Latest News Update: Nov 7, 2011

Monday, November 7, 2011

Re: [ZESTCaste] Quantum jump in SC/ST officers in govt jobs

Dear Friends this data is not complete. The Group A posts also include university teachers and scientists which is not included in this data. Percentage of SC/ST in faculty/scientist positions is merely 5%.

Dr. Uaday Singh

Assistant Professor

From: Siddhartha Kumar <mailsiddhartha.k@gmail.com>
To: zestcaste <zestcaste@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, 7 November 2011 3:53 PM
Subject: [ZESTCaste] Quantum jump in SC/ST officers in govt jobs

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/quantum-jump-in-sc-st-officers-in-govt-j.../871770/

Quantum jump in SC/ST officers in govt jobs
Amitabh Sinha Posted online: Mon Nov 07 2011, 01:21 hrs
New Delhi : Thanks to the policy of reservation, the representation of
Scheduled Castes in higher-level government jobs has increased nearly
eight times in the last 45 years while the proportion of Scheduled
Tribes has shown an almost 20-fold jump.

The proportion of SCs in Group A government jobs was only 1.64 per
cent at the beginning of 1965. That had risen to 12.5 per cent by
January 2008. Similarly, the share of STs in top government jobs
increased from a meagre 0.27 per cent in 1965 to 4.9 per cent in 2008,
according to data in the latest brochure on reservation brought out by
the government.

Even in the lower levels of bureaucracy, the reservation policy has
had a similar impact, as 2008 figures show. From 13.17 per cent as of
January 1, 1965, the share of SCs in all government jobs increased to
17.51 per cent. STs now have 6.82 per cent of all government jobs as
compared to 2.25 per cent in 1965.

This is the first time the government has brought out such a brochure
since reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) was introduced in
1993. The previous such brochure in fact came out in 1993 itself.
However, the impact of reservations on OBCs during these years has not
been quantified.

SCs and STs have been eligible for reservation in government service
from the time of Independence. As of now, SCs, STs and OBCs get 15 per
cent, 7.5 per cent and 27 per cent reservation respectively in all
government posts where appointment is done by open competition.

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[ZESTCaste] Himachal Pradesh police 'no surname' policy attracts Kerala

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Himachal-Pradesh-police-no-surname-policy-attracts-Kerala/articleshow/10626825.cms

Himachal Pradesh police 'no surname' policy attracts Kerala
Anand Bodh, TNN | Nov 6, 2011, 08.13AM IST

SHIMLA: Impressed by the Himachal police move to stop use of surnames
in the force to enforce greater cohesiveness, senior officers of Tamil
Nadu and Kerala police have approached the state to help them to
implement this back home.

Recently, inspectors general of police (IGPs) from Tamil Nadu and
Kerala contacted Himachal Pradesh DGP Daljeet Singh to know how the
plan had been implemented. Himachal police became first in the country
to drop use of surnames this June.

Cops, including senior officers posted at state police headquarters no
longer use their surnames whether it is on the name plates outside
their offices or the name tags on their uniforms. These days, they are
referred to by their first names.

Caste system is alive and kicking in Himachal Pradesh, especially in
rural areas where rigid social norms has left the people clearly
divided on caste lines. People from dalit community are treated as
untouchable, and not allowed to sit along with those upper caste
during at social functions like marriages, neither are they allowed to
enter temples controlled by upper caste people.

In such a caste dominant scenario, police have tried to send a message
to unite the divided society by doing away with their surnames. They
have succeeded in this to some extent, which has lead states like
Tamil Nadu and Kerala to think of following their example.

Himachal Pradesh police has around 15,000 personnel, and most of them
have dropped their surnames to project an identity, devoid of any
caste and class connotations.

The idea was first mooted by DGP Daljeet Singh, who after holding
discussions with the senior officials of his department, took it up
with chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, who also holds the portfolio of
home. Later, the cabinet okayed it.

