Latest News Update: Jun 2, 2010

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

[ZESTCaste] ‘Every slumdweller should get 550 sq ft home’

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/every-slumdweller-should-get-550-sq-ft-home/628224/

'Every slumdweller should get 550 sq ft home'
Express News Service Posted online: Wed Jun 02 2010, 03:03 hrs
Pune : Slamming the government decison to increase the FSI, the
Rashtriya Dalit Congress on Monday demanded that every slumdweller
should get 'a 550 square feet home.'
The demand was made at a workshop organised by the RDC at Salave
Garden, Kondhwa, regarding the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme. Addressing
party workers, RDC president Shashikant Ghode said,"The recent
government annoucement of increasing FSI by 0.5 is of no use to the
slum-dwellers. That is for the benefit of builders. We disagree with
the decision. We demand that every slum-dweller must get 550 square
feet home," he said.

"Overall there is a big amount of money involved, so we demand that
the government release a white paper. The government should also
declare as to which slum is allotted to the builder and his sons or
relatives and the corporators, MLA or minister who are the partners.
We have requested the chief minister to do the needful."

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[ZESTCaste] Give up 'hypocrisy' of love for Dalits, BJP tells Rahul

http://sify.com/news/give-up-hypocrisy-of-love-for-dalits-bjp-tells-rahul-news-national-kgbtkdjfhfi.html

Give up 'hypocrisy' of love for Dalits, BJP tells Rahul

2010-06-01 19:10:00
Last Updated: 2010-06-01 19:21:05

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday asked Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi to stop his "hypocrisy of love for Dalits" and
instead ensure rehabilitation of the 150 families of the community
forced out of their homes by upper castes in Haryana.

The party also slammed the state Congress government for its failure.

No pact with BSP in Uttar Pradesh: Rahul Gandhi

"The BJP demands that Rahul Gandhi should immediately stop the
hypocrisy of love for Dalits and instead get adequate relief and
rehabilitation for the victims' families from the state government
headed by Congress party," BJP spokesman Ramnath Kovind told reporters
here.

Gandhi on April 29 visited Mirchpur village in Haryana's Hissar where
a minor clash between Dalit and Jat youth escalated into an attack on
the Dalits and led to torching of about 20 Dalit homes and the death
of two members of the community.

"Merely expressing sympathy on the spot by Rahul Gandhi and the
Haryana chief minister... shows gross failure of the Congress
overnment and exposes its love for Dalits," Kovind said.

The BJP's response comes a day after the Supreme Court sought a
response from the Haryana government on action taken to rehabilitate
the 150 Dalit families of the village, forced to take refuge in the
national capital after the April 21 attack.

BSP demands CBI probe into attacks against Dalits

"The Supreme Court's admonition to Haryana government on the
atrocities on the Balmiki Samaj in Mirchpur village of Hissar exposes
administrative and constitutional failure of the state government," he
said.

"Rahul Gandhi posed as the well-wisher of Dalits after meeting victim
families and Congress president Sonia Gandhi discharged her
responsibility after conveying sympathies towards victim families,"
Kovind said, adding "all this proved to be a sham."

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[ZESTCaste] Protect Dalit victims, SC tells Haryana

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Protect-Dalit-victims-SC-tells-Haryana/articleshow/6002437.cms

Protect Dalit victims, SC tells Haryana
IANS, Jun 2, 2010, 12.51pm IST

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it was incumbent upon
the Haryana government to provide protection to the victims of caste
violence in Mirchpur village in Hisar district.

The apex court bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and C.K. Prasad said the
failure to provide protection would be viewed seriously.

The Dalits (Balmikis) of Mirchpur were targets of violence by the
upper caste Jats on April 21.

As many as 150 Dalit families were driven out of the village after an
arson attack on their homes in Hisar district, about 300 km from
Chandigarh.

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[ZESTCaste] Cong to present Mayawati list of "tainted" BSP leaders

http://www.ptinews.com/news/684115_Cong-to-present-Mayawati-list-of--tainted--BSP-leaders

Cong to present Mayawati list of "tainted" BSP leaders

STAFF WRITER 19:13 HRS IST
Allahabad, June 1 (PTI) Blaming Mayawati for failing to act against
"tainted" leaders of her party, the Congress today said it will
approach the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister in 15 days with a list of
ruling BSP leaders having "dubious" past and press for their removal.

