NCDHR is an Advocacy Platform committed for Dalit Human Rights at the Grass root, National and International levels. Dalits In News aims at sensitizing Civil societies, HR Mechanisms and providing updates of HR violations on Dalits for their Intervention.
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN ON DALIT HUMAN RIGHTS NCDHR Dalits In News Saturday, July 29, 2006 Newindpress.com- Orissa Rape-accused marries victim in Orissa IANS BHUBANESWAR: A man in Orissa married the woman he raped last year, said a police official on Friday. Kanhu Panda, a construction worker, had allegedly raped a 21-year-old woman in Harisinghpur village in the coastal district of Bhadrak on March 3, 2005. Local police arrested 25-year-old Panda and produced him at the local court after the victim lodged a complaint. The court had remanded Panda to jail. Panda, who is lodged in the district jail as an under trial, expressed his desire to marry the victim despite belonging to a different caste, Jailor Dibakar Mallik told IANS. While the accused is a Brahmin, the victim belongs to a scheduled caste. The accused conveyed his desire to the woman and her family through his advocate and the proposal was finally accepted. Panda applied for bail and considering the reason behind the petition, the local court granted six days bail, said Mallik. Panda and the victim tied the knot on Wednesday at a temple in Bhadrak town in the presence of lawyers, relatives, villagers and jail officials. "Their well-wishers had also hosted a grand feast to mark the occasion," added Mallik. Panda, who will go back to prison to live as an under trial, now hopes his wife will withdraw the case against him and looks forward to a married life outside jail. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEQ20060728110339 <http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEQ20060728110339&Title=ORISSA&rLink=0> &Title=ORISSA&rLink=0 The Hindu- Business Industry action plan for SC/ST Staff Reporter Companies will voluntarily provide greater representation for them in employment Entrepreneurship development for more inclusive growth Coaching programmes in Universities to lower dropout rates planned CHENNAI: Two major bodies representing a large section of Indian industry unveiled on Saturday a joint action plan, the first such initiative, for upliftment of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes through a combination of measures in the areas of employment, entrepreneurial development, employability and education. The "concrete steps'' as the plan of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) is described comes in response to a call of the Prime Minister some time ago for affirmative action from industry on the issue. Making a formal announcement of the plan to presspersons here, leaders of the two industry bodies said the member-companies would voluntarily provide greater representation for SC/ST in employment. They, however, opposed reservation of jobs in the private sector, something for which the Centre contemplated introduction of legislation. CII President R. Seshasayee denied that the action plan was to preempt the government from introducing such a piece of legislation. "This [action plan] is industry's affirmative action," he declared while pointing out that industry believes that a legislation on the issue would be counter-productive. At workplace — organised private sector industry employs around two per cent of the estimated eight million of India's workforce — industry would provide for greater representation to SC/ST in its new recruitment at all levels. It expects the efforts to "become visible within the next year,'' according to the action plan. Companies would strengthen their human resource systems for enhancing access and opportunity to applicants from SC/ST with "equal qualifications and competence for employment.'' CII and Assocham, whose President Anil K. Agarwal also addressed the meeting, would develop advocacy and information programmes for companies on employment policies for greater participation of SC/ST. The companies would be encouraged to provide for more executive positions through appointments/promotions for SC/ST. The second component of the action plan lists out measures to be taken by the companies to support entrepreneurship development among SC/ST for "more inclusive growth.'' Larger companies, according to Tata Sons Director J. J. Irani, will mentor and create at least one such entrepreneur a year and also advice their component suppliers to promote SC/ST. To begin with 100 entrepreneurs will be created in the first year and that would be scaled-up subsequently. The action plan said: "Quality and cost being equal, companies to give preference [while placing orders] to enterprises with promoters, partners and proprietors, and/or workers in majority from SC and ST." On the employability front and towards expanding the pool of employable personnel from among SC/ST, industry would help establish coaching programmes in universities to lower dropout rates among candidates belonging to the two categories. In the first year, ten universities would be identified for programmes covering 10,000 students with the objective of taking it to 50 cities and 50,000 students by 2009. Industry would partner with government to modernise the apprenticeship training scheme and induct more apprentices belonging to the two categories and establish a large number of student scholarships for SC/ST. Noting that there was no alternative to high quality universal education to achieve the objective of building an inclusive and integrated society, the action plan said industry would partner non-governmental organisation to improve the primary education in government and municipal schools. This initiative would be launched in 104 districts with a pronounced population of SC/ST communities. According to Mr. Seshasayee, the initiatives would be voluntary in nature and CII and Assocham would immediately formulate a code of conduct that would be progressively adopted by the members from October. An ombudsman-like body to monitor and seek information from the companies would also be created. The action was recently presented to the Prime Minister and the Union Minister for Social Welfare. http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/29/stories/2006072904451500.htm The Pioneer Industry unveils 'concrete' plans for Dalits K Venkataramanan | Chennai The Indian industry on Friday came out with an action plan for affirmative action in favour of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and took pains to clarify that its 'concrete' steps for the upliftment of these classes were not aimed at pre-empting any legislation on reservation in the private sector. The action plan, jointly prepared by the Confederation of Indian Industry and Assocham, proposes that industry will ensure greater representation for SC/ST candidates in its recruitment at all levels, and 'expects the efforts to become visible within the next year'. The plan also envisages that larger companies will 'mentor and create' at least one entrepreneur from SCs and STs a year, and in the first year, hundred such entrepreneurs will be created, and the figure would be scaled in the future. 