Latest News Update: Dec 18, 2009

Friday, December 18, 2009

[ZESTCaste] Let us show up at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, Dec 19th, in support of Dr. Udit Raj fasting for out sake

Dear friends,

A little while ago I came back from the dharna at Jantar Mantar led by Dr. Udit Raj and his associates. There were at least 50 people who were fasting unto death, supported by around 500 others in the panddal. Five MPs came over to Jantar Mantar in solidarity with the demands mentioned below. At the meeting of Parliamentary Forum of Dalit MPs from different parties was held at the Parliament Annexe, they passed a resolution in support of the said demands.

1. Reservation in the private sector and enacatment of the Reservation Act

2. In the Government services, contract labour system may be abolished in the matter of recruitment from clerks to safai karamcharis.

3. Price rise may be checked.

4. Caste certificates issued in one state may be held valid in all the States.

5. Reservation in Higher Judiciary and Army.

6. Filling up of the back-log vacancies.

7. Land to the landless.

8. Dr.Ambedkar' s statue may be displayed in all the NTPC projects at prominent places.

9. Dependents of NTPC employees after their should be given employment in NTPC

10. In all the NTPC projects, there should be reservation for accommodation.

I believe all of these demands are of vital interest to Dalits and to our country. We must join hands with Dr. Udit Raj and his followers on these issues. Dalit activists and members of "All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations" from different states are taking turns in supporting Dr. Udit Raj and his compatriots. Last couple of days it was Maharashtra's turn. Tomorrow it is supposed to be Delhi's turn. Friends, let us show up in hundreds at Jantar Mantar in support of Dr. Udit Raj and his associates fasting for our sake.

Best regards,
Satinath Choudhary

===========

Dr. Udit Raj
Chairman, All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations
National President, Indian Justice Party
Member, National Integration Council (Govt. of India)

T-22, Atul Grove Road, New Delhi-110001
Tel: 23354841, Telefax: 23354842
Email: dr.uditraj@gmail.com

