Latest News Update: Feb 22, 2010

Monday, February 22, 2010

[ZESTCaste] HC asks authorities to follow provisions of SC,ST Act

http://www.ptinews.com/news/530726_HC-asks-authorities-to-follow-provisions-of-SC-ST-Act

HC asks authorities to follow provisions of SC,ST Act

STAFF WRITER 18:58 HRS IST

Madurai, Feb 22 (PTI) Madurai bench of the Madras High Court today
directed authorities to follow the provisions of the SC and ST
Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989 in the case of a Dalit youth who
alleged that some youngsters thrust human excreta into his mouth.

A Division Bench, comprising Justices Prabha Sri Devan and B
Rajendran, gave the direction after counsel for Sadayandi said
provisions of the Act had not been followed by Dindigul District
Collector and the victim had not been provided immediate relief.

The Collector did not visit the place of occurrence nor was an inquiry
held by an official in the rank of Additional District Collector, the
counsel said.

Earlier the Judges asked the Nilakottai DSP if he can directly probe
the incident, to which the police officer replied in the affirmative.
The DSP has been asked to submit his report next Wednesday.

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[ZESTCaste] New schemes in MP for SC, ST development

http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-56819.html

New schemes in MP for SC, ST development

Bhopal, Feb 22 : Madhya Pradesh's Bharatiya Janata Party government
has indicated initiation of new schemes for development of Scheduled
Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in 2010-11.

''My government is paying special attention to overall development and
welfare of such families,'' Governor Rameshwar Thakur said in his
address on the inaugural day of the Assembly's Budget Session.

Twenty ashrams, as many pre-matric hostels and two post-matric hostels
will be opened for ST while the number of seats will be hiked by 3,000
in existing hostels and ashrams. A massive programme for bettering
secondary and high schools besides constructing hostels, ashrams and
school buildings is proposed.

''The time limit for issuing caste certificates to SC, ST and Other
Backward Classes' candidates has been reduced from half a year to a
month. The deadline for a special recruitment drive for filling
backlog posts has been extended to June 2010,'' he said.

Such categories' candidates are being trained as airhostesses and
flight stewards.

--UNI

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[ZESTCaste] Sorcery: 5 of family paraded naked

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Sorcery:+5+of+family+paraded+naked&artid=sF32Vj%7COOsY=&SectionID=mvKkT3vj5ZA=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=nUFeEOBkuKw=&SEO=

By Express News Service
20 Feb 2010 08:46:27 AM IST

Sorcery: 5 of family paraded naked

BALASORE: Five members of a Dalit family in Chaturipada village under
Nilagiri block here were allegedly stripped and paraded naked before
being beaten up mercilessly by a group of villagers who suspected them
of practicing sorcery.
Police today have initiated an investigation into the allegations.
Though the incident took place on Wednesday night it came to the fore
only last evening when the victims lodged a complaint with police
seeking justice.
The victims Ramachandra Tudu (46), wife Chudamani (40), daughter
Basanti and sons Bhima and Bishnu have sought police protection.
Ramachandra alleged that a group of villagers accused him and his wife
of practicing witchcraft and dragged them out of their home at about
10 pm.
"We were stripped naked and paraded before being beaten mercilessly.
They were armed with our traditional weapons and though we pleaded
innocence, none came forward to help," he said. The family later took
shelter at a relative's house in nearby village before coming to the
police station.
Police said it all started when the villagers came to know that
Ramachandra was cutting wood in his orchard when a group of persons
from a nearby village were on a visit to one Dulla Hembram's house to
finalise his daughter's marriage.
"People in Santali tribe believe it a bad omen if someone does any
activity like cutting wood when a marriage is being finalised.
They don't allow cattle to graze and stop speaking to each other. They
also ban plying of bikes, vehicles or even a cycle as they consider it
bad omen," said OIC of Berhampur police station SN Das. The villagers
had imposed a fine of Rs 5000 and ostracised the family when they
failed to pay the amount.
On the day of the incident, Ramachandra conducted a puja in his house
which added fuel to the fire leading to the attack. Police have
registered a case. The accused are absconding and efforts are on to
nab them.