"Not long ago, the BSP had announced its so-called clean-up drive to
rid the party of tainted leaders. We knew it was an eye-wash," UPCC
president Rita Bahuguna Joshi told reporters.

Joshi came down heavily on explanation offered by the BSP surpemo that
people with tainted background had been reformed after joining her
party and hence there was no need for any stern action.

"In 15 days, we will be preparing a list of tainted leaders who have
been occupying prominent positions in the ruling BSP or the Mayawati
government", she said.

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[ZESTCaste] Training programme for Dalit entrepreneurs

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/programme-to-train-dalit-entrepreneurs/178237.html

Training programme for Dalit entrepreneurs

Express News ServiceFirst Published : 02 Jun 2010 04:45:08 AM ISTLast
Updated : 02 Jun 2010 10:28:31 AM IST

CHENNAI: A monthlong residential entrepreneur development programme
was launched on Tuesday to nurture 25 Dalit entrepreneurs and help
them take part in the economic growth of the country.

Chief Secretary K S Sripathy, who inaugurated the programme, said
about 50 entrepreneurs have enrolled for the pilot programme, which
included 25 Dalits and the rest from other communities.

Hailing the initiative taken by the Indian Institute of Technology in
organising such programmes, he said this would develop
entrepreneurship skills among youngsters.

P K Mohapatra, chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry - Southern
Region, said the CII would provide specialised training to those who
had enrolled themselves in the training programme and wish to become
an entrepreneur. It would also facilitate their internship to provide
them with muchneeded exposure about the industry, he added.

He said with per capita income of India touching $1,000, the nation
had graduated from a lowincome country to a middleincome country.

Hailing the role of the State government in empowering Dalits, he said
two months ago, the CII conducted a detailed research in south India
and found out that about 16.5 per cent of Dalits were employed in
private firms. "This is due to wide exposure to formal education,"
Mohapatra said.

Mohapatra said there were plans to cover 1,000 students annually.
Fifty applicants out of 300 were selected from 50 colleges.

Ma Foi Management Consultants founder and MD K Pandia Rajan
highlighted how Dalits were emerging as successful entrepreneurs. He
stressed on the five mantras to become a successful entrepreneur -
ideas and marketing, operations management, identity for the firm,
tenacity and cocreation.

Vishwanath Shegaonkar, principal secretary of Adi Dravida and Tribal
Welfare Department, said 19 per cent of the population in State were
Scheduled Castes and one per cent Scheduled Tribes. "Currently, the
State government is spending Rs 25 crore for conducting various
training programme for 20,000 Dalits and Rs 10 crore for BCs and MBCs.
This training will help students understand the intricacies of
business," he said.

A team comprising successful businesspersons, managementtrained
facilitators and mentors will groom the participants. Thirty
entreprenuers have confirmed to take sessions and coach the budding
entreprenuers.

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[ZESTCaste] Rahul Gandhi's love for Dalits a sham: BJP

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/72811/rahul-gandhis-love-dalits-sham.html

Rahul Gandhi's love for Dalits a sham: BJP
New Delhi, Jun 1, (PTI)

BJP on Tuesday accused Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and the
Congress government in Haryana of merely expressing sympathy to the
ostracised Dalit families of Mirchpur village in Hisar and demanded
rehabilitation of the displaced victims.

"Supreme Court's admonition of Haryana Government on the atrocities
against people of Balmiki Samaj in Mirchpur Village exposes
administrative and constitutional failure of the state government,"
BJP spokesperson Ramnath Kovind said.

He maintained that Gandhi and Chief Minister Bupinder Singh Hooda went
to the spot ten days after the April 30 incident and announced
compensation for repairing the houses of Dalit victims and employment
to families of the deceased.

He took a dig at Rahul Gandhi for "posing" as a well-wisher of Dalits
and said this "drama proved to be a sham".