'This certainly is not to pre-empt any law but only an articulation of our responsibility to address a social issue whose time has come,' said CII President R. Seshasayee told a press conference, at which he released the report along with J. J. Irani, chairman of the CII Task Force on Affirmative Action. At the same time, Seshasayee made it clear that industry did not favour any legislation on the subject as 'it will not be the right way to achieve social equity'. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to whom the report was given on Thursday, had responded 'positively' after going through the proposals quickly, he added. Dr. Irani said though there was no fear of legislation behind the report, the prospects of legislation on reservation in the private sector had actually receded after the industry came out with its own voluntary action programme. The two industry leaders do not favour any target for SC/ST recruitments, as that would amount to introducing reservation. The report said CII and Assocham would set up councils to promote, coordinate and oversee industry action in pursuance of the measures mooted in it. An ombudsman would be appointed by CII to oversee the 'proposed concrete steps'. 'In cases of deliberate non-compliance with the proposed Code of Conduct, the matter would be referred to the councils for appropriate action,' it said. http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Pioneer/400x60/0 The Times of India No quota law, more hiring by pvt sector Byas Anand [ 28 Jul, 2006 0127hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ] NEW DELHI: The government and India Inc finally seem to have found middle ground on the issue of job reservations in the private sector. The understanding between the two sides is that while the government will desist from bringing in a law to force the private sector to provide quota, companies will volunteer to hire more from among SCs and STs. Besides, companies will have to voluntarily disclose their yearly SC/ST recruitment in their annual reports. The Irani Committee on affirmative action has opposed legislation that would curb industry’s freedom of choice. http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Times_of_India/400x60/0 The Times Of India Pro-quota lobby rejects compromise formula [ 28 Jul, 2006 0124hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ] NEW DELHI: The Irani Committee on Affirmative Action has asserted that the freedom to employ and competitiveness of enterprises are non-negotiable. This was conveyed to the government at a meeting on Wednesday, sources said. While industry sources claimed that the government has agreed not to bring legislation in exchange for a pledge by the private sector to hire members from SCs and STs, the last may not have been heard on the matter. The compromise formula got a thumbs down from the pro-quota pressure groups, as well as the social justice ministry which are suspicious that private sector will on its own not do enough, and have been insisting on a law to compel them to accept a quota. Functionaries of the social justice ministry vented the viewpoint that any affirmative action without a clearly earmarked job quota would not fulfill the "aspirations of SC/ST youth". Suraj Bhan, chairman of National Commission for SCs, ridiculed the proposal as an exercise in tokenism and asked for a law. Steel minister and a vocal quota proponent, Ram Vilas Paswan, were also insistent that a law alone could be the solution. Besides the advocates of Dalits and tribals, the demand for quota law would also find support from OBCs who have just secured reservations for themselves in Central educational institutions, but have been left out of the package offered by the industry. In its report, the Irani committee stressed that concrete steps would be taken on employing only socially and economically backward sections of SCs and STs... "The proposed programme shall not be applicable to the so-called creamy layer of SCs and STs," the report - a copy of which is with TOI - said. It has also proposed that the affirmative action should not be forced on small-scale industries, and that they should be allowed to implement concrete steps only to the level of their ability. "The initiatives for concrete steps will be voluntary and self-regulated by companies and industry. Transparency will be ensured through disclosure in the annual reports of companies," it said. The two business chambers have also agreed to immediately formulate a code of conduct, which will be progressively adopted by their members from October 2006. While CII will have an ombudsman, Assocham will set up an oversight council to oversee the implementation of the initiatives. "In cases of deliberate non-compliance (by companies), the matter will be referred to the councils for appropriate action," the report said. As part of the concrete steps, the committee agreed that companies will strengthen their HR systems for enhancing access and opportunity to applicants from SC and ST with equal qualifications and competence for employment. Companies will also be encouraged to provide for more executive positions through appointment/promotions from SCs and STs. The report has also proposed eight sops to help people from the backward classes attain employability. Some of the initiatives include setting up of coaching programmes in universities, scholarships in premier institutes like IIT and IIM, establishing scholarships in prestigious overseas universities, providing educational support to students, and financing training programmes. <http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Times_of_India/400x60/0> http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Times_of_India/400x60/0 ARUN KHOTE Secretary-Media National Campaign On Dalit Human Rights-NCDHR 8/1,2nd Floor, South Patel Nagar NEW DELHI-110008 ( INDIA) Ph/ Fax-91#11-25842249/ 25842250 Mobile:0-9350183802 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: dalits.org �������������������������������������������������������� This is ZESTCaste whose members watch India's painful journey to society's de-casteisation. Members are encouraged to post messages to [email protected] If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! 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