Latest News Update: Sep 5, 2011

Monday, September 5, 2011

[ZESTCaste] Cong gave dalits their rightful place: Digvijaya

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/cong-gave-dalits-their-rightful-place-digvijaya/181285-37-64.html

Politics News
Cong gave dalits their rightful place: Digvijaya
Press Trust Of India
Posted on Sep 04, 2011 at 06:49pm IST

Azamgarh: Digvijaya Singh on Sunday described Congress as the party
which gave Dalits their rightful place in society by granting them a
role in the making of the Constitution and installing them in high
positions and accused the ruling BSP in Uttar Pradesh of doing nothing
for them.

"Congress always gave the right place to dalits. From giving them a
role in Constitution making to installing a member of the community as
the Speaker of the present Lok Sabha, the party always gave value to
dalits unlike BSP," Singh said addressing a Dalit conference.

Accusing the Mayawati government of doing nothing for Dalits, he said
funds meant for their welfare had been diverted to projects which had
nothing to do with them.

Replying to a query, the Congress general secretary drew a line
between Yoga guru Ramdev and Gandhian Anna Hazare, both of whom are
engaged in anti-corruption campaigns.

"While Ramdev is a thug (cheat), Hazare is a social worker and that is
why the government acted on his demands," Singh, who is the AICC
in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, said.

On the notice served to Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal by the Income
Tax department, Singh said it had been issued to the former bureaucrat
in 2005 itself and charged him with not only flouting goverment
service rules but also being involved in politics and collecting
'crores' through his NGO.

(Follow IBNLive.com on Facebook and on Twitter for updates that you
can share with your friends.)

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[ZESTCaste] Now, OBC groups demand reservation in Lokpal panel

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Now-OBC-groups-demand-reservation-in-Lokpal-panel/Article1-741610.aspx

Now, OBC groups demand reservation in Lokpal panel
Prasad Nichenametla, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, September 04, 2011

Members of Parliament belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBCs)
categories have demanded reservation for OBCs in the Lokpal panel.
They want a quarter of the panel to be kept aside for OBCs. While
the Parliamentary Standing Committee is trying to fine-tune Team
Anna's
demands into the government's version of the Lokpal Bill, MPs from
different social groups are stepping up pressure for caste-based
reservation in the first ever national ombudsman system of the
country.

The Forum of SC/ST Parliamentarians had made a similar case for
reservations in Lokpal, both inside and outside Parliament. On
Saturday, the All-India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations led by
Udit Raj met the Prime Minister over the issue. The association also
submitted the Bahujan Lokpal Bill to the standing committee's
chairperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

"Non representation of OBCs in the Constituent Assembly has led to
inadequate representation of these major groups in all decision-making
bodies of the government after independence. Now that we are bringing
Lokpal, it is extremely necessary that OBCs should be adequately
represented in Lokpal as well as its selection committee," said V
Hanumantha Rao, convenor of Parliamentary Forum of OBC MPs, in a
letter sent to the committee on Friday.

The Rajya Sabha MP has proposed an addition to Clause 3 of the Bill
dealing with composition of Lokpal. "Of the total number, including
chairperson and other members, not less than 15% shall be from SC, not
less than 7.5% from ST and not less then 27% from OBCs, including
those of religious minorities."

The forum also wants one third of the panel to be represented by
women. The clause related to the selection committee should be amended
to give representation of one member belonging to OBCs (like chairman
of National Commission for Backward Classes), SCs, STs, minorities and
women, the letter states.

The OBC forum convenor also wants Lokpal to cover private sector, NGOs
engaged with government to deliver public services, charitable
religious trusts and the media.

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[ZESTCaste] State govt hikes SC/ST students’ scholarship

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/188452/state-govt-hikes-scst-students.html

12,000 students to benefit in Kodagu
State govt hikes SC/ST students' scholarship
Srikanth Kallammanavar, Madikeri, September 4, DHNS:

The scholarship being given to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe
has been hiked. The change will come to force from this academic year
itself.

With this significant decision of the State government as many as
12,000 students will be benefited in the district. The students who
are staying in the hostels can avail the benefit.

