Thursday, October 21, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Is the free market improving lives of India's Dalits?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/soutikbiswas/2010/10/is_the_free_market_improving_the_lives_of_indias_d.html

Is the free market improving lives of India's Dalits?

Soutik Biswas | 13:46 UK time, Wednesday, 20 October 2010

Does free market drive social change? By rewarding talent and hard
work, does it help bring down social barriers? More pertinently, has
the unshackling of the Indian economy helped the country's
untouchables, or Dalits, to forge ahead?

A group of economists and Dalit scholars led by Devesh Kapur at
Pennsylvania University's Centre for the Advanced Study of India,
believes so. India's 160 million Dalits are some of its most wretched
citizens, because of an unforgiving and harsh caste hierarchy that
condemns them to the bottom of the heap.

The study quizzed all Dalit households - more than 19,000 - in two
clusters of villages in Azamgarh and Bulandshahar, two poor, backward
districts in Uttar Pradesh state. Dalits were asked about their
material and social conditions now and in 1990 when economic reforms
were kicking off in India. The answers, says the study, provide proof
of "substantial changes in a wide variety of social practices
affecting Dalit well-being."

If you feel that 19,000 Dalit households in Uttar Pradesh are not a
good enough sample for studying their conditions, think again. To put
things into perspective, 32 million of India's estimated 160 million
Dalits live in Uttar Pradesh alone.

But the very fact changes have happened to the lives of the Dalits in
Uttar Pradesh is enough to excite sceptics. Let's look at some of the
more striking findings:

1. Ownership of bicycles, fans, TV sets and mobile phones have
increased by typically a third to half of the Dalit households
surveyed.

2. A substantial improvement in housing: 64.4% and 94.6% of Dalits in
the households surveyed in two districts now live in "pukka"
(concrete) houses compared to 18% and 38.4% respectively in 1990.

3. Some interesting changes in grooming and dress - again, an
assertion of social aspirations. Take, for example, toothpaste. Under
3% of Dalits used toothpaste in the surveyed households in 1990. In
2007, more than half of them in Azamgarh and over 80% in Bulandshahar
used toothpaste. Up to 80% of Dalits in one cluster of villages use
shampoo today, an 82% jump compared with 1990.

4. Key changes in eating habits. Consumption of pulses has gone up.
More than 80% of the children in households surveyed in both districts
are not being served the previous night's leftovers. More than 70% of
the households use packaged salt. Up to 87% of the households in
Azamgarh and more than half the households in Bulandshahar buy
tomatoes.

Whether calorie intake has gone up substantially remains unclear. But
respondents say that their food situation is "much better."

5. "Massive" changes in social practices within the community. Today
almost all the households rent a car or jeep to take the groom's
marriage party to the bride's village and bring the bride back to the
groom's village, up from as low as 2.5% in Bulandshahar in 1990. More
than 90% of them offer tea to visiting relatives.

6. The relationship between the Dalits and other castes is undergoing
subtle, but important changes. These days more than 80% of Dalits are
not seated separately at non-Dalit weddings of grooms in the village,
compared with a little over 20% in 1990. In Azamgarh households nearly
90% of Dalit babies are now attended equally by government and
non-Dalit midwives.

The traditional practice that only Dalits would lift dead animals of
non-Dalits is dying out. In Azamgarh fewer than 1% of Dalits lift dead
animals, compared with 19% in 1990, while in Bulandshahar only 5.3%
do. More than 60% of Dalit children in the surveyed households go to
school, as do well over half of the girl children.

7. Migration is driving a lot of changes in economic wellbeing. By
2007 fourth-fifths of Dalit households in the two village clusters had
at least one family member who was a migrant worker, a professional or
was in business. Half of the households in one village cluster, and
78% of households in the other had members who worked locally or had a
small business. "Migration," says the study, "has been a powerful
engine of Dalit empowerment."

Whether the market is reducing inequality remains a highly contentious
point. My hunch is that political empowerment must have played a
powerful role in many of the changes: the rise of Dalit politics
coincided with the liberalisation of the economy. But the last word
comes from the group of scholars behind the study: "No one would argue
Dalits have achieved anything like equality, but it is certainly the
case that many practices that reflected subordination and routine
humiliation of Dalits have declined considerably." That, by itself, is
a considerable triumph for India's wretched of the earth.

