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Friday, December 31, 2010

[ZESTCaste] From the margins, dalit tycoons take centrestage

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/From-the-margins-dalit-tycoons-take-centrestage/articleshow/7194028.cms

From the margins, dalit tycoons take centrestage

ARATI R JERATH, TNN, Dec 31, 2010, 05.06am IST

NEW DELHI: Dalit entrepreneurs will make a historic journey to Delhi
next week for a pre-budget meeting with Planning Commission deputy
chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. This is the first time that business
leaders from the country's most marginalized communities will be
included in the government's budget consultation process.

The meeting is scheduled for Monday afternoon with 40 entrepreneurs
from different parts of the country expected to attend. It marks the
emergence of a nascent trend in India of enterprising dalits choosing
to create independent businesses instead of depending on quotas in
government jobs to get ahead.

Some of them have built impressive empires like Kalpana Saroj who
heads Kamani Tubes with an estimated turnover of Rs 500 crore and
Ratibhai Makwana whose Rs 300-crore Gujarat Pickers is one of the
country's largest polymer distributors. The delegation will be led by
Milind Kamble who has taken the initiative of grouping dalit
entrepreneurs into a Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Kamble saw the invitation from the Plan panel as an acknowledgement
that Dalit entrepreneurs are making their presence felt in Indian
business circles. "It's a great day for us that the government wants
to hear our expectations from the union budget," he said. "We want the
government to formulate a policy to help Dalit businesses to grow so
that we get out of the reservation trap."

But there's more to the Delhi visit than a meeting with Montek. The
presence of such a large group of dalit business leaders in the
Capital will also be an occasion to do some image re-engineering by
presenting the changing face of these communities. On Sunday evening,
delegation members will hold an open dialogue with intelligentsia
representatives on their plans for 2011 and their dreams and
ambitions.

"Somebody will announce his plans to buy a private jet, another will
be purchasing a helicopter," said Chandrabhan Prasad, a Dalit writer
and intellectual who is organizing the dialogue. "The idea is to tell
everybody that Dalits have arrived and have the same social and
economic capacity as business leaders from other communities."

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[ZESTCaste] Magistrate promises action in dalit teacher case

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/magistrate-promises-action-in-dalit-teacher-case-76050

Magistrate promises action in dalit teacher case

NDTV Correspondent, Updated: December 31, 2010 11:09 IST
ad_title

Gopalgunj: Two days after NDTV ran the story of a dalit teacher
denied a chair at her school in Bihar's Gopalgunj district, allegedly
on the grounds of caste, the District Magistrate has taken note and
promised action in the case. (Read: Teacher not allowed to use chair
because of caste)

The teacher, Seema Kumari, met with the DM yesterday and submitted a
written complaint in the matter.

The DM has now called a meeting with district education officials, and
asked the principal of Seema's school to be present at the meeting,
likely to be held in a day or two.

Seema sits on the floor while she's coaching her students. In her
classroom, there is no chair for her. "I am from a lower caste. That's
why they don't let me sit on a chair. I have gone through a lot of
agony because of this discrimination," she says, matter-of-factly.

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[ZESTCaste] UP: Minor Dalit girl raped, put behind bars

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/up-minor-dalit-girl-raped-put-behind-bars/139055-3.html

UP: Minor Dalit girl raped, put behind bars
CNN-IBN
Posted on Dec 31, 2010 at 09:35am IST

Lucknow: A minor Dalit girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped by a BSP
MLA and then found herself behind bars after the MLA accused her of
stealing from his house in Uttar Pradesh.

The man in question is Purshottam Narain Dwivedi, an MLA from Banda in
Uttar Pradesh. The victim claims he threatened to kill her as well.

Dwivedi has denied all the allegations, countering them instead by
saying that he caught the girl stealing clothes and cash from his
house. The victim has refuted this.

UP: Minor Dalit girl raped, put behind bars

The opposition Congress has taken up the girl's cause and UP Congress
President Rita Bahuguna Joshi is expected to meet the victim.

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[ZESTCaste] Girl set ablaze in Wardha village

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Girl-set-ablaze-in-Wardha-village/articleshow/7193345.cms

Girl set ablaze in Wardha village

TNN, Dec 31, 2010, 12.23am IST

WARDHA: A group of 7 persons set a school going Dalit girl of their
own village ablaze. The girl reportedly suffered 90% burns and said to
be in a critical condition in hospital.