Following this, the DGP had issued an order advising everyone to
desist from using their surnames or caste in all official and
demi-official communications and the proposal was implemented from
June 15.

In June, 2010, a 50-year-old dalit schoolteacher ended his life after
allegedly facing humiliation at the hands of an upper caste employee
of the same school in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. In the rural
areas it is a common practice to seat upper-caste guests away from
invitees from lower castes during weddings and other social functions.

Shimla-based sociologist S K Sharma feels the government first needs
to change the recruitment process where people are divided on caste
basis to change the mindset of the people.

But Himachal Pradesh University sociologist O P Monga sees the
decision as a step towards ending social inequality. ''There is
rigidity in the caste system. In rural areas, untouchability is still
prevalent and people from dalit community are still afraid to enter
temples controlled by upper castes. The step taken by the police
department is a step towards eradicating social inequality,'' he
said.z

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[ZESTCaste] Puthiya Tamilagam to hold hunger strike on December 6

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article2605924.ece

CHENNAI, November 7, 2011
Puthiya Tamilagam to hold hunger strike on December 6
Special Correspondent

"We will be holding meetings every month until the State government
accepts all the demands"

As part of its struggle urging the State government to render justice
to the Dalits in Paramakudi police firing incident, Puthiya Tamilagam
will hold a hunger strike here on December 6, its president, K.
Krishnasamy said on Sunday.

Talking to reporters, he said the government should treat the death
anniversary of Dalit leader Immanuel Sekaran, the day on which seven
persons were killed in police firing at Paramakudi, as 'Memorial Day';
provide compensation of Rs.5 lakh to those who lost their lives and
government job to at least one person in the family.

"As the State government failed to heed to our requests such as taking
action against the police officers and suspending them, we are
conducting the hunger strike on Dr. Ambedkar's death anniversary.
Prior to that, we will hold public meetings in all the districts from
November 10 onwards to create awareness. We will be holding meetings
every month until the State government accepts all the demands," he
said.

Mentioning that he sensed a huge scam in allocation of at least 22.5
per cent petrol bunks to scheduled caste/scheduled tribes, women and
differently-abled persons, he said,

"Since 2008, three oil majors in the country have issued licences to
only seven people under this category against 1,200. Hence, I have
sought a white paper from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas."

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit farmers herded away from govt land

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Chhattisgarh/Dalit-farmers-herded-away-from-govt-land/Article1-765636.aspx

Dalit farmers herded away from govt land
Ejaz Kaiser, Hindustan Times
Raipur, November 06, 2011

As part of a drive against encroachment on government land, a big herd
of cattle was pushed into agricultural fields in Raigarh to stampede
the crops cultivated by Dalit farmers. The panchayat in Chicho-umariya
village, 240 km east of Raipur, has defended the incident, which took
place on
October 30 and has created tension in the area.

Local BJP leader Kartikram Pradhan, who also allegedly performs the
role of sarpanch-pati (husband of the woman sarpanch, wielding
authority on her behalf), allegedly spearheaded the move.

Pradhan, who is also block president, said: "After the directive from
the collector and the resolution passed by the gram panchayat, the
process of removal was initiated."

The Dalit families of the village are now facing the threat of social
boycott and the blocking of their ration supplies if they protest or
lodge any complaint.

Raigarh collector Amit Kataria said humanitarian concern should have
been shown to the villagers. "The action was legal and undertaken
after a resolution was passed by the gram panchayat. Following the
directive of the Supreme Court, we have decided to get rid of illegal
encroachments on all public and government land by December 15,"
Kataria told HT. Of the 1,650 acres in Chicho-umariya, nearly 250
acres has been declared as grazing land, owned by the government.
About 65 Dalit families were reportedly using 150 acres of that for
decades.

"We have been cultivating the land since the sixties and now face the
threat from the sarpanch pati, who is also a local BJP leader, that
our ration supply will be blocked," said Pushkarma, a woman in her
thirties.

