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 Friday, September 15, 2006 1.Dalits unequal even in death here- The Times of India- Gujrat <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 2.Raped Dalit girl battles for life- Telugu Portal- UP <http://www.teluguportal.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=13737> http://www.teluguportal.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=13737 3.Scramble for caste tags tires MHA- The Times Of India <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 4.Dalit woman Sarpanch holds the post; but wields little power- The Hindu- rajasthan <http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0> http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 5.Incentive for marriages- The Times of India <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 6.TN to allocate land to Wipro, TCS in Coimbatore- The Hindu- TN <http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200609141551.htm> http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200609141551.htm 7.Meira's bonanza for inter-caste marriage adds to fund crunch- The Pioneer- New Delhi http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Pioneer/400x60/0 8.Pavement dwellers federation formed The Hindu- TN <http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/12/stories/2006091204090600.htm> http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/12/stories/2006091204090600.htm 9.List of seats for SC/ST, women published- The Hindu- TN <http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0> http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 10.Balmikis, Mazhabis threaten to oppose Congress in Punjab- New Kerala. Com- Punjab <http://www.newkerala.com/news4.php?action=fullnews&id=21961> http://www.newkerala.com/news4.php?action=fullnews&id=21961 The Times of India- Gujrat Dalits unequal even in death here Himanshu Kaushik <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 [ 15 Sep, 2006 0123hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ] VASO VILLAGE (NADIAD): Death may be the greatest leveller, but not in Vaso village of Kheda in Gujarat. When Gandabhai Manabhai (70), a Dalit, died on August 17, his family had to call in the police so that they could perform his last rites at the panchayat-run crematorium. Had it not been for the police, panchayat members, mostly from the higher caste, would not have allowed the cremation. This was the first cremation of a Dalit on the panchayat cremation grounds in two years. It was also an act of defiance against suppression by the social elite, who have even put up a notice outside the crematorium asking lower caste members to cremate their dead elsewhere. "We would have cremated our grandfather in the wasteland outside the village, but it was under five feet of water because of heavy rain," says Manabhai's grandson Prakash. "We had no other place to perform the last rites and requested the sarpanch to open the gates for us. But he refused, forcing us to call the police." Manabhai had died at 7 pm, but his body was cremated only at 2 pm the next day. Interestingly, the crematorium was used by all communities till restrictions were imposed in 2004. NGO Navsarjan has taken up the cause of the Dalits and asked the collector and local police to intervene. "We will ensure that the crematorium is open to all communities," says Ashok Rathod of Navsarjan Trust at Nadiad. But the activists will face resistance from the panchayat. The crematorium is still locked. Although the notice has been smudged with paint, one can still read parts of it. "Members of lower castes like Harijan, Rohit, Vankar, Vaghri, Tadpada, Raval, Bajaniya, Saneva and Chamar should take their dead to other locations," it says. Sarpanch Anand Patel says, "We know the rules that these communities are trying to teach us. Their homes are encroachments on panchayat land. We will follow the rule book here as well." Another panchayat member adds, "We provide them material for last rites worth Rs 2,000 free, which the panchayat will now reconsider." Telugu Portal- UP Raped Dalit girl battles for life <http://www.teluguportal.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=13737> http://www.teluguportal.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=13737 New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) A six-year-old Dalit girl from Uttar Pradesh continues to battle for life nearly a year after she was brutally raped, resulting in her uterus getting damaged. On Oct 4 last year, the victim was kidnapped while she was sleeping in her home in a village in Hamirpur district. A man from a dominant caste assaulted her near a temple. She was later found in a pool of blood. Her medical examination revealed that her genitals and uterus were severely damaged. Although she was operated upon immediately, <http://www.teluguportal.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=13737> doctors at a district hospital had advised more operations over the next few months, to be followed by <http://www.teluguportal.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=13737> plastic surgery. The victim's parents, however, do not have the necessary funds and the girl continues to suffer from physical <http://www.teluguportal.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=13737> pain and mental trauma. "She belongs to a very poor Dalit family. Her father is a landless labourer. Her family has spent more than Rs.50,000 which they had raised by taking loans from a village moneylender," said Santosh Kumar Samal, executive director of the Dalit Foundation that is trying to raise funds for the girl's rehabilitation. While the family received a paltry sum of Rs.25,000 as compensation from the district administration, the amount was spent in repaying the debt taken for her treatment. "Apart from the financial burden, the family is also suffering from social ostracising. No one in the village is willing to help them out except a few Dalit activists," Samal told IANS here. "Now the doctors have advised her to undergo two more operations as soon as possible. The <http://www.teluguportal.