Press Release
Fast unto death of Dr. Udit Raj and his followers enters fourth day
Dr. Udit Raj's condition very critical, Doctors Advised him to be hospitalized but he declined to do so.
Full support extended to our demands by the Parliamentary Forum of Dalit MPs
MPs Shri P.L. Punia, Shri Raman Kishore and Shri Pradip Tamta called on Dr.Udit Raj and extended full support to our demands.
18th December, 2009 at 1:30 PM
The fast unto death undertaken by Dr. Udit Raj and his followers on the demands of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations has entered the fourth day today. On the fourth day of the fast unto death, Dr. Udit Raj's condition has become very critical and his blood pressure has gone very low. Doctors have advised him to be hospitalized but he has declined to do so and said that no government representative has so far met him about our demands. So long as our demands are not acceded to, he will not get admitted to the hospital even though it may cost us our lives. Our main demands are - Reservation in in the Private Sector and Enacatment of the Reservation Act, Abolition of contract labour system in Government services, in the matter of recruitment from clerks to safai karamcharis, Caste certificates issued by one state may be held valid in all the States, Price rise may be checked, Reservation in Higher Judiciary and Army may be
introduced, Filling up of the back-log vacancies may be expedited, Land to the landless and Reservation in Government contracts may be introduced immediately.
Today's dharna is being organized by the Maharashtra unit of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations under the leadership of Prof. Indira Athawale and other leaders from Maharashtra and other parts of the country.
Today a meeting of the Parliamentary Forum of Dalit MPs from different parties was held at the Parliament Annexe. At the meeting, Chairman of the Committee of Dalit MPs, Shri R.K. Naik, wanted to know why Dr. Udit Raj had been forced to take this drastic step. He said that we should take urgent steps to save the precious life of Dr. Udit Raj and his followers. In today's meeting of the Committee of Dalit MPs, mainly two issues were discussed, one is the matter relating to the fast unto death of Dr. Udit Raj and his followers on the demands of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations and the other is relating to the proposed impeachment of the Chief Justice Karnataka High Court, Shri P.D. Dinakaran. All the members who were present in the meeting extended full support to our demands. This is clearly a victory on the issue of our demands.
Congress Members of Parliament, Shri P.L. Punia, Shri Raman Kishore and Pradip Tamta called on Dr. Udit Raj and supported our demands. Shri P.L. Punia said that he would discuss the matter with Government and try to find out an amicable solution.
Why Dr. Udit Raj has gone on fast unto death?
Giving reasons for his decision to go on fast unto death, Dr. Udit Raj said that most of the demands for which the Confederation has been sitting on Dharna since 19.11.2009 had already been conceded by the govt. earlier. Reservation Bill was introduced in 2004 and one House of the Parliament passed it in February 2009 but certain anomalies has been found in the Bill. Instead of removing the anomalies and passing it the Bill was withdrawn. Secondly, the UPA govt. had committed to fill up the backlog vacancies but this was not done in its last tenure and a couple of days back the DOPT had issued a directive that it would not fill up vacancies. Thirdly, in the Common Minimum programme which was drawn up in 2004 by the UPA govt. it was said that it will endeavour to give reservation in pvt. sector. Some steps were taken in this regard also like constitution of a Committee of Ministers for this purpose which had six to seven meetings. Consequently some big
business organizations like CII and FICCI came out with proposals to prepare one hundred dalit entrepreneurs per year, five hundred professionals in a year and to provide coaching facilities for ten thousand dalit students every year through existing universities etc. Due to apathy on the part of the govt. these organizations have retracted from their commitments.
Dr. Udit Raj asked that under these circumstances what was his fault and that of his followers who are sitting on fast unto death. Thus he was forced to take this drastic step. Besides the above mentioned demands there are other demands like Abolition of contract labour system in Government services in the matter of recruitment from clerks to safai karamcharis, Caste certificates issued by one state may be held valid in all the States, Price rise may be checked, Reservation in Higher Judiciary and Army may be introduced, Filling up of the back-log vacancies may be expedited, Land to the landless and Reservation in Government contracts may be introduced immediately.

(Sanjay Raj)
Media In-Charge
9654252076

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[ZESTCaste] Udit Raj's fast-unto-death for reservation in pvt sec enters 3rd day

http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-13773.html

Udit Raj's fast-unto-death for reservation in pvt sec enters 3rd day

New Delhi, Dec 17: All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations'
(AICSSO) chairman Udit Raj's indefinite fast, which began on December
15, entered its third day today.

AICSSO activists have been demonstrating since November 19 demanding
reservation in the private sector and enactment of the Reservation Act
along with other demands relating to social, political and educational
development of Dalits in the country.

They have also been demanding filling all posts lying vacant in
government organisations as soon as possible.

Mr Raj could not talk to media due to weakness caused by two day's of fasting.

A member of AICSSO, Sangdeep Ukey, told UNI that only 15 per cent of
people in India have enough resources to fulfill their needs, but
remaining 85 per cent require government's support in the form of
reservation or such kind of arrangement to get their rightful share.

On the issue of reservation in the private sector, he said if they are
using the resources of this country, then why should they be free from
any responsibility and accountability towards the Constitution.

Reservation was provided by the Constitution and it should be applied
on everybody, he added.

--UNI

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[ZESTCaste] Nitish Kumar dividing dalits: Paswan

http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-13717.html

Nitish Kumar dividing dalits: Paswan

Patna, Dec 17: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president and former Union
Minister Ramvilas Paswan today alleged that Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar was dividing the dalits.

Addressing the ''Garib Ekta March'' of the party here, Mr Paswan
alleged that Mr Kumar was trying to divide the dalits under
''well-knit political conspiracy''.

The Nitish Kumar government in the state attracted the dalits through
tall promises and now was dividing them for the sake of vote bank, he
charged.

