Latest News Update: May 18, 2011

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

[ZESTCaste] SC/ST quota in govt tenders on the cards

http://m.mydigitalfc.com/news/scst-quota-govt-tenders-cards-522

SC/ST quota in govt tenders on the cards

By PTI May 16 2011 , New Delhi

Within the proposed policy being considered for reservation of
government purchase orders for micro and small enterprises (MSEs),
there will be a sub-quota for businesses owned by SCs/STs.
While there is not much resistance to the idea of a 4 per cent
sub-quota for entrepreneurs belonging to SC/ST communities, a
consensus on the overall proposal for 20 per cent reservation for MSEs
is yet to emerge.
"SCs/STs issue has been resolved. There will be sub- reservation," a
senior official in the MSME ministry said, adding that if there is not
enough capacity with these entrepreneurs, the orders can be passed on
to general category sourcing channels.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has been pushing for
sub-quota for SC/STs in government tenders, which are worth about Rs
1,70,000 crore annually. The share of all MSEs in these tenders is
about 4-5 per cent.
The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) is trying
to forge an inter-ministerial consensus on reservation for MSEs in
state purchases, an official said.
The proposal is being followed on the recommendation of the Prime
Minister's Task Force on the issue.
There are concerns from some ministries like petroleum and natural
has, home, commerce and the railways over the quality and capability
of MSEs to deliver the orders.
Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) employ around six crore
people and contribute 8 per cent to the country's gross domestic
product. They account for 40 per cent of India's total exports and
over 45 per cent of total manufacturing output.

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[ZESTCaste] Before 'Aarakshan' I was against reservations: Saif

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/before-aarakshan-i-was-against-reservations-saif/152705-8-66.html

Before 'Aarakshan' I was against reservations: Saif
IANS
Posted on May 17, 2011 at 07:34pm IST

Mumbai: Saif Ali Khan found his role of a Dalit in Aarakshan most
challenging because it didn't come naturally to him and admits that
the film has changed his perspective about reservation policies and he
now feels they should exist.

"When I got this movie, I was completely against reservations. I felt
that things should be done on merit. That was my first thought, but
after having done the movie, I realised that there is another side to
it, which is that most people in our country are very underprivileged
and they have no chance in life," Saif told reporters here.

"It's not like you can get a job without passing the exam. So even if
10-20 percent of the backward classes manage to get an education, it
is good. So after doing this film, I have altered my mind on
reservations to quite an extent. I think it should exist, but to what
extent and what percentage that is debatable," he added.

Before 'Aarakshan' I was against reservations: Saif

Set for an August 12 release, director Prakash Jha's Aarakshan is a
high voltage drama centering on caste-based reservations in government
jobs and educational institutions. The film also stars Amitabh
Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Manoj Bajpayee and Prateik Babbar.

Saif played a rustic guy in Omkara and a terrorist in Kurbaan, but
found his role of a Dalit in Aarakshan the most challenging.

"It was very challenging to get into the character for this film
because this is a role where more than acting, it's about looking and
feeling the part from inside and having a certain expression in your
eyes," said the 40-year-old.

"I talked a lot about it with Prakashji and prepared for it. Prakashji
basically said that the character has a Zen-like calm rather than
edgy.

"Lot of things helped, like the clothes, the hairstyle, the moustache.
These are slightly more external things, but the idea was to learn how
to feel the part. It's probably the most challenging role I had to do
because it doesn't come at all naturally to me to be that," he added.

Although the actor is quite excited about his role, controversy has
already begun to hound the film. Recently Jha got a letter from a
group called Dalit Suraksha Samiti, protesting against the portrayal
of Saif as a Dalit.

When asked about this, Saif said: "It's become a habit now to raise a
voice on things. Sometimes the protests have relevance and a point,
but sometimes it is unnecessary. It is difficult to keep everyone
happy. It's a wrong thing that without watching the film, an objection
has been raised. When they see the film, they will be happy."