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=13737> surgery will cost her family more than Rs.30,000. The expenditure on her medical treatment is estimated to be around Rs.100,000," he said. Samal said the Dalit Foundation was trying to raise sufficient funds and get all that is required to take care of not only the medical treatment but for her complete rehabilitation. "The child is not able to go to school or lead a normal life because of her present condition," he added. --By Arun Anand The Times Of India Scramble for caste tags tires MHA Subodh Ghildiyal <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 [ 15 Sep, 2006 0129hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ] NEW DELHI: As politics and quota benefits push more caste groups to seek the status of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Union home ministry has asked to be excused from the exercise of caste classification. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked social justice ministry to redraft the guidelines of inclusion and exclusion from the SC/ST list and replace the Registrar General of India (RGI) as the advisor on anthropological-sociological traits of castes. It has suggested that the National Commissions for SC and STs as the substitutes. RGI conducts the massive exercise of Census but is also seen as the repository of documentation and studies on castes. Fuelled by the desire for quota benefits, the demand for the SC/ST tag is turning into a burgeoning business. Making it worse is politicians promising the caste tag as a bait for political gains. Sources said the rise in proposals for SC/ST status is phenomenal. Centre has just approved SC status for 17 castes. Around 150 such proposals are pending with RGI and the national commission. While RGI is being pushed to a corner, the delays are leading to political pressure from interested groups, with even accusations from states on Centre being controlled by rival parties. Presently, social justice ministry routes a state's proposal to RGI. The latter's opinion, if positive, is sent to the national commission for comments before being accepted. A negative comment is returned to the state for more evidence. The fresh provocation could be rooted in UP's 'unconstitutional' move to grant SC benefits to 15 numerically influential OBCs, comprising Nishads and synomyms of 'boatmen' (machchua). RGI rejected the proposal, arguing these castes did not suffer from untouchability, the acid test for classification as SC/STs. But with elections approaching and given the importance of these castes, the Mulayam Singh Yadav regime despatched a fresh proposal in May 2006, which is pending with RGI. Logistics, says RGI, is proving to be a handicapping for it from giving an opinion on such proposals. In a letter, R S Sirohi, additional secretary, home ministry, has asked social justice ministry to leave out RGI from the caste classification exercise. The letter says, "RGI thus has been finding it hard to comment on such proposals for exclusion/inclusion without having substantial idea of the changing reality." Tottering under a pile of proposals seeking SC/ST status, home ministry stated that RGI has only eight qualified anthropologists who were busy with census of SC/STs and was handicapped further by it having stopped undertaking studies on castes/tribes. The Hindu- rajasthan Dalit woman Sarpanch holds the post; but wields little power <http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0> http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Special Correspondent Prevented from hoisting national Tricolour at Independence Day function: Report JAIPUR: A Dalit woman Sarpanch in Rajasthan, being victimised on caste grounds ever since she was elected, was prevented from hoisting the national Tricolour at the village-level Independence Day function this year. The Deputy Sarpanch belonging to a dominant caste is the panchayat's de facto head and exercises all authority. A fact-finding team of the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), which visited Biwai village in Dausa district recently, found an all-pervading atmosphere of discrimination against Dalits and discovered the servile status of the Sarpanch as an indication of Dalits being subjugated and forced to relinquish their basic rights. Sarpanch Dhapa Devi, elected two years ago following the inclusion of Biwai panchayat in the reserved category, has been rendered a "rubber stamp'' as a result of machinations of the panchayat members and the support enjoyed by them in the village. "Dhapa Devi, being illiterate, is not able to resist the patently illegal actions of panchayat members,'' said the NCDHR report. NCDHR State secretary Satish Kumar, who led the fact-finding team, said here on Thursday that the Deputy Sarpanch and the Panchayat Secretary were instrumental in the cases such as unauthorised allotment of land without getting the approval of Sarpanch and depriving several Dalits of their title of land to benefit those belonging to higher castes. The four-member team found that Deputy Sarpanch Deendayal Sharma had wrongfully got his family registered in the below poverty line (BPL) category, while Panchayat Secretary Raghavendra Singh had colluded with other Government officials to fabricate orders for land allotment and preparation of meals in Anganwadi Yojana. Dhapa Devi -- being the first Dalit woman Sarpanch in the village -- is neither given respect nor allowed to express her views in the panchayat meetings. Mr. Kumar said the Deputy Sarpanch, in collusion with influential people of the village, had ensured deprivation of landless Dalits from welfare schemes and perpetuation of untouchability. Dhapa Devi was subjected to the biggest humiliation on Independence Day this year when she was not allowed to unfurl the national flag in the official function. The NCDHR report said when the Sarpanch was going to the panchayat premises to attend the function, a peon came to her to tell that she had no need to go there because a panchayat member, Bilya Meena, had already hoisted the flag. "I was shocked on being informed in this manner. This happened in the main market in broad daylight and I was insulted in front of a large number of people,'' Dhapa Devi told the NCDHR team. The NCDHR has demanded legal action against those who prevented the Sarpanch from hoisting the Tricolour, cancellation of illegal land allotments to upper caste people, establishment of a permanent police post in Biwai to check crimes against Dalits and immediate transfer of the Panchayat Secretary. The Times of India Incentive for marriages <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 NEW DELHI: Government is now taking