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Monday, December 26, 2011

[ZESTCaste] Cong justifies quota, says condition of poor Muslims worse than Dalits

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/UttarPradesh/Cong-justifies-quota-says-condition-of-poor-Muslims-worse-than-Dalits/Article1-786718.aspx

Cong justifies quota, says condition of poor Muslims worse than Dalits
Press Trust Of India
CSM Nagar, December 24, 2011

Justifying the Congress-led UPA government's proposed move of
providing a sub-quota for minorities, a union minister on Saturday
said that condition of poor Muslims and Buddhists in the county was
"worse" than Dalits. "The condition of poor Muslims and Buddhists in
the country was worse
than Dalits, therefore 4.5 % quota within quota was necessary," coal
minister Sriprakash Jaiswal today said.

The union minister alleged that corruption in Uttar Pradesh was at its
peak and blamed the chief minister Mayawati for it. "Though union
government wants to set up projects, the state is not making land
available and corruption is at its peak," Jaiswal said.

Jaiswal claimed that this time Congress is going to form government in
Uttar Pradesh, and "behenji" (Mayawati) and "bhai saheb" should shun
their lure of power.

He also said that Congress is not worried about Anna Hazare and is
ready to face him if he decides to campaign against the party in the
state. "Congress is not worried about the agitation of Anna Hazare or
anyone else, and if Anna or his team comes to Uttar Pradesh to
campaign against it, the party is ready to face them," Jaiswal told
newspersons here.

"Congress looks ahead ... In the past also many people have campaigned
against it but what happened," Jaiswal said adding that his is a
democratic party which is not afraid of any individual or agitation.

"Congress only thinks about the sentiments of the people following
which it has introduced a strong Lokpal Bill in Parliament, which
covers Prime Minister as well as employees of group C and D and would
try to get it passed," he said.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalits threaten poll boycott

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-24/india/30554261_1_poll-boycott-dalits-sukhbir-badal

Dalits threaten poll boycott
TNN Dec 24, 2011, 02.04AM IST

PATIALA: Dalits of four villages of Samana constituency - Gajewas,
Fatehgarh Chhana, Sara Patti and Kahangarh Bhutna - have announced
they would boycott forthcoming assembly elections to protest against
lack of basic amenities. Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal had
addressed a development rally in Samana on Wednesday.

"We have plans to have an agitation in all villages of our
constituency," said Gurdeep Singh of Dalit Vikas Manch. The villagers
have been alleging that their community's labourers did not get their
payments under NREGA scheme while majority of families have not
received any benefits from below-poverty line cards prepared by Punjab
government.

"We also don't have facilities like old-age pension. Our repeated
talks with officials have failed to get any positive response," said
Shavinder Kaur, who joined a demonstration in Sara Patti area. Some
protesters in Gajewas alleged despite claims of Punjab government of
providing free power, they had been receiving hefty electricity bills.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit Sarpanch puts an end to female foeticide in a Rajasthan GP

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/214132/sarpanch-puts-end-female-foeticide.html

Sarpanch puts an end to female foeticide in a Rajasthan GP
P J Joychen in Jaipur

Tara Devi receives a certificateMost politicians prefer to get elected
from reserved constituencies/ wards as they are considered safe. But
this Dalit woman is different. She not only contested from an
unreserved ward, but also emerged victorious. Now, it does not
surprise many as to how she managed to win the seat.

On becoming a sarpanch, she took up issues that have been long kept on
the back burner in Rajasthan. She has become a role model for others
by bringing the gender issues to the mainstream. She has addressed the
crucial issue of sex selection, infant and maternal mortality and
reproductive and child health by focusing on gender fostering.
Tara Devi is a household name in the region. Her leadership traits and
dedication to her panchayat have impressed not only the local people
but also the researchers and academics visiting the area for
developmental studies.

At a recent workshop on "Strengthening Gender Response of Panchayats
in Rajasthan: Successes and Challenges" in Jaipur, Tara Devi shared
her experiences. Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA)
State Coordinator Krishan Tyagi says that he approached the gram
panchayat and the Village Health and Sanitation Committee (VHSC) to
improve the situation and organised orientation and capacity building
meetings for the panchayat members.

Tara Devi's long-drawn-out struggle and success in achieving women's
empowerment to a considerable degree are an inspiring saga for the
marginalised Dalit communities. Her story proves that the Dalit women
panchayat functionaries can perform better than their male
counterparts if given proper direction, training and guidance.

Samerdha Nosera is among the 20 GPs in the district included by the Sangam
Matri Mission Sansthan (SMMS) in a project for "Strengthening Gender
Response of Panchayats in Rajasthan" (SGRPR). PRIA has initiated the
ambitious project. The gender-specific data collected under the SGRPR
shows that the major reasons for drop in child sex ratio are
inadequate health facilities and negligence towards the female
newborn. A survey in Samerdha Nosera revealed a ratio of 57:35 between
the home deliveries and institutional deliveries, indicating that
women do not find the latter attractive.

The village is situated in a remote area and does not have easy
connectivity with the urban surroundings. Lack of basic amenities like
water, electricity and nutritious food earlier made the conditions
worse in the region.

During the orientation meetings, Tara Devi shot into the limelight as
a result of her sincerity for bringing about a positive change in her
village during the 10 years when she was elected as Sarpanch twice. By
participating in the SGRPR, she has got the crucial handholding
support for her work.

Dalit woman Sarpanch has successfully utilised her knowledge by
promoting and fostering gram sabha on gender issues. She has also
received support from the women community-based organisations of the
area and is mobilising the villagers with the support of these groups
to participate in the gram sabha meetings.