Pointing towards the programmes of the state government for the
dalits, he said the government had announced to provide radio to the
dalits, but till date not even a single dalit was given the radio.

The promise to provide lands to the landless dalits was also
languishing, he alleged.

He asked the government to explain the reason for dropping Paswan
section from Mahadaits.

Asking the government to disclose the welfare work done for the uplift
of the dalits, he said the Centre had earmarked funds in its budget
for the development of the SC and ST communities.

Mr Paswan asked the state government to reveal the amount spent by it
on the development of the section.

He also alleged that development was a distant dream and not even a
single factory and industry was establised during the regime of the
Nitish Kumar government which came to power on development poll plank
in the state.

The leader alleged that the law and order condition was deteriorating
day by day and the other sectors, including education, were in
shambles in Bihar.

Mr Paswan announced to organise ''fill the jail'' programme on January
five in support of the demands of the sweepers and other such
employees.

--UNI

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[ZESTCaste] Nepal's Dalit women tortured in charge of witchcraft

http://www.businessghana.com/portal/news/index.php?op=getNews&news_cat_id=&id=118680

Nepal's Dalit women tortured in charge of witchcraft
News Date: 17th December 2009

Jugumani Chaudhary, a Nepali Dalit woman aged 30 has decided to go to
India leaving motherland forever because she was accused of witch in
her village.

Jugumani, from a remote village of Ramshikhar Jhala in Kailali
district, some 470 km far-west of the capital Kathmandu, reached this

decision after she was forced to rove around her village naked.

"I'm so ashamed. After leaving my two young daughters in maternal
home, I will leave for India together with my husband and two young
sons," Jugmani, mother of four children, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

The incident happened on Nov. 8 that the illiterate woman Jugmani was
beaten brutally all over her body and made to rove village naked by
her in-laws relative.

"When my mother-in-law's brother died, her nephew blamed me of witch
and beat me black and blue. My mother-in-laws's nephew and his wife
together brought me out of my house and tried to force me to eat human
excreta," Jugmani recalled how she was tortured.

There are thousands of Dalit woman in hundreds of remote villages in
Nepal who are treated inhumanely and killed in accusation of
witchcraft, according to human rights activists.

"These women who are tortured mentally and physically in an accusation
of witchcraft belong to socio-economically retarded Dalit community
who are considered as untouchable in Nepal," said Durga Sob, President
of the Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO).

FEDO organized a public-hearing program in capital amid mass people
comprising ministers, officials, lawmakers, activists, victims and
media persons for "women victimized in accusation of witchcraft"
following 16 days international campaign against gender violence. FEDO
brought six sufferers as examples who represent thousands of women in
Nepal deprived of their fundamental human rights.

According to Sob, the community of Dalit women lack education, health
facilities, faces social discrimination, among others. "There are no
authorized institutions where these women can complain of violence
against them. Eventhough, there are few institutions; these unaware
uneducated women do not know how to complain.

"They have lost their hope from administration. Since this is the
social crime, the local police also solve the problem with a formal
agreement of "understanding" between victim and assailant after which
assailants are free to do yet another crime," Sob said emphasizing
weakness of justice.

Siya Devi Mandal of Saptari district, some 190 km south east of
Kathmandu is another example of victim of witchcraft in Nepal. Siya
Devi,

aged 47, is a mother of four children was accused of witch 10 years before.

Her family, living by selling vegetable, are tortured by the village
they are living. "None of our village talks with us, neither they
touch us.

If any one dies in the village they blame me for it," she said.

She said that because of this accusation, no one is ready to marry her
daughter who is now 18 years old.

The fate of suffering Dalit women was made public as the Nepali
government declared 2010 as the year against gender violence. The
government

has brought various positive programs to control violence against
women and to drive campaign for behavioral change in society.

"Until and unless we spread social awareness in remote level,
implement the existing laws against gender violence, if we begin to
aware people now then the result will come after 20 years, so social
development is not easy," Nepali Minister for Women, Children and
Social Welfare Sharba Dev Ojha told Xinhua.