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[ZESTCaste] A Dalit Woman's Fight Against Bias

http://www.countercurrents.org/bhaskar200210.htm

A Dalit Woman's Fight Against Bias

By BRP Bhaskar

20 February, 2010
Gulf Today

Payyanur in Kannur district boasts of a rich and glorious heritage.
The town's website says, "Payyanur is one of the ancient civilised
places in Kerala." It has a place of pride in the history of the
freedom struggle and the Communist movement. Lately, however, it is
making news for the wrong reasons.

Last month, Paul Zacharia, noted writer and social critic, was roughed
up by activists of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)
affiliated Democratic Youth Federation of India, as he was leaving the
town after making a speech which met with their disapproval.

Also last month, Chithralekha, a young Dalit woman making a living as
an auto driver, came under renewed attack from a trade union which has
been harassing her ever since she ventured into the male-dominated
profession.

She was trained as an auto driver under the officially sponsored
people's planning programme in 2004. She then obtained a loan under
the Prime Minister's Rozgar Yojana (employment scheme) and bought an
auto-rickshaw. The pro-CPI-M auto drivers union was not ready to admit
her into the fold.

As Chithralekha persevered, the union had to give in. However, male
colleagues at the auto stand made things difficult for her. They
abused her with caste appellations and cast aspersions on her
character. But she refused to be cowed down.

One of her colleagues then broke the windscreen of her auto-rickshaw
and tore its hood. When she remonstrated, she was beaten up. Since the
union did not act on her complaint against the man who damaged her
vehicle she lodged a complaint with the police.

This infuriated the union leaders, who filed a counter complaint
accusing her of drinking and using drugs and insinuating that she was
a sex worker. The man who had damaged her vehicle later attempted to
run over her with his auto-rickshaw. She filed yet another complaint
against him, and the police arrested him.

The union then launched a vicious poster campaign against her in the
town. A few days later, her auto was set on fire. But the union could
not destroy her never-say-die spirit. Forced to leave Payyanur, she
and her husband, Shreeshkanth, who is also a trained auto driver,
worked as wage labourers.

Carmel Christy and Jenny Rowena, two researchers who studied l'affaire
Chithralekha at that stage concluded that it was not merely a case of
conflict between a woman and a trade union. The union, they pointed
out, was dominated by the backward Thiyya community and its hostility
towards Chithralekha was based on untouchability and gender.

They viewed the union's campaign against Chithralekha as part of an
attempt to maintain caste hegemony. The union, which did not approve
of the marriage between Chithralekha, Dalit, and Shreeshkanth, a
Thiyya, had become an instrument for maintaining caste and gender
boundaries in the Malabar region, they said.

In June 2008 a Kannur-based action committee presented Chithralekha
with a new auto-rickshaw bought with public contributions. Following
this, she resumed life as an auto driver in Payyanur and the union
resumed harassment.

On January 20, she lodged a complaint with the police alleging she was
assaulted at the auto stand. Union activists lodged a counter
complaint alleging she was drunk. The police wanted to take her for an
alcohol test but she refused. She said later that the police had
assaulted her too.

A fact-finding team consisting of Professor Gail Omvedt of the Indira
Gandhi National Open University, Professor Nivedita Menon of Delhi
University and two local activists, V Geetha and KK Preetha, visited
Payyanur and gathered evidence from her, the auto union, the police
and some other witnesses. It found inconsistencies in the versions of
the union and the police.

The team, in its preliminary report, said, "The January 20 incident is
not an isolated one. Other Dalit women auto drivers in this region
have faced intense intimidation, sexual harassment, caste-related
abuse, accusations of promiscuity and immorality and damage to their
autos."

It noted that the union's statement regarding Chithralekha's behaviour
used metaphors that insultingly linked her caste status, gender and
sexual immorality. It also sought to cast doubts on her marital
status.

It observed that the union leaders' unease with Chithralekha and
characterisation of her as a woman 'living outside the track' revealed
their inability to tolerate this Dalit woman's assertiveness, stubborn
courage and confidence despite her caste and gender.

