http://twocircles.net/2011jan27/dalit_groups_make_presentation_planning_commission.htmlDalit groups make presentation before planning commission
Submitted by admin4 on 27 January 2011 - 5:45pm
By TCN News,
New Delhi: Several groups working for the uplift of the Dalit
community in the country have made a joint presentation before the
Planning Commission, seeking fundamental change in the government
thinking about the development of the deprived, backward community.
The presentation was part of the ongoing consultation of the
Commission with groups and communities in the process of finalization
of 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017).
They demanded innovations in schemes for SCs and STs. They stressed on
land reform. In place of schemes like one to subsidize funeral rites
of Dalits and another to give mangal-sutra to dalit bride on her
marriage, the Dalit groups demanded a separate IIM, a medical college
and an engineering college in every state for SCs and STs. "Piece-meal
allocation will not bring peace. We need something actual in this
virtual-age," Rajesh Solanki of Council for Social Justice (CSJ) said
at the consultation meet.
The Dalit consultation with planning commission was jointly organized
by NACDOR, NCDHR, and other NGOs in New Delhi on 9th Dec. 2010. Mr.
Narendra Jadhav and Mr. Arun Mira, members of the commission, attended
the consultation.
Rajesh Solanki presented a paper on the Dalit situation at the
consultation. He raised various issues related to Dalits in the
country specially in Gujarat.
"I am from Gujarat, a state which is called vibrant by some people, I
call it migrant. It is sucking blood and toil of migrant workers.
Here, more than one lakh tribal children are being exploited and
sexploited in fields of BT cotton," Solanki said. Recently, the state
government has decided to keep records of migrant workers, not to
implement inter-state migrant labour Act, but to identify so-called
naxal elements among migrant labourers, he added.
He demanded innovations in schemes. "We have seen archaic, outdated
schemes like 'training women in tailoring' continue since decades. In
my state social welfare department is ridiculously, spending crores of
rupees in a survey, just to know, which kind of work SCs and STs. want
to do. In this century of networking do we, still need a research to
emphasize that we want to learn state-of-the-art technologies?"
He also stressed on people-oriented planning while raising the issue
of fund diversion. "Six decades of independence have taught us that
change can only be materialized by people-oriented Planning…The nodal
department, which is given the pious duty of allocating and monitoring
funds for SCs and STs, is diverting the funds to other purposes."
He alleged that critical sectors are being ignored and important
sub-sectors are being deprived of finance. The sector being ignored
most, he said, is Land reform. The failure of state government to
implement Agriculture Land Ceiling Act (ALCA) is being reflected in
non-allocation in area of land reforms. The lack of any preventive
acts curbing land alienation of dalits is another major concern, which
needs to be addressed, he pointed out.
Other major issue of the community is drop-out among SCs. It is
seriously affecting skill-based development. "Meaningless schemes by
state governments have aggravated this problem. In Gujarat crores of
rupees have been diverted to a scheme like sponsoring SC student for
foreign studies, when thousands of local poor SC students are craving
for quality education," Solanki said.
"We do not want schemes like Satyavadi Raja Harishchandra Maranottar
Sahay Yojana (a scheme to subsidize funeral rites of dalits),
Kunvarbai nu mameru (giving mangal-sutra to dalit bride on her
marriage). We want a separate IIM, a medical college and an
engineering college in every state for SCs and STs. Piece-meal
allocation will not bring peace. We need something actual in this
virtual-age."
------------------------------------
----
INFORMATION OVERLOAD?
Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to ZESTMedia-digest@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/
PARTICIPATE:-
On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com
TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:-
If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to ZESTCaste-subscribe@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/
Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
ZESTCaste-digest@yahoogroups.com
ZESTCaste-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ZESTCaste-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