Suraj Kumar, a villager, asked: "Why was the drive undertaken without
the presence of an officer or the police? We had a lush green harvest
this year owing to the good monsoon but all are destroyed now."

The police, however, are saying the action was unjustified. "I have
sent a police force led by the additional SP to inquire into the
incident. Such an anti-encroachment drive is absolutely wrong. And the
issue becomes sensitive when the victims are Dalits," Raigarh
superintendent of police Rahul Sharma said.

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[ZESTCaste] Nepal: Dalits 'forced out' of rented house

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=37989

DISCRIMINATION
Dalits 'forced out' of rented house

DILIP POUDEL
BAGLUNG, Nov 7: Three students in Baglung have accused their landlord
of forcing them to leave the rented room just because they belong to
the Dalit community.

Kalpana Pariyar and Samjhana Pariyar of Khugrani - 1, and Garima BK of
ward no 6 on Sunday accused Bhimnath and Sita Poudel, the owners of
house, resident of Baglung, of forcing them to vacate the room.

"We have a naagdevta (snake god) in our house. If you Dalits are
allowed to live here, the naag will get angry inviting bad
consequences," the girls quoted Poudel duo as saying. The students
have been undergoing health assistant training.

According to the tenants, the duo had agreed to give them the room for
2,000 per month. "But the same day in the evening, they came to know
about our caste and they changed their mind," said Kalpana. "We were
humiliated and ill treated by the landlords."

The students complained that they were not given sufficient time even
to rent another room. They had to remove all their stuffs.

While the girls have demanded action against the landlords, the latter
denied the charge. "We wanted to give the entire flat to a single
family, that was the reason why we asked them to leave," the duo said.
"We have not forced them to vacate the room immediately," they
defended.

On the basis of allegation, police has already detained and filed a
case against the Poudel duo.

On the other hand, several human rights and pro-Dalit organizations
have been pressurizing action against the guilty.

Published on 2011-11-07 03:53:30

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[ZESTCaste] Government Mulls Dalit Venture Capital Fund

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/11/07/government-mulls-dalit-venture-capital-fund/

November 7, 2011, 11:18 AM IST

Government Mulls Dalit Venture Capital Fund

By Tripti Lahiri

Almost a year ago, Dalit businessmen met with Planning Commission
Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia to talk about how the
government could support entrepreneurs from India's historically
disadvantaged low-caste groups.

This weekend, the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
gathered again in Delhi to celebrate one result of that meeting. Last
week, India's Cabinet approved a policy for public procurement that
asks government departments to source 4% of their total purchases from
businesses run by people from India's most disadvantaged communities.
These include both Dalits and members of tribal communities.

At the Saturday gathering, which also saw the creation of a Delhi
chapter of the chamber, the minister who lobbied for the procurement
policy change said the government was now considering creating a
"Dalit venture capital fund." Dalit entrepreneurs say one of the major
hurdles they face is a lack of financing options.

"It wouldn't be right to say more," Minister for Social Justice and
Empowerment Mukul Wasnik told the gathering. "But I hope we'll see it
reach fruition."

Later Mr. Wasnik told India Real Time that it wasn't enough to
recommend that a certain amount of procurement come from Dalit
businesses. The policy allows for ministries to source from other
businesses if Dalit firms don't participate in bids.

"It will be our responsibility to make it a success as well," said Mr.
Wasnik. "What else can be done?"

The minister said that India was looking to other countries for ideas,
such as South Africa's black economic empowerment program.

In South Africa, firms that want to apply for public contracts must
present independent verification that they are following prescribed
empowerment policies.

"Empowerment was basically coming in the public sector," said Mr.
Wasnik, referring to affirmative action quotas for government jobs.
"Gradually the private sector needs to start empowering."