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[ZESTCaste] State unreserved staff to seek termination of Bhatnagar panel

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/State-unreserved-staff-to-seek-termination-of-Bhatnagar-panel/articleshow/8400888.cms

State unreserved staff to seek termination of Bhatnagar panel
TNN | May 18, 2011, 03.19am IST

JAIPUR: The state government employees belonging to the unreserved
categories have termed the Bhatnagar committee as unconstitutional,
saying it cannot review the Supreme Court order on reservation in
promotions.

The employees' organisation, Mission-72, has decided to approach the
high court to get the committee terminated and initiate contempt
proceedings against the state government.

A controversy over whether or not the reserved category employees
should get caste-based reservation in promotions has sharply divided
the state government employees, following a Supreme Court order in
December last year. As per the order, the government was to
discontinue reservation in promotions to employees from the scheduled
castes ( SC) and scheduled tribes ( ST) categories until the
preconditions laid down in the Nagraj case judgment were fulfilled.
One of the preconditions was that the reservation benefit could be
granted only if the reserved category employees were inadequately
represented in the state government services.

"Since the reserved category employees are overrepresented in the
government jobs, the state government had no choice but the stop
giving reservation in promotions. Instead, the government constituted
the Bhatnagar committee to review the court order," said Gulshan
Baghla, convener of the Mission-72 organisation.

The rift between employees from the reserved and unreserved categories
widened with the department of personnel's circular issued on May 11,
saying that the reserved category candidates making it to the
recruitment merit list without the reservation benefit shall be
counted among the unreserved category candidates. The Mission-72
organisation has criticised the circular, while the reserved category
employees have welcomed it.

"The department has only reissued the circular that was first issued
in the year 2000. This has been the rule since long," said Rajpal
Meena, state president of the SC/ST Karamchari Mahasangh.

The Samata Andolan, another organisation of unreserved category
employees, pointed out that the new circular was different from the
old circular as a crucial precondition has been removed from it. "As
per the old circular, a reserved category candidate making it to the
merit list was counted among the unreserved category candidates only
if he had availed of no other reservation-linked relaxation except for
an exemption in the examination fee at the time of recruitment," said
Parashar Sharma, president of the Samata Andolan. He added that the
new circular states that reserved category candidates who avail of
even the age and qualifying marks relaxations at the entry level will
also be counted among the unreserved category candidates. "The new
circular is, therefore, unconstitutional and we will challenge it
before the high court," Sharma said.

The employees from unreserved categories have planned a public rally
at Jaipur on June 17 to protest against the state government's alleged
bias towards the reserved category employees.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit children recount horrific tales of discrimination

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/161342/dalit-children-recount-horrific-tales.html

Wednesday 18 May 2011
Dalit children recount horrific tales of discrimination
Abhay Kumar in Patna

In the Dalit Bal Sansad (Dalit Kids Parliament), which was organised
recently in Bihar, hundreds of children belonging to Dalit and
Mahadalit community narrated their first-hand experience about
discrimination at the hands of upper castes.

Aged between 8 and 14, these children tore Nitish Kumar's Government
to shreds when one after another they recounted their horrific tales.

One such student was 13-year-old Poonam Kumari from Gaya, who recalled
how five youths from her village forced her to disrobe at a secluded
place, and then took turns to rape her.

Tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she narrated her experience
before a select gathering, which included SC/ST Welfare Minister in
Bihar Jitan Ram Manjhi.

Her woes did not end there. She had to undergo a medical examination,
and after her charges were found to be true, an FIR was lodged at the
concerned police station. But since the culprits enjoy enormous clout,
they continue to roam around freely and, at times, even pass lewd
comments on Poonam whenever they come face to face with her.

But then Poonam was not alone. Fourteen-year-old Radha had come all
the way from Barachatti, where she studies in Kasturba Gandhi Madhya
Vidyalaya. One day she complained to her teacher about stomachache.
But lo and behold, the teacher locked her up in the toilet for six
hours.

The teacher said that since she was shamming, she needed to be taught
a lesson. Radha would have remained locked up in the dingy and
unhygienic bathroom had one of her class-mates not informed her
father, who came rushing to the school and forced the teacher to let
her go.