The students of first to fifth standard who are receiving a
scholarship of Rs 75 per year will be hiked to Rs 250. Boys studying
in 6th and 7th standard will receive Rs 250 as against the present
amount of Rs 75.

Boys from 8th to 10th standard will receive Rs 500 as against the
present amount of Rs 100 while girls will receive Rs 700 as against
the present Rs 600 scholarship.

The students were given scholarships in various forms. The girls were
given financial assistance and special assistance was given for those
who pass SSLC in first class.

However, now the state government has decided to give scholarship
under one roof.

Earlier, the students were asked to submit caste and income
certificate every year to avail the scholarship. However, in the new
rule, the caste certificate should be submitted once and the income
certificate should be submitted once in three years.

The scholarship amount will be directly credited to the accounts of
the students or the account of their parents. The government has
decided not to give the scholarship in cash at any cost.

Increase in income

Kodagu district Social Welfare Officer Rajesh G Gowda said the annual
income limit of the parents has been increased to Rs 2 lakh in case of
students from Scheduled Caste and 1.45 lakh in case of Scheduled
Tribe.

The Central government too has hiked the scholarship amount paid to
the post metric students (PUC, degree and PG courses). As many as
2,000 post metric students will be benefited in the district.

The scholarship paid for Group one courses is Rs 550 (for those who
stay at home), and Rs 1200 for those who stay in hostels, in group 2
course (Rs 530 and Rs 820), group 3 courses (Rs 300 and Rs 570) and
group 4 courses (Rs 230 and Rs 380)

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[ZESTCaste] All eyes on reservation of Corpn. wards

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/article2425935.ece

COIMBATORE, September 5, 2011
All eyes on reservation of Corpn. wards
Karthik Madhavan

With the Coimbatore Corporation accepting the delimitation of wards,
the question now on everybody's, particularly Councillors', mind is
how the reservation exercise will be carried out.

Reservation is earmarking 33 per cent of a local body's wards for
women, 18 per cent for the Scheduled Caste and Schedule Tribe and 33
per cent of the 18 for women from the SC and ST. In Coimbatore's case,
of the 100 new wards, 33 will be reserved for women, 18 for the SC/ST
and six of the 18 for SC/ST women.

The Corporation at present has 72 wards. Forty-eight of those have
been left undisturbed in the delimitation exercise. The rest 24 have
been rearranged into 12 wards.

In short, the existing 72 wards will constitute only 60 wards in the
new set-up. The new Corporation will get the remaining 40 from the 11
local bodies after annexure.

Councillors have divergent views on how the reservation is to be
carried out. One set of councillors say the existing reservation
pattern should continue in the 48 wards that have not been disturbed.

Advocating such an approach, K. Purushothaman, Ward 61 Councillor,
says by adopting the existing reservation system in the 48 wards, the
Corporation will not violate the government's policy of continuing
with a reservation pattern for 10 years. Only in 2006 was the
decennial exercise carried out.

The next reservation exercise ought to be only in 2016. The
Corporation will be able to stick to this if it allows the present
system to continue in the 48 wards.

He also says if the Corporation were to carry out reservation by
including the 48 wards, councillors like him will stand to lose
because only in 2006, the status of his ward got changed from a
reserved ward to a general ward.

As for the rearranged 12 wards and the 40 wards from the to-be annexed
local bodies, he suggests the Corporation follow the norms after
discounting the reservation carried out in the 48 wards.

By doing so, the two reservation exercises will be independent of the
other and ensure spread of reserved wards across the new Corporation.
Else, there is every chance of all the reserved wards getting
concentrated in the existing Corporation area. Mr. Purushothaman says
such a concentration is very likely because the population is more in
the city than in the to-be annexed areas.

There are other councillors who do not subscribe to this view, though.
They want the Corporation officials to carry out the delimitation
exercise taking the 100 wards as a unit.

C. Padmanabhan, Ward 3 Councillor, says the Corporation that has 2001
population data at its disposal should classify it ward-wise and
reserve wards based on the numbers. Starting in descending order with
the wards that have a higher number of women, the Corporation should
reserve 33 wards for women, 18 for SC/ST members and six of the 18 for
women from the two communities.

"It is a straight, simple math, and let not the officials go in for
complicated methods to keep a few people happy," is his refrain. P.
Rajkumar, Ward 71 Councillors is also of the same view.