According to Ojha, his ministry under the monitoring of Women
Department is performing regular program such as informal education,

vocational training and income generating training, awareness
programs, among others for the empowerment of backward women.

These programs somehow have not reached the each corner of 75
districts in Nepal. But are in the process of reaching root level,
said Ojha, adding that there has to be coordination between non-
governmental organizations and governmental organizations.

Regarding 2010 as a year against gender violence, government is trying
to set up an information center in each Village Development Committee
(VDC) in 75 districts where victims can complain of their sufferings.

"We are doing our level best to control gender violence and create
awareness in public level," Ojha said.

Source: Xinhua/GNA

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[ZESTCaste] Book Review-Economic Discrimination in Modern India; Edited by: Sukhadeo Thorat and Katherine S Newman

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/the-economicscaste-inequity/379849/

The economics of caste inequity

Latha Jishnu / New Delhi December 18, 2009, 0:29 IST

Reactions to the caste question are fairly predictable in India. The
average (upper caste) response is that the policy of reservations has
gone on far too long and that discrimination is very much a thing of
the past. As to why certain social groups remain extremely poor and
backward despite the legal safeguards, the usual explanation is that
Dalits are either not well educated or do not have the merit to make
it to good jobs.

Blocked by Caste should come as an eye-opener to those who subscribe
to this view. It proves that the social and economic exclusion of
Dalits (and Muslims) continues to be pervasive in a nation that speaks
the global language of meritocracy and level playing fields but has
been unable to shed historical caste prejudices. Edited by Sukhadeo
Thorat, professor of economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU),
the book brings together empirical researches undertaken by the Indian
Institute of Dalit Studies (IIDS) in Delhi over the past six years,
and is the first major attempt to study the linkages between caste
discrimination and economic outcomes.

This set of scholarly essays by economists and sociologists sheds
light on some significant issues, such as the role that caste plays in
private sector employment, the correlation of university education and
employment prospects for the marginalised groups, of public health
services to health outcomes and patterns of caste discrimination in
rural markets and wage structures.

What it does reveal is that the dominant Brahminical ideology, which
categorises the Dalit and the Muslim minority as the 'other', has
tinted the view of the private sector to a large degree. Economic
discrimination is a subject that has received little attention and
this book focuses on contemporary patterns of discrimination in
various markets, labour in particular, along with discrimination in
the delivery of public goods and services by the government.

Some of the research in this volume is modelled on landmark studies on
race discrimination in the US, specially the novel experiment
conducted by Bertrand and Sendhil Mullainathan which firmly
established the employment discrimination faced by Blacks in the US.
The two sent out fictitious resumes to job advertisements in Boston
and Chicago newspapers using White as well as Black names with similar
qualifications for the two sets. What they found was that Black name
job-seekers needed to send out 15 applications to 10 sent out by White
name candidates and that a Black needed eight more years of experience
to get the same callbacks as Whites.

Thorat and Paul Attewell, professor of sociology at the University of
New York, used a similar methodology in India to arrive at similar
conclusions. They sent out three sets of applications for jobs
advertised in major dailies over a 13-month period, using a
stereotypical high caste Hindu name, a recognisable Muslim name and a
distinctive Dalit name. The consistent result: applicants with Dalit
and Muslim names had a significantly lower chance of a positive
outcome than persons with a high caste Hindu name.