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[ZESTCaste] Does Cong have a patent in visiting Dalit homes, asks BJP

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/article110236.ece

Does Cong have a patent in visiting Dalit homes, asks BJP
PTI

Taking strong exception to Congress' remark that its chief Nitin
Gadkari was "aping" Rahul Gandhi by visiting Dalit households, BJP
today asked if any particular party has a patent to do so.

"Is it the patent of the Congress? But what is truly disturbing is
that they have alleged that we are aping Rahul Gandhi. Congress
spokesperson needs to learn that the real leader who worked for uplift
of Dalits was Mahatma Gandhi. If they don't do their homework, at
least don't insult Mahatma Gandhi," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar
Prasad said here.

He also wondered why Congress was "so cagey" about Nitin Gadkari
having lunch with Dalit workers and supporters of the party.

Referring to Gadkari's visit to Dalit households in Mhow - the
birthplace of Dr B R Ambedkar - Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi
had yesterday said that "imitation is the best form of flattery and
BJP is indulging in flattery without limitation."

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[ZESTCaste] BR Ambedkar 'forces' Dalit to quit

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_br-ambedkar-forces-dalit-to-quit_1350944

BR Ambedkar 'forces' Dalit to quit
Deepak Gidwani / DNA

Monday, February 22, 2010 0:18 IST

Lucknow: A Dalit government employee in Uttar Pradesh has resigned
from service after receiving death threats from fellow Dalit and BSP
legislator, BR Ambedkar.

The MLA denied the charges, calling them a conspiracy by the
opposition. However, chief minister Mayawati has taken the matter
seriously and ordered an inquiry by the principal secretary
(irrigation).

Meanwhile, the threatened engineer has gone missing. The latest
episode has reminded people of the killing of engineer Manoj Gupta in
Etawah on December 24 last year, allegedly by BSP MLA Shekhar Tiwari
and his henchmen. Gupta had allegedly refused to donate to the party
fund.

The Dalit executive engineer, Shivdas Dohre, posted in the irrigation
department in Etawah district sent his resignation to the chief
minister, the irrigation minister and the principal secretary
(irrigation) saying he decided to quit because BSP legislator from
Lakhna (Etawah) BR Ambedkar threatened to kill him on Saturday. "I am
resigning to prevent any harm to my family and myself," he wrote.

The enginner has mentioned in his letter that Ambedkar had threatened
him a number of times earlier and on each occasion he had informed the
irrigation minister.

On Saturday, Ambedkar allegedly threatened to kill Dohre if he did not
listen to him. The MLA was upset as the engineer had refused to dig
tubewells at certain sites in his constituency as the water was found
to be salty and unfit for agriculture.

However, the MLA has denied all charges. "I had only asked him for a
list of thetubewell sites in my constituency… but he was quite rude
and refused, saying I had no business asking him these details. That
is all… I never threatened him… it's a conspiracy by my political
rivals," he told reporters in Etawah on Sunday.

Meanwhile, UP Engineers' Association (UPEA) president AA Farooqui has
alleged that the MLA was keeping the engineer under duress to prevent
him from approaching the media.

He said that the engineer had not been able to attend his son's
wedding due to the MLA's "terror tactics". Several engineers had been
similarly threatened by BSP MLAs and UPEA would take up the matter
with the government, Farooqui said.

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[ZESTCaste] Gadkari calls Ambedkar real icon

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/53322/gadkari-calls-ambedkar-real-icon.html

Gadkari calls Ambedkar real icon
Deepak K Upreti, Feb 17, Indore:

The BJP on Wednesday asked its leaders to adopt 'a large-hearted
approach,' sink differences and rise above 'career politics' while
seeking to entice the dalit constituency by describing Bhimrao
Ambedkar as the real icon of India.

The National Executive meet of the party which started here in "a
village setting" analysed an array of issues bedeviling the party to
help the party emerge from the poll reverses in the Lok Sabha and the
recent state assembly elections.