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[ZESTCaste] Punia for improving conviction rates in SC/ST atrocity cases

 

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/punia-for-improving-conviction-rates-in-scst-atrocity-cases/430551.html

Punia for improving conviction rates in SC/ST atrocity cases

PTI | 06:10 PM,Oct 20,2010
Hyderabad, Oct 20 (PTI) Expressing concern over high pendency of cases
and low conviction rate under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Andhra Pradesh, NCSC Chairman
P L Punia today stressed on the need to sensitise prosecution officers
to improve the situation. "Andhra Pradesh which is ranked fifth in
terms of SC population, is ranked third with regard to number of
atrocity offences, which is a matter of concern," Punia told reporters
here. "Large number of cases of atrocities which have been reported
are still pending for investigation. Though, there is a rise in number
of atrocity cases every year, but charge sheeted cases are less than
closed cases," he said. Acquittals are very high, running into
thousands, whereas convictions are only in hundreds, Punia said.
Laxity on the part of prosecution has to be plugged by ensuring
disposal of cases in Special Courts in shortest possible time, he said
adding they had suggested for giving training and special refresher
course to prosecution officers and to sensitise them on the needs of
the deprived sections of the society. "This is one area which requires
attention and I have pointed it out," Punia added. A former
bureaucrat-turned-politician and Congress MP from Barabanki
Parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Punia, who assumed charge
as Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) last
week, chose Andhra Pradesh for his first state visit. Punia said he
had discussed with state Chief Minister K Rosaiah on matters of
welfare and growth of SCs. (MORE) PTI VVK DK DK

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[ZESTCaste] Punia concerned over high pendency of cases under SC/ST Act

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Punia-concerned-over-high-pendency-of-cases-under-SC/ST-Act/articleshow/6781105.cms

Punia concerned over high pendency of cases under SC/ST Act
PTI, Oct 20, 2010, 05.47pm IST

HYDERABAD: Expressing concern over high pendency of cases and low
conviction rate under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in
Andhra Pradesh, chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled
Castes P L Punia today stressed on the need to sensitise prosecution
officers to improve the situation.

"Andhra Pradesh which is ranked fifth in terms of SC population, is
ranked third with regard to number of atrocity offences which is a
matter of concern," Punia said.

"Large number of cases of atrocities which have been reported are
still pending for investigation. Though, there is a rise in number of
atrocity cases every year, but chargesheeted cases are less than
closed cases," he said.

Acquittals are very high, running into thousands, whereas convictions
are only in hundreds, Punia said.

Laxity on the part of prosecution has to be plugged by ensuring
disposal of cases in Special Courts in shortest possible time, he
said, adding they had suggested for giving training and special
refresher course to prosecution officers.

"This is one area which requires attention and I have pointed it out,"
Punia added.

A former bureaucrat-turned-politician and Congress MP from Barabanki
Parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Punia, who assumed charge
as NCSC Chairman last week, chose Andhra Pradesh for his first state
visit.

Punia said he had discussed with Chief Minister K Rosaiah on matters
of welfare of SCs.

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[ZESTCaste] L Subramaniam acquitted in rape case

 

http://www.hindustantimes.com/L-Subramaniam-acquitted-in-rape-case/Article1-615460.aspx

L Subramaniam acquitted in rape case

New Delhi, October 20, 2010First Published: 17:06 IST(20/10/2010)
Last Updated: 18:36 IST(20/10/2010)

Violin maestro L Subramaniam, who was accused of sexual harassment by
his maid, was acquitted after he produced evidence of being out of
town on the day of the alleged crime. The violin maestro, who is
married to singer Kavitha Krishnamurthy, has alleged that the maid
Bhagya had stolen cash amount approximately Rs 3,00,000 and some other
valuables.

After Subramaniam lodged a theft complaint against Bhagya, she
reportedly sought the help of a Dalit organisation to lodge an
attempt-to-rape complaint against Subramaniam.

Allegedly Subramaniam had been harassing Bhagya for sexual favours and
tried to rape her on September 1, 2010. "He had warned of ruining my
reputation and that is why he has filed a complaint against me," she
said in the complaint, reports Mumbai Mirror.

But Subramaniam denied the charges claiming that he was out of town on
the alleged day. He also produced air tickets, bills and other
evidence to prove his absence.

A police official confirmed to Mumbai Mirror, "We have investigated
her complaint and concluded that there is no case against the
violinist."

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