V.N. Udayakumar, Ward 24 Councillor, says the officials should follow
the rules, else the party will move the court.

M.S. Velmurugan, Ward 57 Councillor, differs from the above two
approaches, though. He says the reservation policy is flawed as the
Corporation officials have taken 1996 population figures for
delimitation exercise and 2001 population figures for reservation.

He wants the officials to follow either 1996 or 2001 figures for both
delimitation and reservation.

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[ZESTCaste] Beaten at panchayat meet for speaking out, teenage girl sets herself on fire

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/beaten-at-panchayat-meet-for-speaking-out-teenage-girl-sets-herself-on-fire/841684/

Beaten at panchayat meet for speaking out, teenage girl sets herself on fire
Express News Service Posted online: Mon Sep 05 2011, 02:00 hrs
Lucknow : Nearly a week ago, a 17-year-old Dalit girl allegedly set
herself on fire near her house in Jihali village in Barabanki district
after she was slapped and humiliated for voicing dissent against a
panchayat decision.

With 40 per cent burn injuries, she was admitted to Shyama Prasad
Mukherjee Hospital in Lucknow on Saturday where doctors said her
condition is stable. But what has added to the woes of her family is
the "soft approach" of police in pursuing the case.

Till date, the main accused Mohammad Aslam — husband of village
pradhan Latiful Nisa who allegedly thrashed the girl in full public
view — has not been arrested. "Despite knowing full details about the
case, the police charged Aslam under milder sections of the IPC," said
the girl's cousin.

The FIR, registered at Fatehpur on September 2, three days after the
incident, charges Aslam under Sections 504 (intentional insult with
intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (punishment for criminal
intimidation), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of the
IPC and SC/ST Act.

The SP of Barabanki, RK Bhardwaj, today said they are "working" on
charging Aslam under Section 306 of the IPC that entails abetment to
suicide. "Police teams have been formed to trace Mohammad Aslam who is
still missing," he added.

According to police, the girl, who studies in Class XI, had given
shelter to Rani Lodh, a married woman who had eloped with a resident
of the village. This irked the villagers and a panchayat was called on
August 29. The panchayat ordered Rani Lodh to leave the girl's house.
Aslam, the husband of the village pradhan, was also there. The girl's
mother said Rani told the panchayat that her husband used to beat her
and wanted her belongings back. "When my daughter appealed to Aslam to
help Rani get her belongings, he got incensed and admonished her for
interfering," said the mother, quoting what she had been told by
locals.

Aslam then beat her and banged her head against a thrasher, she said,
adding he also threatened to shoot her. She saw her daughter return to
the house with bruises on her face. After she left for work, she came
to know her daughter had set herself ablaze in a field nearby.

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[ZESTCaste] 40 Dalit groups to rally today for Lokpal concerns

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/40-Dalit-groups-to-rally-today-for-Lokpal-concerns/articleshow/9865496.cms

40 Dalit groups to rally today for Lokpal concerns
TNN | Sep 5, 2011, 03.25AM IST

NEW DELHI: With Lokpal bill to be taken up by the parliamentary
standing committee, dalit groups have begun to pile pressure on
government with top intellectuals, activists and employees federations
deciding to march on Monday to press that their concerns be
accommodated in the proposed ombudsman.

Forty leading dalit rights organizations will march from Ambedkar
Bhawan to Jantar Mantar to impress their concerns upon the Parliament.
A good mobilization will underscore the estimates that the community
has reservations about the recent Lokpal agitation at Ramlila Maidan.

The marching outfits, organized under the banner of Social Justice
Forum on Lokpal, include Indian Social Institute, Common Concern which
is a group of intellectuals, National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights,
National Confederation of Dalit Organistions and a host of outfits
from states. The campaign will culminate in a public meeting at Jantar
Mantar.

A statement issued by the forum said, "The public march will demand
that constitutional safeguards for dalits, adivasis, OBCs, religious
minorities and women should be respected and incorporated in the final
draft of any anti-corruption bill that is debated and finally put to
vote in Parliament. This bill should ensure proportional
representation of all marginalized communities and groups in the
selection committee as well as in the final authority that is formed."