"Mere expressing of sympathy on the spot by Gandhi and the Chief
Minister and not doing anything to give them security and to arrange
for their rehabilitation shows gross failure of the Congress
government and exposes its 'love' for Dalits," Kovind said.

"Even Congress President Sonia Gandhi had only paid lip service by
conveying sympathies towards family members of the victims," he said.

"The state government has not taken any stringent action against the
culprits. The BJP demands that Rahul Gandhi should immediately stop
the hypocrisy of love for Dalits and instead get adequate relief and
rehabilitation for the victims' families from the state government,"
he added.

The Supreme Court took cognizance of the incident yesterday in which
two people of Balmiki community were burnt alive and about 35 houses
were looted and burnt.

The Hooda government has been asked to present its case in the apex
court on June 2.
Kovind claimed that 150 families were affected in the incident and the
survivors were now living in a Valmiki Mandir in Delhi.

"These people feel insecure in returning to their village. We demand
that the government should provide them built up houses in Hisar
city," he added.

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[ZESTCaste] Address Dalits' problems

http://www.thehindu.com/2010/06/02/stories/2010060261900800.htm

Karnataka

Address Dalits' problems

Staff Correspondent

KOLAR: Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) Superintendent of Police Devajyothi Ray
has instructed all the nine police stations under KGF and Bangarpet
Assembly Constituencies to address the problems of the Dalits
promptly. He was addressing a Dalits' grievance redressal meeting on
Monday. Tahasildar Dakshayini, taluk social welfare officer Chowdappa
and several Dalit leaders participated.

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[ZESTCaste] St Stephen's to take more students in general category

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Delhi/St-Stephens-to-take-more-students-in-general-category/articleshow/6000579.cms

St Stephen's to take more students in general category
Manash Pratim Gohain, TNN, Jun 2, 2010, 12.37am IST

NEW DELHI: There will be more general category seats at Delhi
University's most sought-after college, St Stephen's, this year. The
college has reduced the 'merit gap' allowed for Christian candidates,
which insiders say will lower the number of minority admissions and
leave more seats for general students. Principal Valson Thampu
revealed the new admission guidelines on Tuesday.

Last year, Christian candidates with 60% marks were eligible for
admission. The norm now has been changed to 15% less than the general
cut-off in each stream. So, if the cut-off for a course is 95%, only
Christian candidates with minimum 80% marks will be eligible. The
merit gap between general and minority students was as high as 35% in
some cases last year.

In another significant change that allows vacant minority seats to go
to general category, the guidelines say "up to" 50% seats will be
reserved for Christians. Last year, the quota was 50%.

St Stephen's new admission guidelines were adopted at the supreme
council meeting on May 26, in which the college decided to stick to
admission norms practised before 2008 — during the tenure of former
principal Anil Wilson. For general students, the weightage for
admission continues to be 75% for class XII marks, 10% for class X
marks and 15% for the interview.

Teachers have welcomed the new guidelines. Many of them had been
complaining about the merit gap widening in the classroom as a result
of the admission policy of the past couple of years. SC member Nirmal
Andrews said: "Being a Stephenian myself I wanted the high academic
standards set by the college to be restored and I am happy with the
new guidelines which will ensure that."

In another rule change, unfilled seats in the 3% physically
handicapped (PH) category among Christians will also be shifted to the
general PH category. Last year these vacant seats were shifted to the
SC and ST categories.

Said Malay Neerav, head of St Stephen's history department, "The
changes made in the admission policy in 2008 were degenerative due to
which academic standards have fallen. It is a welcome move on part of
the college administration to go back to the pre-2008 cut-off formula
for minority admissions."

The rules allow the college principals to relax the 15% differential
cap in cases of the 'supernumerary' (sports category) admissions, for
a maximum of six candidates who opt for Urdu as their optional
language in the BA programme and for the 3% physically handicapped
candidates in all categories.