In his presidential address, Nitin Gadkari said senior leaders who owe
their current statures to the party should mull over their
"disconnect" with the masses. He said small party workers at the
grassroots cannot be questioned on this account. Gadkari quoted a
72-year-old BJP worker as saying that though he had invested his
entire life in the BJP he got "nothing in return."
Gadkari said leaders should know whether "political career is more
important or party's ideology and future."

Gadkari, who is to steer his party clear in next three years from the
current muddle, is hammering on the dalit constituency to increase the
BJP's vote bank by at least 10 per cent. His stated "Antodaya" (uplift
of the poorest) agenda is part of his current theme of linking the
party with the lowest rung, particularly in the village. The setting
of the tent township, though essentially symbolic, is part of his "new
political programme."
Gadkari likened Ambedkar to the US black leader Martin Luther King,
saying in a democracy all decisions should be linked to justice. The
BJP was determined to wage its war against untouchability. Seeking to
challenge Rahul Gandhi's bid to attract dalits, Gadkari on Tuesday had
lunch in the house of local dalit BJP corporator Preeti Karosiya.
Party spokesman Ravishankar Prasad told journalists that the country
should come first, party second and "myself" last in the priority list
of the BJP leaders.

Gadkari also touched on the bias in the ticket distribution and
maintained that the most popular candidate should be allotted the
party ticket.
Prasad sought to make it clear that the BJP would continue its
alliance with the Shiv Sena despite "credible differences" on many
issues. On international issues, Gadkari accused the UPA Government of
weakening Indian hold over Jammu and Kashmir under the US pressure.
China and Pakistan are having a close strategic and diplomatic
alliance against India with fake currency racket in Nepal completing
the triangle.
The party will begin its two-day national Council on Thursday and come
out with political, economic resolutions along with one on internal
security.
DH News Service

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[ZESTCaste] Ambedkar award for Karunanidhi

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article109890.ece

Ambedkar award for Karunanidhi
Special Correspondent

Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi will be given Ambedkar Sudar award
instituted by the Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi (VCK) for his
contribution to the socio-economic development of the Dalits through
various schemes.

VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan who met the Chief Minister at his
Gopalapuram residence on Friday said he had agreed to receive the
award. The award will be given at a function on April 14, the birth
anniversary of Ambedkar.

A VCK release said besides waiving loans released to the Dalits
through TAHDCO, the Chief Minister also had announced a housing scheme
for them.

The State government has also relaxed the age limit for Dalits for
recruitment of police sub-inspectors.

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[ZESTCaste] Politicians should discourage touching feet

http://www.merinews.com/article/politicians-should-discourage-touching-feet/15798842.shtml

Politicians should discourage touching feet

MADHU AGRAWAL

Mon, Feb 22, 2010 10:45:42 IST

BHARATIYA JANATA Party president Nitin Gadkari deserves compliments
for asking party-followers to desist from feet-touching of
party-leaders. Otherwise political leaders usually desire that people
may touch their feet even though the leaders may be quite younger in
age of people touching their feet.

It is really shameful that even officers on duty also publicly touch
feet of political rulers. Union government should issue guidelines
so that at least government-employees on duty both at Centre and in
states may be prohibited to touch feet of political rulers.

However, ideal will be that political bosses cutting across
party-lines (including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati) may
issue directives on lines of BJP president Nitin Gadkari to ask
party-leaders to discourage people from so-termed 'manuvadi' tradition
of feet-touching.

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[ZESTCaste] Engineer quits, citing threats by BSP legislator

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/engineer-quits-citing-threats-by-bsp-legislator_100323698.html

Engineer quits, citing threats by BSP legislator

February 21st, 2010 - 1:20 am ICT by IANS -
Lucknow, Feb 20 (IANS) An engineer of the Uttar Pradesh irrigation
department Saturday sent his resignation letter to Chief Minister
Mayawati following alleged extortion bids by a legislator of the
ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Seeking to draw the chief minister's attention to "repeated demands
for money" by Bhimrao Ambedkar, who represents Lakhna assembly
constituency in Etawah district, executive engineer Shiv Das said
Ambedkar warned him that he would meet the fate of Manoj Kumar Gupta
if he did not comply.