It said corruption in the form of inequalities in power structure
should be recognized because marginalized communities bear the brunt
of corrupt practices which include discrimination, exclusion and
denial of rights. "But the current definition of corruption reflected
in all the prevalent versions of Lokpal bill does not address the real
forms of corruption which affect these communities on a day to day
basis," it said.

The group has demanded that Parliament and the standing committee
should not take any hasty decision on the nature of the bill which
could end up deepening inequalities in society.

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[ZESTCaste] Police reluctant to register complaints, say Dalit activists

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/article2425913.ece

MANGALORE, September 5, 2011
Police reluctant to register complaints, say Dalit activists
Staff Correspondent

The issue of police ignoring and refusing to register complaints given
by Dalits dominated the monthly meeting organised by the district
police on Sunday.
Complaints

Kusappa from Puttur said the police had been unwilling to register a
case when a Dalit man was beaten up at Addebailu in Sullia taluk a few
months ago. He said although they had brought it to the attention of
the Assistant Superintendent of Police Puttur, it had not yielded
results.

Superintendent of Police Labhu Ram said that unless they inquired into
the incident, they could not give a reply to the allegation. He said
he would let them know in the next meeting.

Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (B. Krishnappa Sthapitha) Krishnananda said
this instance clearly showed that the police did not register cases
brought by Dalit people. Mr. Ram assured him that he would look into
the incident.

Another man spoke of an incident that occurred within Bantwal Rural
limits in which a Dalit man had been assaulted over a land dispute and
even after it became clear to the police that the disputed land did
indeed belong to the Dalit man, the police had registered a complaint
against him. "What was the need for a second complaint?" the man
asked.

A woman said that she had lodged a complaint at the Mangalore Rural
police station against a man who had cheated her of Rs. 1.5 lakh on
the pretext of securing a job. She said that she wanted to know what
happened to her complaint.

At Kotehitlu in Uppinangady, Puttur taluk, a degree college was being
managed from a building which was actually an Ambedkar Bhavan, said
Somnath, former president of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat.

He said that although they had requested the college authorities to
vacate the building, the latter refused to do so stating that the
college had spent thousands of rupees on developing it. Balakrishna, a
teacher, said that there were no basic amenities in a Dalit colony in
Chelur, Bantwal taluk.

The road to the colony had been encroached by people belonging to
other castes, making it impossible for them to move about.

Although they had brought it to the notice of the tahsildar who had
ordered the encroachers to remove the illegal construction, it had
been two months since they heard from the officer.
Scheme inconsistencies

Ramesh Naik from Belthangady told Mr. Ram that there were
inconsistencies in a scheme of the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Development
Corporation involving the sanctioning of borewells to persons from
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. He said the actual measurements
of the borewells significantly differed from the measurements recorded
in the bills for 135 borewells sanctioned in the taluk. He said that
these should be investigated. Mr. Ram said that he would take the
necessary action.

Several Dalit activists requested the Superintendent of Police to
direct officials from other departments to be present at the meeting
called by the police.

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[ZESTCaste] UP: Dalit woman gangraped, murdered

http://zeenews.india.com/news/uttar-pradesh/up-dalit-woman-gangraped-murdered_729973.html

UP: Dalit woman gangraped, murdered
Last Updated: Monday, September 05, 2011, 14:14

Muzaffarnagar: A 27-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gangraped and
strangled to death by unidentified persons in Walipur village of the
district, triggering protests by locals in the area.

The incident took place yesterday when the victim, Mamta, had gone to
collect wood and did not return. Her body wasm later found in a field
close to her village, police said Monday.

Following the incident, irate villagers blocked the Delhi-Pauri
Highway and pelted stones on vehicles.

The crowd was soon brought under control and the body was sent for
postmortem, said officials, adding no arrests have been made so far.

PTI

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati sent empty jet to Mumbai for sandals: WikiLeaks

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mayawati-sent-empty-jet-to-Mumbai-for-sandals-WikiLeaks/articleshow/9870389.cms

Mayawati sent empty jet to Mumbai for sandals: WikiLeaks
AFP | Sep 5, 2011, 01.53PM IST

NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh chief minister and head of the Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP) Mayawati sent her private jet to pick up a pair of
sandals, according to leaked US diplomatic cables.