The supernumerary category will have 5% of the sanctioned seats, which
this year amounts to 21.

manash.gohain@timesgroup.com

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[ZESTCaste] Rebel faction of Gujjars warns of fresh movement in Rajasthan

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rebel-faction-of-Gujjars-warns-of-fresh-movement-in-Rajasthan/articleshow/5999220.cms

Rebel faction of Gujjars warns of fresh movement in Rajasthan
PTI, Jun 1, 2010, 05.43pm IST

JAIPUR: A major rebel faction of Gujjars in Rajasthan today warned of
fresh agitation from June 16 if the state government fails to meet
their demand of five per cent reservation.

The faction led by Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Chief Patron of All India
Gujjar Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti, rejected the one per cent additional
quota extended by the state government to the community recently.

"Our community members have already rejected one per cent additional
quota extended to Gujjars following agitation by (community leader)
Kirori Singh Bainsla and now we will launch fresh movement to get our
rights," Bidhuri told reporters here.

"The movement will be peaceful and not like that of Bainsla where
railway tracks were uprooted. In initial stage, we will hold
demonstration at all district headquarters and memorandum will be
submitted to the state government through respective district
collectors.

"The agitation will be intensified by staging demonstration at state
assembly during the Monsoon session and submitting memorandum to the
Prime Minister and AICC President Sonia Gandhi," Bidhuri said.

He said five per cent reservation in government jobs, withdrawal of
cases registered against the community members during the agitation
led by Bainsla and pension to those injured in the protest are among
the demands.

Strongly condemning the agreement arrived between the state government
and Bainsla on granting one per cent additional quota, Bidhuri alleged
that Bainsla settled for the accord only for his "personal gains".

The community had called off its month-long stir on May 5 after the
government agreed to accord one per cent more quota to it in addition
to the existing four per cent given to them under the OBC category.

As per the agreement, since the community is already getting 21 per
cent reservation under the OBC category, they would get one per cent
more quota till the High Court completes formalities on their demand,
and remaining four per cent reservation would be accorded after the
court's verdict under the Special Backward Class category.

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[ZESTCaste] Atrocities against Dalits on the rise in Nizamabad

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Hyderabad/Atrocities-against-Dalits-on-the-rise-in-Nizamabad/articleshow/6001126.cms

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOINEW/navigator.asp?Daily=TOIH&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&AW=1275454347453

Atrocities against Dalits on the rise in Nizamabad

Raghu Paithari | TNN

Nizamabad: It appears that the honour killing incident at
Krishnajivadi where a Dalit youth along with his upper caste wife were
stoned to death on May 26 was not an isolated one. Three persons
belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) community were murdered by upper
caste people in Nizamabad district in the last fortnight.
In what could be a pointer to an alarming rise in the attacks on
SCs/STs in the district, a senior police official said 35 cases
pertaining to attacks on Dalits have been reported till May this year.
They include two murder, five rape, five causing injury and eight
other cases registered under various sections of the SC/ST (Prevention
of Atrocities) Act.
Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) state vice-president R
Nampalli told TOI that the family members of Baddam Swapna Reddy had
killed Sunkari Srinivas on the night of May 26 because they could not
reconcile to the fact that the youth belonged to the SC community.
"The macabre incident in Krishnajivadi in full view of villagers only
exposes how Dalits are being treated in villages and mandals by the
cash-rich upper caste people," he fumed.
While land disputes is said to be one of the prime reasons for the
increasing attacks on Dalits, love affairs and extra-marital relations
often lead to murders of Dalit youths. Karrolla Sailu, 40, was stabbed
to death by one Goli Narayana Reddy and his associates in broad
daylight in front of State Bank of Hyderabad in Yellareddy town on May
21.
What was the provocation? "Narayana Reddy killed Sailu suspecting
that the latter had developed intimacy with his wife," a police
official said. The victim used to work in the fields of Narayana Reddy
in Lingampalli village of Lingampet mandal. In another case, a Dalit
youth was allegedly killed in Kamareddy division on May 15. His crime
was having an illegal affair with the wife of an upper caste.
In another instance, a land dispute took the life of Bhavanipet
Sudarshan, 40, who was beaten to death by his upper caste opponents in
Kamareddy on May 18. Sudarshan had a piece of land on the Sirsilla
road, which was assigned by the government 20 years back. The adjacent
land owners — Mudam Laxminarayana and Mudam Narasimhulu — kept
pressuring Sudarshan to sell his land to them. "When he refused to
part with his land, the Mudam brothers attacked him with sticks and
killed him in his field," police sources said.
Though there has been a spurt in the number of cases registered
under the SC/SC Act with each passing year, the accused continue to go
scot-free due to lack of evidence or political influence. In 2009, 92
cases under SC/ST Act, including two murder, four rape and 12 causing
hurt, were registered in the district. While 83 cases were booked in
2008, 74 cases under SC/SC Act were registered in the year before.
"Though special provisions have been provided to protect the
interests of Dalits and other weaker sections, the police officials
misuse the Act to bail out the accused belonging to upper castes,"
Dalit Morcha leader Gandham Veeresham said.