Tara Devi's sustained and consistent efforts made an impact on the
local community and facilitated the process to include gender issues
on the planning agenda. She also started regular inspections of the
local health sub-centre which was earlier devoid of proper
infrastructure, furniture, equipment, medicine, etc and constructed
the new building by
involving VHSC members.

In yet another significant step, Tara Devi improved the condition of
the anganwadi centre and made arrangements for water and power with
the help of the SMMS. She visits the centre regularly and checks the
quality of food served to children. The sarpanch has also taken steps
to enhance the standard of girls' education in the village and improve
the arrangements for drinking water.

Depicting her concern over immunisation and health check-ups of
pregnant women, Tara Devi makes arrangements for delivery and has
organised several blood donation camps. She is accessible to the women
in need and is available for any kind help. Recently, she saved an
anaemic woman referred to the hospital by the sub-centre in a critical
condition by arranging blood for her. She has invested Rs 47.15 lakhs
in the Indira Awas Yojana and Rs 3.85 crore for construction works in
the village and strengthened the gram sabha by ensuring people's
participation in the decision-making process.

Tyagi says that the sarpanch has ensured coordination among gram
panchayat, gram sabha and the upper tier of panchayat samiti.

As a result of Tara Devi's sustained efforts, the child sex ratio has
significantly improved in Samerdha Nosera with a recent survey
revealing the figures of 1,014 females against 982 males. The
instances of maternal and infant mortality have come to an end and
there is no case of girl child dropout from schools. Two new auxiliary
nurse midwives appointed in the village now regularly visit the area.
There is need to trust the abilities of women belonging to
marginalised communities and give them a little bit of support and
opportunity. With this approach, a number of Tara Devi's hidden
behind veils may appear in the mainstream development discourse and
make a big difference, says Tyagi.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit park may open on Maya birthday

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-25/noida/30556183_1_dream-park-ambedkar-park-dalit-prerna-sthal

Dalit park may open on Maya birthday
TNN Dec 25, 2011, 02.22AM IST

NOIDA: Mayawati's dream park - unveiled by the chief minister on
October 14 amid much fanfare - is likely to be opened to the public on
January 15, the minister's birthday. Meanwhile, the UP administration
seems to be pulling all stops to ensure proper maintenance of the
Dalit Prerna Sthal. A team of 200 personnel from Lucknow has arrived
in the city to take over its administrative reins.

Ambedkar Park - built at a staggering cost of Rs 685 crore - was shut
down a day after its inauguration with the authorities saying that it
would be opened by November 1. However, applying final touches to the
domes and surrounding stone statues took longer than expected. The
park will be open to the public on all days from 9am to 8pm and a
nominal entry fee will be charged from visitors.

A special team of officials has been formed for the upkeep and
management of the Sthal. Though the park boasts of a workforce of over
411 officials, currently, 190 workers have reached Noida. The
managerial staff comprises assistant managers, supervisors,
electricians and gate keepers. The park has been divided into three
parts - Column Plaza, Central Park Plaza and Ambedkar Plaza, separated
by two water fountains.

In October, over 200 personnel of Special Range Security Battalion
from Lucknow and two other battalions were deployed across the Sthal.
The battalions are supposed to guard the 'high priority' park and the
statues in shifts. The special force is authorized to search people
and seize belongings, but it cannot make arrests.

The Special Range Security Battalion, a specialized unit of the
police, was formed by the state government last year specifically for
protecting monuments, parks and memorials in Lucknow and Gautam Budh
Nagar district. The memorial protection force was sanctioned by a
government order in May 2010.

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[ZESTCaste] Narayana blames KCR, Naidu for row between dalit leaders

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/nellore/narayana-blames-kcr-naidu-row-between-dalit-leaders-312

Narayana blames KCR, Naidu for row between dalit leaders

December 25, 2011
By DC Correspondent
Tirupati

The CPI state secretary, Dr K. Narayana, alleged that the TRS and the
TD have been instigating dalits instead of finding a political
solution to Telangana issue because both the parties chiefs, Mr N.
Chandrababu Naidu and Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao are landlords. He was
speaking to reporters after unveiling a plaque in memory of late
Krishna Reddy, first generation communist leader of Chittoor district.

The CPI state secretary, Dr K. Narayana, alleged that the TRS and the
TD have been instigating dalits instead of finding a political
solution to Telangana issue because both the parties chiefs, Mr N.
Chandrababu Naidu and Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao are landlords. He was
speaking to reporters after unveiling a plaque in memory of late
Krishna Reddy, first generation communist leader of Chittoor district.

Mr Narayana said that the TRS and the TD are encouraging infighting
among communities and it is leading to turmoil among dalits. He
pointed to the ongoing war of words between the TD leader and former
minister, Mr Mothkupalli Narasimhulu and former minister Mr
Chandrasekhar of the TRS. He alleged that Mr Naidu and KCR have been
enjoying the developments.

Mr Narayana added that all the political parties have taken a dual
stand on Telangana issue while stressing that the CPI is committed to
Telangana. Mr Narayana blamed the state government for its inability
to take action against liquor, sand, mining and micro finance mafias
and functioning under their control.

He demanded that the government follow the system adopted by Kerala
and Tamil Nadu governments with regard to liquor trade. He has also
demanded that the Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, disclose
the details of all those involved in liquor syndicate transactions
while referring to the raids conducted by ACB recently.

He alleged that majority of those involved in the affair are Congress
legislators and ministers. He said that this is the reason for the
government to maintain silence on the report submitted by ACB. Mr
Nar-ayana struck down the propaganda that Left parties are weakening.