US embassy cables from 2007 to 2009 released by the WikiLeaks website
in recent days describe Mayawati, 55, as "a first-rate egomaniac" who
"is obsessed with becoming prime minister".

They said Mayawati celebrated her birthday each year by receiving
millions of dollars in gifts from "sycophantic party members, civil
servants and business people" while officials vie for a chance to feed
her cake.

"When she needed new sandals, her private jet flew empty to Mumbai to
retrieve her preferred brand," a cable dated October 23, 2008
reported, adding she employed food tasters to guard against poisoning.

"She constructed a private road from her residence to her office,
which is cleaned immediately after her multiple vehicle convoy reaches
its destination," the cable said in an analysis of her
"eccentricities, whims and insecurities".

It added an account of Mayawati making a state minister do sit-ups in
front of her as punishment for a minor protocol error, and reported it
cost $250,000 to run as a BSP parliamentary candidate due to
"institutionalized corruption".

Mayawati and the BSP performed below expectations in national
elections in 2009, winning just 21 seats in the 543-seat parliament,
but she retains strong support among the poor.

She has often been criticised for extravagance, erecting huge statues
of herself in public parks and being greeted at rallies with garlands
made out of Rs 1,000 (20-dollar) notes.

The unmarried former schoolteacher did not immediately respond to the
allegations made in the cables.

In her current term, Mayawati has run Uttar Pradesh since May 2007 and
was also chief minister from 2002 to 2003.

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[ZESTCaste] US cables: Maya a 'first-rate egomaniac'

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-cables-maya-a-firstrate-egomaniac/841652/

US cables: Maya a 'first-rate egomaniac'
RAMENDRA SINGH Posted online: Mon Sep 05 2011, 01:20 hrs
Lucknow : While the US Embassy looked at Uttar Pradesh as the most
crucial Indian state politically, it was sharply critical of Chief
Minister Mayawati. In cables released by WikiLeaks, Mayawati is
variously described as "a first rate egomaniac" who runs the state
"like a fiefdom", and acts on "her eccentricities, whims and
insecurities".

Making a mention of Mayawati's lavish celebrations on January 15, her
birthday, a cable dated January 16, 2009, talks of it being "her
favorite party of the year when the sycophantic fealty of BSP party
members reaches its apex". It mentions the December 2008 murder of a
district engineer by allegedly a BSP legislator during a collection
shakedown forcing the BSP leader to tone down her celebration.

Another cable, dated October 23, 2008, says poloff (political
officers) travelled in three cities of UP to gauge the political state
of play. It found, "Mayawati is obsessed with becoming Prime Minister
and the BSP will spend huge sums in next year's national polls."

With all signs pointing to another coalition government in Delhi,
"Mayawati could be a powerbroker and perhaps even a king (or queen)
maker."

Under the heading "Eccentric Paranoia" the cable says, "Mayawati's
full majority victory in May 2007 UP state Assembly elections left her
beholden to no one and has allowed her to act on her eccentricities,
whims and insecurities. When she needed new sandals, her private jet
flew empty to Mumbai to retrieve her preferred brand."

It further mentions Mayawati's "vice-like grip on all levers of
power". "All decisions must run through Mayawati or her very small
coterie of advisors," says the cable. According to the cable, a poloff
met a journalist in Lucknow who said a minister was forced to do
sit-ups in front of her as penance for not first asking permission to
call on UP's Governor.

A cable dated March 17, 2009, before the Lok Sabha elections, says
poloff noted "Mayawati deeply wants to become prime minister and with
thirty plus seats, she will be a player at the center. With fifty
seats (an outside possibility), the unpredictable chief minister could
be a major player."

A cable dated October 9, 2007, is titled 'Mayawati has little to show
for first 100 days' and says she had not been able to tackle the
problems of poverty, education, employment, and governance. "Instead,
she remains focused on undoing many of the decisions of her
predecessor..."

'A free run'

"Mayawati is obsessed with becoming Prime Minister"

"When she needed new sandals, her private jet flew empty to Mumbai to
retrieve her preferred brand"

"A journalist said a minister was forced to do sit-ups in front of her
for not asking permission to call on Governor"

------------------------------------

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