Gupta, an executive engineer of the public works department, was
allegedly beaten to to death by BSP legislator Shekhar Tiwari in the
neighbouring Auraiya district in 2008.

"That is why I have chosen to resign from service rather than meet a
gory end," Das wrote in the letter, copies of which were sent to the
state irrigation minister and irrigation secretary.

Das also spoke out against the legislator before local journalists in
Etawah Saturday evening.

While the chief minister was in New Delhi, bureaucrats declined to
comment on the issue.

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[ZESTCaste] Conviction rate under SC, ST Act low in State: National Commission

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/cities/Chennai/article109215.ece

Conviction rate under SC, ST Act low in State: National Commission
Special Correspondent
The Hindu N.M. Kamble, Vice-Chairman, National Commission for
Scheduled Castes (right) and Mahendra Boddh, Member, addressing the
media at the Secretariat in Chennai on Thursday. Photo; V. Ganesan
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes on Thursday criticised
the Tamil Nadu government for high pendency of cases and low
conviction rate under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989.

Vice-Chairman of the Commission N.M. Kamble, who along with Member of
the Commission Mahendra Boddh, conducted a State-level review meeting
with Adi-Dravidar Welfare Minister Tamilarasi and senior officials of
the government, pulled up the police department for not completing
investigation within the stipulated timeframe in many cases.

He told reporters that that in the absence of details on the grounds
under which acquittal was done, the panel was in no position to say
who was at fault. Mr. Boddh gave year-wise break-up of the pending
cases, disposal of cases and conviction.

Mr. Kamble, former Congress Rajya Sabha MP and Maharashtra Minister,
said the administration did not provide the Commission information,
district-wise and ward-wise, on various welfare schemes for the SCs.
No details on the representation of SCs in important departments such
as police and education were furnished. There was no liaison officer,
whose rank was not less than deputy secretary, to act as the link
between the government and SC government employees.

He also found fault with the government in respect of not retrieving
from other communities lands assigned to the SCs. There were nearly
8,000 such cases. Pointing out that other States provided
district-wise information on various parameters, he said Chief
Secretary [K.S. Sripathi] had assured the panel of furnishing the
requisite information within a month. Asked which State was doing good
work in the Commission's assessment, the Vice-Chairman replied that no
State was performing up to the satisfaction of the panel.

When asked for the reaction to the State government's initiative of
providing three per cent reservation to Arunthathiars within the
overall quota of SCs, Mr. Kamble described it as "unconstitutional."
The move could be challenged in court. The government should have
consulted the Commission before coming out with any such legislation.

He said the Commission had covered almost three-fourths of the
country. It was yet to visit Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and West
Bengal.

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[ZESTCaste] The Mayawati-Rahul revolution (Opinion)

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/The-Mayawati-Rahul-revolution/582413

The Mayawati-Rahul revolution

Meghnad Desai Posted online: Sunday , Feb 21, 2010 at 0237 hrs
Three years ago, the map of Indian politics looked very different from
what it does now. The UPA was beginning to get into trouble with its
allies over the nuclear deal and in the UP elections, Congress fared
miserably. Rahul Gandhi's foray into electioneering did not work and
the Congress polled a smaller percentage of votes and fewer seats. The
BJP did not do very well either. It had dreams of winning UP with the
Samajwadi Party and then challenging the UPA in the Lok Sabha. Rajnath
Singh failed to charm the UP voters. Mayawati emerged triumphant and
showed that her blend of Dalit/Brahmin politics may yet show the way
out of Mandal. At the same time she devalued the mandir issue because
no one seemed to care about it.
Three years on, we have a different situation. Mayawati failed to cash
in on her UP success in the 2009 elections. Her dreams of being PM at
the head of a Third Coalition bit the dust. Her grandiloquent bonanza
of statues also met a check from the courts. Rahul Gandhi did not pay
heed to the chamchas who praised his 2007 UP election efforts and got
his head down and worked away, meeting the many Kalawatis in rural UP.
It paid off and the Congress got 20-odd seats.