Manoj Landge and six other villagers of Loni (Deoli) allegedly
manhandled Gyaneswar Fuge of their village first and then beat him up.
The seven then set his daughter afire. The girl was admitted to the
government hospital of Deoli. The police have arrested all the
accused, and they were sent to police custody remand till Jan 5. The
accused have been booked under Atrocities Act too.

The mother of the victim said that Manoj used to harass her daughter
and eve-teasing by Manoj and others was common while studying in the
Deoli high school. There was reported to be some tension in the small
village with barely 60 houses after the incident. Deputy SP Vinayak
Susadkar is enquiring into the matter.

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[ZESTCaste] Gujjars to talk with Rajasthan Govt on Friday

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/gujjars-to-talk-with-rajasthan-govt-on-friday/139081-3.html

Gujjars to talk with Rajasthan Govt on Friday
IANS
Posted on Dec 31, 2010 at 12:15pm IST

Jaipur: An amicable solution to the Gujjar agitation could be in sight
with further talks between representatives of the community, demanding
five per cent quota in government jobs, and the Rajasthan government
expected on Friday afternoon.

"We have decided to send a 21-member delegation to Jaipur to hold
further talks with the state government officials," Roop Singh,
spokesperson of Gujjar Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti, the body that is
spearheading the agitation, said.

Talks are likely to be held sometime late in the afternoon.

Gujjars to talk with Rajasthan Govt on Friday

Roop Singh said the talks in Karwade in Bharatpur district on Thursday
between a Gujjar delegation and state government representatives were
positive and cordial.

"We were satisfied with the government's viewpoint on several issues,
including taking back cases against Gujjars and providing compensation
to the family members of Gujjars killed in police firing. But the five
per cent reservation issue is yet to be resolved," he said.

Said GS Sandhu, Rajasthan government's principal secretary for urban
development: "The talks were held in a cordial atmosphere. We are
optimistic that soon an amicable solution would be reached."

Sandhu, who is also looking after the home department, is a member of
the state government delegation deputed to hold talks with the
Gujjars.

"We have conveyed to the delegation that the government is committed
to provide them five per cent reservation, but in the light of the
high court judgment it would have to go through the legal process," he
said.

He also described as "positive" the talks in Karwade village.

The government had earlier communicated to the Gujjars that the high
court had given it a year's time but it "wished to finish the task as
early as possible".

"The government is already giving one per cent reservation and keeping
aside four per cent for them [Gujjars]," an official said.

As efforts were made to break the impasse, the Gujjars continued with
their agitation that started on December 20.

Train services between Delhi and Mumbai remained affected Friday
morning as the protesters continued to squat on the railway tracks
near Bayana in Bharatpur district, about 150 km from state capital
Jaipur.

Gujjars decided on a rail blockade December 20, after holding a
'mahapanchayat' (community conclave) in Bayana. Hundreds of protesters
squatted on the rail tracks in Piloo Ka Pura, forcing the railways to
divert or cancel a few trains.

However, Gujjars late on Wednesday evening lifted their siege from
some of the sectors, including Jaipur-Delhi and Jaipur-Agra rail
routes.

In July 2009, the Rajasthan government announced five per cent
reservation for Gujjars and 14 per cent for the economically backward
classes, taking the total reservation in the state for various
sections of society to 68 per cent.

Since the total reservation had exceeded the Supreme Court cap of 50
per cent, the high court in October 2009 stayed the quota in jobs and
educational institutions in the state for Gujjars and the economically
backward classes.

In a ruling Dec 22, 2010, the high court struck down the job quota for Gujjars.

Gujjars, demanding reservation for better educational and job
prospects, had between 2006 and 2008 staged violent protests, in which
many lives were lost.

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Friday, December 31, 2010

[ZESTCaste] From the margins, dalit tycoons take centrestage

[ZESTCaste] Magistrate promises action in dalit teacher case

[ZESTCaste] UP: Minor Dalit girl raped, put behind bars

[ZESTCaste] Girl set ablaze in Wardha village

[ZESTCaste] Gujjars to talk with Rajasthan Govt on Friday

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