Another significant US study, which revealed the stereotypes Chicago
employers had of Blacks (poorly educated, low skilled, unreliable and
unruly), resulting in unequal employment outcomes, inspires similar
research in the Indian context. Katherine S Newman, professor of
sociology and director of the Institute for International and Regional
Studies at Princeton University and a co-editor of this volume, and
Surinder S Jodhka, director of the IISD and professor of sociology at
JNU, uncover the hidden nuances of caste prejudice in the language of
globalisation that contemporary India speaks. In a pilot study carried
out in Delhi, they interviewed 25 human resources (HR) managers in 25
large firms which have manufacturing capacities and retail outlets
across the country and employ over 250,000 workers. The two
researchers found that the HR bosses, one and all, swore by merit in
their choice of candidates and were dead set against reservation of
jobs. But, the commitment to merit was voiced along with the
conviction that merit tends to be distributed by caste or region! Such
stereotyping, they found, made it impossible for highly qualified,
low-caste applicants to be hired for their skills and accomplishments.
In sum, employers were not "caste blind" as they claimed.

In another study, Ashwini Deshpande, professor of economics at Delhi
University (DU), and Newman tracked 108 students from JNU, DU and
Jamia Millia Islamia for two years. The main findings: Dalit students
bring different level of resources compared to non-Dalit students.
Worse, employers question the legitimacy of reservations and by that
logic, the legitimacy of these students' credentials.

These are among the more accessible essays in this collection. A few
are meant purely for the econometricians and the overdose of
mathematics and formulae can be daunting for the lay reader. On the
whole, Blocked by Caste offers a commendable body of research that
could prove extremely useful to policy-makers in designing programmes
and policies to end this pernicious practice.

BLOCKED BY CASTE
Economic Discrimination in Modern India
Edited by: Sukhadeo Thorat and Katherine S Newman
Oxford University Press
377 pages; Rs 750

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[ZESTCaste] Dinakaran targeted for being dalit: Cong MPs

http://www.ptinews.com/news/429693_Dinakaran-targeted-for-being-dalit--Cong-MPs

Dinakaran targeted for being dalit: Cong MPs

STAFF WRITER 13:57 HRS IST
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) Two Congress members in the Rajya Sabha today
sought to give a new twist to the Opposition move for impeachment of
Karnataka Chief Justice P D Dinakaran, alleging that he was being
targeted because of being a dalit.

As soon the the House took up Zero Hour mentions, Praveen Rashtrapal
and J D Seelam were on their feet seeking to raise the issue.

P J Kurien, who was on the Chair, however, refused to allow the
members to raise the matter.

But the members alleged that Justice Dinakaran was being targeted
because he was a dalit.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari yesterday admitted the impeachment
notice given by 75 members against Justice Dinakaran over
land-grabbing allegations.

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[ZESTCaste] Gujarat quota spoiler

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091218/jsp/nation/story_11880680.jsp

Gujarat quota spoiler

BASANT RAWAT
Ahmedabad, Dec. 17: The Gujarat government is set to adopt a
resolution in the Assembly on Saturday against a possible move by the
Centre to extend reservations to Dalit Muslims and Christians,
sparking accusations of "divisive politics".

Dalit rights activists said it was just another attempt by the
Narendra Modi regime to "revive the old Hindu plank".

Sources said social justice minister Fakir Vaghela, a Dalit himself,
would introduce the resolution on the last day of the session, asking
the Union government not to "give any benefits to Dalits who have
converted to Islam or Christianity".

"A one-page resolution will be passed and sent to the Centre," the
minister said.

Asked why the government needed to pass such a resolution, Vaghela
said: "We have come to know the Centre is in favour of extending Dalit
status to converts — Dalits who have adopted Islam or Christianity."
The Andhra Assembly, he added, "had passed a resolution extending
reservation to Dalit Muslims which we are opposing".

"It (the Gujarat move) is a step to divide the Dalits," said Martin
Mackwan, an activist.

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[ZESTCaste] Fwd: Please send me the caste atrocity prone areas in different states in India

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ashok <soc_ashok@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, Dec 18, 2009 at 2:18 PM
Subject: Please send me the caste atrocity prone areas in different
states in India
To: Siddhartha Kumar <mailsiddhartha.k@gmail.com>

sir
Plz send me the atrocity prone areas in the different states in India
and the recent cases related to atrocity on Dalits.
Thank u for ur cooperation

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