The combination of Mayawati's triumph in 2007 and the UPA's in 2009
put several markers down in Indian politics. The BJP realised that
electoral success depends on following the trends set by the two
elections which they lost. Their narrow sectarian emphasis on Hindutva
and the temple issue, the Varun Gandhi issue, were counter-productive
and the nation drifted away from them.

The reality is that the Dalit vote cannot be ignored by any party nor
can it be taken for granted. It has to be fought for not by an
ideology which isolates them into ghettoes but by delivery of better
outcomes. This is because Dalits are just the same as all other Indian
citizens—they are aspirational and eager to have obstacles removed
from their paths. Mayawati proved how important the Dalit vote was and
Rahul Gandhi succeeded in getting the Dalit vote out of the clutches
of the BSP.

This, more than anything, explains what Nitin Gadkari is doing in
Indore. He went to Mhow, the birthplace of Babasaheb Ambedkar. In
doing this, he repeated the gesture he made of garlanding the Ambedkar
statue on his return to Nagpur after being crowned the head of the
BJP. He, too, has learnt the lesson. Dalits are Indians and they cast
their votes at election time. There is no way an exclusive upper caste
vote would get BJP into power even if they did agree with the BJP
about mandir/masjid issue and, of course, they don't agree.

The BJP has also understood that the exclusionary politics of the Shiv
Sena is poison. This is why, in the Shah Rukh Khan and My Name is Khan
episode, it stayed away from the Sena. It is clear that Indians do not
take to these divisive ideas anymore. Indians know and like Shah Rukh
Khan, as they like Sachin Tendulkar.

But the greatest miracle was that even the Congress in Maharashtra got
Rahul's message—stop the Shiv Sena from getting publicity and enjoy
immunity from the law just because it can make mayhem. The first right
of every Indian is to have protection from the agencies of law and
order. Every Indian has a right to go about his or her life as he or
she pleases, as long as they abide by the law. The Sena was defeated.
There is no gain in labelling voters as Marathi Manoos since they are
Indians as much as the Dalits are.

The best of the week was Gadkari's 'offer' that the BJP will help
build a mosque if the Muslims let them build the mandir. Good idea.
Why not build a multi-faith complex on the single site and celebrate
inclusive India? Let the Ramjanmabhoomi be put to some good use. Maybe
the Congress should promise that in its UP election manifesto.

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[ZESTCaste] UPA govt hands out a raw deal to dalits and adivasis

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UPA-govt-hands-out-a-raw-deal-to-dalits-and-adivasis/articleshow/5601056.cms

UPA govt hands out a raw deal to dalits and adivasis

Subodh Varma, TNN, Feb 22, 2010, 12.51am IST

In its election manifesto for the 2009 general elections, Congress had
promised that it would ensure that allocations made under the Special
Components Plan (SCP) for scheduled castes and the Tribal Sub-Plan for
scheduled tribes are in accordance with their proportion in the total
population. These two crucial schemes ensure that a proportion of all
plan spending has to go towards the most marginalized and deprived
sections of Indian society dalits and adivasis.

Funds routed under these schemes are non-divertable and non-lapsable.
Such a promise was necessary because over the years, it had become
almost customary to spend only a small amount under these schemes
despite clear mandate that expenditure has to be about 16% for dalits
and about 8% for adivasis. When UPA came to power for first time in
2004, only 5 out of 104 departments/ministries were showing such
expenditure. Addressing the 51st National Development Council meeting
in 2005, PM Manmohan Singh said that within 10 years expenditure would
be brought in line with population proportions. Since then, this
promise has been repeated several times, and all parties have voiced
support to it.

Yet reality is quite the reverse. Not only is the allocation under SCP
and TSP below the target, it has actually declined in past three
years, according to research done by the Centre for Budget and
Governance Accountability (CBGA), a Delhi-based think tank. Spending
for dalits under SCP increased from 4.25% in 2004-05 to 8.12% in
2007-08, but then declined to 6.49% in 2009-10. By law it should be at
least 16%, that being the proportion of dalits in the Indian
population. Similarly, spending for tribals under TSP increased from a
puny 2.8% in 2004-05 to 4.89% in 2007-08, but then declined to 4.1% in
the last budget. Again, legally, it should be 8%, which is the share
of tribals in Indias population.