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[ZESTCaste] Choose your caste

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Web Linkshttp://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/jugglebandhi/
Contactssecondopinion@timesgroup.com
SEC O N D O P I N I O N

Choose your caste

Get maximum mileage from vote-bank politics

Jug Suraiya

Will you reveal your caste when the census-taker comes calling? Those
who advocate the caste-census do so on the principle that it is better
to know than not to know, and that knowledge helps us to empower
ourselves and others. According to this argument, the more information
we can gather on regional concentrations and percentages of caste, the
better equipped we'll be to take focused affirmative action to counter
discrimination and social and economic backwardness.
This seems to be a reasonable enough argument. The problem is that,
ever since the adoption of the Mandal commission's recommendations by
the V P Singh-led government in 1990, caste conflict has escalated,
not declined. The system of quotas and reservations in jobs and
educational institutions – originally meant only for Dalits and tribal
people, and that too for a limited period – has with the inclusion of
OBCs turned the traditional caste system upside down: often it's more
advantageous to belong to a so-called 'lower' caste rather than to a
so-called 'upper' caste.
This reverse caste-discrimination, championed by its votaries as
being just retribution for millennia of upper-caste repression, has in
fact engendered antagonisms within the ranks of the OBCs themselves,
of which there are 1,963 categories in the country. Competitive
casteism (i belong to a more backward caste than you, so i need more
quotas and reservations than you) and the vote-bank politics that it
creates can result only in dividing our society even more, socially
and politically.
Supposedly 'OBC' parties like Mulayam Singh's SP and Lalu Prasad's
RJD could well find themselves splitting to represent smaller and
smaller caste groupings, each vying with the other for a larger
allotment of seats on the gravy train of caste. Will India end up
having over 1,900 political groupings, each claiming to promote the
legitimate interests of a particular disadvantaged caste?
In fact, the final count of such caste-based proliferation could be
much higher. The so-called Muslim vote – which earlier was seen to
encompass the entire community – is also said to be showing signs of
internal divisiveness, with 'backward' Muslims, like the Mews of
Rajasthan, demanding SC status. Will 'backward' Muslims – who
converted to Islam to escape the lower-caste identity thrust upon them
by the Hindu community – demand and get special and separate political
representation? And if they do – and what political neta can resist a
new captive vote bank? – what about 'backward' Christians, 'backward'
Sikhs, and even 'backward' Buddhists, who will turn Ambedkar's dreams
of Dalit liberation upside-down?
Even as Nandan Nilekani's team is trying to create a cohesive and
equitable Indian identity by giving every Indian a Unique
Identification Number, the caste census will inevitably create further
cracks and fissures in our already fragmented polity. A typical case
of the right hand of the sarkar not knowing – or even caring – what
the left hand is doing.
Instead of trying to identify people by their caste, it would make
more sense for the census to identify peoples' economic status. Surely
BPLs – people who exist below the poverty line – are more deserving of
affirmative action and positive discrimination than OBCs, or even
SC/STs? Or are they? Unfortunately for BPLs, unlike OBCs and SC/STs,
they don't represent a captive vote bank. With the result, they
literally don't count with our netas, during a census or at any other
time.
So what's your best option? Choose which caste you want to belong
to for the census. Opt for the caste that will get you maximum mileage
in terms of quotas. Caste is not your destiny; it is your vote bank
clout. Choose it wisely.

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