Mr. Wasnik wasn't the only Congress party politician present. General
Secretary Digvijay Singh was there too. That marked a change from last
year's festivities, when the Planning Commission's Montek Singh
Ahluwalia, a civil servant, was the chief guest.

India is months away from elections in Uttar Pradesh — a state
presently run by Chief Minister Mayawati Kumari of the Dalit-supported
Bahujan Samaj Party.

In their remarks, both politicians mentioned the Congress party many
times, as well as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president
Sonia Gandhi specifically, praising them for their focus on Dalit
empowerment.

But Mr. Wasnik denied that the public procurement policy was approved
with an eye on the coming elections.

"We didn't keep this for these elections," he said. "Elections come in
some part of the country every six months. This is our social
commitment."

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit village cut-off from road to development

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/dalit-village-cutoff-from-road-to-development/199957-60-118.html

Tamil Nadu | Posted on Nov 07, 2011 at 10:53am IST
Dalit village cut-off from road to development
indianexpress Express News Service , The New Indian Express

RAMANATHAPURAM: Cross a water channel, dive if it is raining cats and
dogs and slog through the path that would hardly pass for a road and
you are there. Welcome to Keela Allikulam located seven km from
Sayalkudi where proper transport and health facilities are still a
mirage.��

A tiny village with a population of 550, mostly Dalits, Keela
Allikulam has been longing for a regular bus service. Wading thr- ough
Sankaradevan Channel is an everyday affair for the villagers, who
otherwise have a second option to reach Sayalkudi - a shortcut covered
with bushes formed by Kattu karuvelam (a thorny plant).� �

But not many women and children would take that route as there have
been incidents wherein masked men waylaid women and snatched their
valuables. During the rains, water level in the channel is almost
neck-deep. So children refuse to go to school or do not reach on time
and eventually quit learning.

Like the transportation problems, health facilities in the village are
in shambles. There is no primary health centre to attend to emergency
cases. Most often patients have to be taken to Sayalkudi by auto for
exorbitant fares.

Forget health, even grocery items are not easy to get. Villagers have
to walk at least two km to procure essential commodities from the PDS
shop at Usilankulam. The villagers have been urging the government to
establish a PDS shop in their village itself, but so far nothing has
happened.

"Reaching school itself is a big ordeal. It is located far from the
village. After a point, I had to discontinue studies due to family
problems," said Valarmathi, a Keela Allikulam resident. A regular bus
service would at least help other students to attend the school
properly, she added.

Most of the villagers depend on agriculture for livelihood. They climb
palm trees for six months to sell palm juice. The village is fully
dependant on the Cauvery water for drinking purposes, while oorani
water is used for other chores.

"Life here is pathetic. Even a good hospital is not present in the
vicinity. We have to put up with all the problems as there is no other
option," Ramakrishnan said.

Sathaiah, Director of the Rural Workers' Development Society, said the
residents have been seeking basic facilities for the last several
years. At least a bridge should be constructed across the Sankaradevan
Channel to reach Sayalkudi safely during the rainy season. The
director added that his society had identified some dropouts in the
village and were making efforts to readmit them in schools.

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[ZESTCaste] SC/ST hostels to admit 1,500 more students

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Chennai/article2603513.ece

CHENNAI, November 6, 2011
SC/ST hostels to admit 1,500 more students
Special Correspondent

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has sanctioned increase in the capacity of
student hostels for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes by 1,500
from the current academic year.

It will entail additional expenditure of about Rs.1.18 crore every year.

A release issued on Saturday stated that the hike in the hostels'
capacity was approved keeping in mind that many students could not be
accommodated in the hostels as a large number of students belonging to
SC/ST and Christian Adi-Dravidar community had applied.

The Chief Minister also ordered rise in the monthly allowance for
incidental expenses from Rs.25 to Rs.50 per student for school hostels
and Rs.35 to Rs.75 per student for college hostels.

This will benefit 13,013 students of college hostels and 1,07,002
school hostels.