There were more stories of discrimination in store. Bina Kumari of
Gaighat narrated in detail how the toilet in her school was out of
bounds for the Dalit girls. "Only upper caste girls are allowed to
make use of the toilet," said Bina. "Besides, Dalit students are
served their mid-day meals in leaf plates while upper caste students
are provided food in proper plates by the Rajkiya Madhya Vidyalaya,"
she added.

It's not only the mid-day meal where the discrimination is rampant.
The Dalit children face prejudices even if they apply for a
school-leaving certificate. "Upper caste students have to pay just Rs
40 for a school-leaving certificate, while Dalit students like us are
made to cough up Rs 100 for the same," said Satnarian Paswan of
Darbhanga.

The tales of bias come close on the heels of Nitish Kumar's government
announcing dwelling units and land for Mahadalits where they can build
their dwelling units. Apart from this, the Government has also decided
to organise a Transistor Mela, on the lines of Pustak Mela (book
fair), Rojgar Mela (employment fair) and Loan Mela.

This fair will be held exclusively for the Mahadalits of the State,
where companies manufacturing radios will distribute transistor sets
to the identified beneficiaries belonging to the oppressed class, so
that they can receive information about the various welfare schemes
meant for them.

Conceding that the transistor sets have not reached the beneficiaries,
Nitish said, "I admit that the transistor sets have not reached you as
my officers are wary that the amount (given to Mahadalits for its
purchase) would instead be spent on alcohol. So I have decided that
henceforth Transistor Melas would be organised. In this fair,
transistor set companies will distribute the sets to the identified
beneficiaries after receiving coupons from them."

"The coupons, of course, will be made available to the beneficiaries
by the government, which, in turn, will pay the amount to the
companies," Nitish added. But for many beneficiaries these coupons
have also proved to be elusive so far.

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[ZESTCaste] BSP legislator Anand Sen gets life sentence for Dalit's murder

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/bsp-legislator-anand-sen-gets-life-sentence-for-dalits-murder/articleshow/8407121.cms

18 May, 2011, 06.43AM IST, Man Mohan Rai,ET Bureau
BSP legislator Anand Sen gets life sentence for Dalit's murder

LUCKNOW: In yet another instance of ignominy to the Mayawati
government in Uttar Pradesh , Bahujan Samaj Party legislator Anand Sen
and two of his associates have been sentenced to life imprisonment by
a Faizabad court for the murder of a 24-year-old pregnant Dalit.

He is the second ruling party MLA to be convicted and sentenced to
life imprisonment this month. On May 6, BSP MLA Shekhar Tiwari was
found guilty of murdering PWD engineer Manoj Kumar Gupta, for refusing
to pay money for Mayawati's birthday celebrations, and was given life
sentence by an additional sessions judge.

The Milkipur MLA Anand Sen, who was a minister in the Mayawati
government, was charged with plotting the murder of law student Shashi
Prasad in October 2007. The victim's father, who is also a BSP worker,
had accused Anand Sen of kidnapping and murdering his daughter. After
killing the woman, who was pregnant, her body was dumped into the
Gomti river, from where her wrist watch was recovered later.

The ruling party welcomed the court order and said the verdict had
been possible due to effective steps taken by the state government.

"We welcome the court's decision to award life sentence to former
minister Anand Sen and two others. Sen was immediately sacked from his
ministerial post as soon as his name cropped up in the murder case", a
party release issued here said.

Contrary to other political parties, BSP was the only party, which
immediately took action against those found involved in criminal
activities, it said. "In earlier governments in the state, the
criminals were shielded but it was not done in the BSP regime", it
added.

With two of its MLAs sentenced to life imprisonment for murder within
a fortnight, the BSP government's image has taken a beating. With
elections to the state barely a year away, the Mayawati government is
trying hard to manage the crisis.

The BSP government had come to power promising better law and order.
With its own leaders thrown behind bars, BSP has been pushed to the
wall by opposition parties, who have highlighted the cases.

In January, BSP MLA Purushottam Diwedi was arrested by the police for
raping a minor in Banda. The case is still on. Half a dozen elected
leaders of BSP have gone behind bars since the party came to power in
2007.

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