Monsoon accounts for a bulk of rains India receives and nearly 66 per
cent of the country's agriculture sector depends on rains for
cultivation.

High food and fuel prices fuelled overall inflation to over 10 per
cent in February and provisional numbers for April put it at 9.59 per
cent.

"As a result of steps we have taken, there are signs of prices showing
a moderating trend," Singh said.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and together with state
governments take all steps to bring down prices and protect the
vulnerable section of our society from the impact of high prices,"
Singh added.

Food inflation, which had shot above 20 per cent in December has since
moderated but is still above 16 per cent.

PM sees 8.5 pct growth 2010/11

India's inflation is showing signs of moderating and the government
expects to achieve a medium term target of 10 percent growth annually,
according to a draft speech by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on
Monday.

Singh said in the draft speech that he will take more steps to battle
inflation which is currently nearly 10 percent, along with the help of
state governments.

Our medium term target is to achieve a growth rate of 10 percent per
annum. I am convinced that given our savings and investment rates,
this is an achievable target, the speech draft said. However, its
achievement will require determined efforts to increase investment in
social and economic infrastructure, enhance productivity in
agriculture and give a fresh impetus to the manufacturing sector.

The draft speech comes before a news conference in New Delhi to mark
the first year since the Congress-led coalition government was
reelected to a second term. It is only one of a handful of press
conferences he has given since first coming to power in 2004.

Despite inflation, Singh sees growth in 2010/11 rising to 8.5 percent.

Singh, 77, has disappointed many investors with a slow pace of reforms
that investors say are needed to ensure India can sustain fast
economic growth and compete with the likes of China.

Despite being freed from the shackles of communist party support in
the second term, his government has floundered on inflation, struggled
against a Maoist insurgency, and managed its political allies so badly
its substantial parliamentary majority dwindled. But the government
has also won praise for a sound fiscal policy that has helped protect
India from the worst of the global credit crisis. Growth is still one
of the fastest in the world and there have been some tentative steps
to reforms.

Many investors remain optimistic India eventually will take steps to
open the insurance, banking and retail sectors to overseas players,
and India still attracts many foreign firms.

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[ZESTCaste] Young woman from Haryana scales Mt Everest

 

http://www.ptinews.com/news/664133_Young-woman-from-Haryana-scales-Mt-Everest

Young woman from Haryana scales Mt Everest

STAFF WRITER 19:47 HRS IST
Chandigarh, May 22 (PTI) Coming from a poor Dalit family, it was an
arduous journey for 27-year-old Mamta Sodha who fulfilled her dream of
scaling the world's highest peak Mt Everest today.

"We are very proud of Mamta's feat. She comes from a poor Dalit
family. Her mother is a widow and Mamta, who teaches at a college in
Kurukshetra, has to support a family of three that also includes her
brother and a sister," Haryana's Financial Commissioner Dhanpat Singh
said.

Singh said that Mamta, who hails from Haryana's Kaithal district, 111
kms from here, was a member of National Adventure Club and had on
earlier scaled other peaks.

"Finding sponsors for the expedition was an arduous task. She got Rs
three lakh from Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and
another Rs five lakh from Congress MP Navin Jindal.

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