This shocking truth emerged from CBGA research on expenditure details
under SCP and TSP by 18 ministries/departments which had undertaken
such allocation. These include some of the major ministries handling
matters that relate to dalit and adivasi communities, like education,
rural development, tribal affairs and social justice and empowerment.
In 2009-10, total plan expenditure was Rs 243,893 crore. Out of this,
Rs 15,832 crore was spent through SCP for dalits. By statutory
requirement, it should have been 16% of total expenditure, that is,
about Rs 39,514 crore. So, just in one year, dalit communities in
India were short-changed for a whopping Rs 23,682 crore. Expenditure
on adivasis was pegged at Rs 9,995 crore, whereas it should have been
8% of total, that is, about Rs 19,751. They were deprived of Rs 9,756
crore last year.

Dalits and adivasis constitute the poorest of our society. The bulk of
them own very little land, have higher proportion of illiterates and
suffer more social exclusion, than other strata. It was to partially
mitigate these consequences of centuries of discrimination that
schemes like SCP and TSP were devised. But the casual manner in which
they are being dealt with despite repeated promises at the highest
levels, raises questions about how serious these promises are.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit officer threatened, Maya orders probe

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/dalit-officer-threatened-maya-orders-probe/110464-37.html?from=tn

Dalit officer threatened, Maya orders probe

IANS

FORCED TO ACT: Chief Minister's party faces embarrassment because of
allegation against MLA.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Sunday ordered a probe
into the resignation of an executive engineer, who accused a ruling
BSP legislator of extortion bids and threatening him, an official said
here.

The enquiry into the allegations levelled by executive engineer Shiv
Das, a Dalit, has been entrusted to state Principal Secretary
(Irrigation) K S Atoria, a government spokesperson told IANS. Shiv Das
resigned Saturday night.

In his resignation addressed to Mayawati, Shiv Das alleged that
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator B R Ambedkar, who represents
Lakhna assembly constituency in Etawah district, was threatening to
eliminate him if he failed to meet his extortionist demands.

The legislator was also alleged to have warned the officer that he
would meet the same fate as Manoj Kumar Gupta, an executive engineer
of the Public Works Department (PWD) who was allegedly beaten to death
by a BSP legislator and his goons in neighbouring Auraiya district in
2008.

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[ZESTCaste] Buta's Dalit salvo stirs hornet's nest

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/85105/India/Buta's+Dalit+salvo+stirs+hornet's+nest.html

Buta's Dalit salvo stirs hornet's nest
Dalip Singh
New Delhi, February 22, 2010

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) chairman, Buta
Singh, is allegedly running roughshod over Dalit officials in the
commission. The latest person to be in his line of fire is Joint
Secretary T. Theethan.

Theethan joins a list of more than half-a-dozen Dalit officials whom
Singh has allegedly removed from their posts in an arbitrary way. Buta
Singh, however, was not available to comment on the allegations.

On January 12, a memorandum was issued to Theethan by NCSC
undersecretary (administration) Lokhan Marandi stating he was
"surrendered to the ministry of social justice and empowerment with
immediate effect".

Marandi wrote that the order was issued with the approval of the
"competent authority" (read Singh). On February 1, Theethan and his
private secretary found their office chambers in the Dalit
commission's office on the fifth floor of Lok Nayak Bhawan in Khan
Market locked.

Sources said the office chambers were opened only after Theethan wrote
a letter to Marandi expressing consternation over the 'lockout'.
Further, the commission has withheld Theethan's salary for the past
month. However, Singh's attempt to remove Theethan, a senior Indian
Audit and Accounts Services (IAAS) official with an unblemished
career, has come in for stiff resistance from the ministry for social
justice and empowerment. The ministry refused to accept Theethan's
transfer and has asked him to stay put. It is learnt that the ministry
has written to the NCSC questioning Singh's decision.

"How can Singh remove Theethan without the consent of the appointments
committee of cabinet (ACC), which posted him as the NCSC joint
secretary?" an official said.

Nevertheless, Singh is in no mood to relent. On February 2, he made
another botched attempt to force the joint secretary out.