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[ZESTCaste] Tamil Nadu increases doles to SC, ST students in government hostels

http://news.chennaionline.com/newsitem.aspx?NEWSID=a5988975-5a59-463e-ab38-53f688c11945&CATEGORYNAME=CHN

Tamil Nadu increases doles to SC, ST students in government hostels

Chennai, Nov 05 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today
announced increase of doles to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe
students, staying in government hostels, and increase of 1500 seats in
the existing hostels for the year 2011-12.

To benefit the SC, ST students staying in government hostels, the
doles given to them for buying soap, detergent powder, coconut oil and
other things, the Chief Minister ordered increase of monthly doles to
school and college students staying in the hostels. Ms Jayalalithaa
announced the increase of doles from Rs 25 to Rs 50 for school
students and from Rs 35 to Rs 75 to college students, an official
release here said.

This would benefit 1.20 lakh students, staying in various government
hostels in the state and this would cost the government, an additional
annual expenditure of Rs 3.20 crore, it said. As more SC, ST students
are applying for hostel facilities and many could not get
accomodation, the Chief Minsiter ordered an additional 1500 seats for
the year 2011-12, the release said. This would cost the government an
annual expenditure of Rs 1.18 crore, it added.

- Agencies

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[ZESTCaste] Quantum jump in SC/ST officers in govt jobs

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[ZESTCaste] Dalits launch a capital enterprise

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-06/delhi/30366207_1_mumbai-s-dalit-kalpana-saroj-dicci

Dalits launch a capital enterprise
Anahita Mukherji, TNN Nov 6, 2011, 03.24AM IST

NEW DELHI: Growing up in the 1990s in small town Rajasthan, TR
Meghwal, son of a Dalit farmer, was not allowed to touch the 'lota'
from which upper caste boys drank water. When he was thirsty, upper
caste students would pour water into his cupped palms. Ten years down
the line, Meghwal has joined hands with a Brahmin from Rajasthan,
Rupraj Purohit, to start a multi-crore construction company.

Meghwal was one of 50-odd Dalit entrepreneurs from across India who
attended the inauguration of the Delhi chapter of DAICCI (Dalit India
Chamber of Commerce and Industry).

Dressed in suits and ties - the trademark of Dalit messiah Dr
Babasaheb Ambedkar - their message was loud and clear. They were
celebrating the arrival of the Dalit capitalist. A couple of decades
ago, the term itself could well be considered an oxymoron for a
community synonymous with poverty.

The event, a cocktail-cum-dinner party at India International Centre
on Saturday evening, was not simply a celebration of Dalit wealth but
a recognition of the struggles the community has been through. The
function heralded the arrival of a new social order. Take for instance
Sharvan Singh, son of a labourer in an Agra shoe factory, who now
heads his own shoe business. He acknowledges the fact that doing
business as a Dalit is no easy task. For starters, he points out that
despite a government policy on no-guarantee loans for Dalits, most
banks insist on collateral.

The gathering included the likes of Shishupal Singh, a Delhi-based
garment exporter with clients in France, Spain and Italy, as well as
Mumbai's Dalit czarina Kalpana Saroj, who runs Kamani Tubes Limited.

''By showcasing Dalit entrepreneurship, we are sending out a message
to society that, despite all odds, Dalits can succeed,'' said Chandra
Bhan Prasad, Dalit activtist and author.

DICCI started its Mumbai chapter earlier this year. The Delhi chapter
is the fifth of its kind across the country. ''In another six months,
we hope to have 25 chapters across India,'' said DICCI chairman Milind
Kamble, who founded the organisation in Pune in 2005.

Congress leader Digvijay Singh and Mukul Vasnik, minister for social
justice and empowerment - both chief guests at the function - felt
DICCI had an important role to play in helping the government
implement its recent policy of making 4% of annual government
purchases from SC/ST enterprises.