Undersecretary Marandi issued a "corrigendum" on the transfer order to
Theethan stating he was surrendered to the ministry of personnel,
public grievances and pensions with immediate effect. But the
personnel ministry, too, refused to accept the NCSC's order.

Now, although Theethan - who doubles as the chief vigilance officer -
remains in the NCSC, he is denied access to official files.

Sources said Singh grew to dislike Theethan after the latter said
members of the commission and other staff should take administrative
and financial approvals before they went on official tours.

Theethan's removal has left the commission without senior bureaucrats.

Therefore, Singh has tasked the NCSC vice-chairman, who is of the rank
of a minister of state, to handle important matters. Theethan refused
to comment on the issue terming it "an internal matter". And Singh was
not available for comment.

Among other Dalits who have faced Singh's ire is Raghubir Singh,
another senior IAAS officer. He was removed from the post of
secretary, just a few months after he took charge in February 2008.
Raghubir retired from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India,
his parent organisation, after removal from the NCSC. Some other Dalit
officials who have become Singh's targets include: deputy director K.
D. Bhansor, private secretary K. L. Dhanak and commission member Satya
Bahin.

Bahin has written to the ministry of social justice and empowerment
against Singh's alleged vindictive and autocratic style of
functioning.

She wrote that Singh, in connivance with other commission members,
illegally surrendered many officials and prevented them from joining
duty.

Sources said she has also listed 10 officials who were transferred
since Singh took charge of the NCSC in May 2007. Singh's three-year
term ends this May.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit families migrate from Gujarat village

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/feature/dalit-families-migrate-from-gujarat-village_100323925.html

Dalit families migrate from Gujarat village

February 21st, 2010 - 9:21 pm ICT by ANI -
By Uday Adhvaryu

Zinzuwada/Nagwada (Gujarat), Feb.21 (ANI): Fearing attacks from upper
caste people in their village, 187 Dalit or the lower caste families
have migrated to neighbouring villages in Gujarat.

These families belonged to Zinzuwada village and decided to migrate to
other nearby villages to live in makeshift tents, as they feared
attacksby members of upper caste people in their village.

Belonging to the Maldhari community, these people felt compelled to
move to nearby villages to escape harassment by upper-caste persons of
the village.

They left their village with their belongings to Nagwada, a nearby
village and are presently living in makeshift tents.

In Zinzuwada village, which maintains an extremely rigid social
hierarchy, the Dalits are mostly employed as manual labourers. They
depend solely on the dominant, upper-caste Darbar community for
survival.

Members of Maldhari community, who are today living in makeshift tents
in Nagwada, say that the Darbars used to bully them and denied them
even basic amenities like water.

"We have left the village but before that, the village council did not
even provide us with the basic amenities like food or water. The
Darbars (upper-caste people of the village) have injured six or seven
people of our community. Even after filing a case against them, the
government has not taken any action. We left the village as we felt
that our daughters and sisters were not safe. The village council
didn't even allow us to take water from the wells or the river," said
Prabhat Rabari, a villager.

He alleged that the Darbars used to sexually harass the women of their
village and did not allow their children to study in schools.

The Maldharis have allegedly been facing discrimination for ages.

"The Darbar community tormented the villagers to such an extent that
they had leave the village. The population of Darbars is so huge that
they own more than 1,500 houses in the village. They used to harass
and bully the Maldharis (the lower-caste community); they have
abducted their cattle too. They used to sexually harass the women and
exploited them in every possible way. They abducted the women and kept
them for 17-20 days in their houses. The people were not able to go to
fill the earthen pots with water, from the wells and for 15 days they
were deprived of water. The children were also not allowed to go the
schools," said Lalji Bhai Desai, a social worker.

He added that the Darbars have already killed nine Maldharis, but the
government is still not taking any notice of this situation.

Numbering 160 million, Dalits represent 16 percent of India's
population of more than one billion.

Officially, caste discrimination is banned in India and special quotas
exist for Dalits in Parliament, state legislatures, village councils,
government jobs and educational institutions. (ANI)

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Monday, February 22, 2010

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