new strategies and programmes to the under-privileged and marganalised in society, who have faced centuries of deprivation and discrimination. Under its programme to uplift the under-privileged, the Centre has now come with a new initiative to encourage inter-caste marriage. This would be dependent on approval by the state governments under which the families that enter inter-caste marriages will get an incentive of Rs 50,000 from the states. The Centre will contribute half of amount, that is Rs 25,000. Apart from this, the government has also started working on schemes and plans to provide education to Dalit children in coveted schools. Sources in the ministry of social justice and empowerment said that the Centre has sent advisories to state governments to consider enhancing incentives to Rs 50,000 to families that enter into inter-caste marriages, but it is up to the state governments to implement this scheme. The difficulty that the Centre is currently facing is that many states are only giving incentive between Rs 2,000 and 4,000 to the couples who perform inter-caste marriages. Due to this, the Central government is finding difficult to help or contribute to the meagre incentive. Henceforth the scheme that is existing needs to be drastically revamped. In fact, some states do provide incentive to the tune of Rs 20,000 to married couples. The Centre feels that by increasing the incentive given, there will be a rise in inter-caste marriages, which will aid the lower castes, specially the ST and SC and other backward classes. Social justice and empowerment ministry has organised a two-day talk on September 14 and 15, where grave issues pertaining to improvement of the social status and economic development of the lower castes in our country will be discussed between minister of social justice and empowerment, Meira Kumar and various representatives of states. A scheme is being charted on by the Centre which will cater to the SC and ST children to get education in the best schools of districts and states. The ministry has been making sustained efforts towards educational and economic development of the SC through the schematic interventions. About 25 lakh students have benefited from post-matric scholarships during 2005-06. vijay times The Hindu- TN TN to allocate land to Wipro, TCS in Coimbatore <http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200609141551.htm> http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200609141551.htm Chennai, Sept. 14 (PTI): Tamil Nadu today decided to allocate ten acres of land to Wipro and five acres land to Tata Consultancy Services in Coimbatore. This decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister M Karunandihi here. The cabinet also decided to exempt registration fee and stamp duty for 1061 acres of land in Nagapattinam to be distributed to agricultural labourers by an organisation `Lofty', which would buy the land from private parties for distribution to poor agricultural labourers. Similar exemption would be given for the land to be distributed to 550 agricultural labourers belonging to the Dalit community by a Dalit organisation, Ambedkar People's Association. Exemption from registration fee and stamp duty would be given to the houses allocated for the soldiers who died in the Kargil war. The Cabinet also decided to exempt peanuts and oilcake from sales tax. The Pioneer- New Delhi Meira's bonanza for inter-caste marriage adds to fund crunch http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Pioneer/400x60/0 Rajeev Ranjan Roy | New Delhi The plan of the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to grant Rs 50,000 to those marrying persons belonging to SC and ST comes at a time when the welfare schemes for the reserved category people are faced with the acute funds crunch. >From the pre-matric scholarship to the special central assistance (SCA) to special component plan (SCP), a huge deficit between the demand and financial assistance exists, and the Centre has not been able to cough up extra funds to fill the gap. In the case of many programmes, the Centre and the State Government have failed in delivering the assistance. As per the Ministry's records, only one OBC student got the post-matric scholarship from Bihar in 2005-06, though the State got Rs 6.59 lakh assistance during the year. There was no beneficiary from the State under the pre-matric scholarship scheme of the Ministry. Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Meira Kumar on Thursday said that the Government was prepared to give financial incentives up to Rs 50,000 on 50:50 basis to encourage marriage between SC/ST and others. "The incentive should only be seen as a token of appreciation," she said on the sidelines of State secretaries meeting to discuss strategies for the academic empowerment of SC/ST and OBCs. According to a senior ministry official, there was no harm in promoting inter-caste marriages through financial incentives, but the fact remains that there was paucity of funds to increase the efficacy of existing schemes. "The response from the State Governments have not been so encouraging," he added. At present, the Ministry gives 50 per cent assistance to the State Governments under pre-matric and post-matric scholarship scheme under which over 14 lakh OBC students get scholarship from Rs 25 to Rs 425 per month. The beneficiaries under these schemes are from the families with annual income Rs 44,500 only. The Ministry needs around Rs 350 crore to meet the demand, but the disburses only around Rs 45 crore annually among 15 lakh students annually. "We need Rs 100 crore more to meet the demands under pre-matric scholarship scheme. Similarly, Ministry needs Rs 250 crore annually to meet the post-matric demands from across the States," the official said. At the moment, the Ministry disburses Rs 25 crore through State Governments to around 1.53 lakh students in different States. Under the pre-matric scheme, the day scholars from Class I to Class V get Rs 25 per month, Rs 40 for Class VI to VII and Rs 50 for Class IX and X. The hostlers get Rs 200 to Rs 250 per month. At the post-matric level, the maximum amount given is Rs 425 to the hostlers, pursuing medical, engineering, agriculture and other technical and professional courses. The day scholars get only Rs 190 per month. The hostlers pursuing diploma courses in medicines, engineering and other such courses get Rs 290 as monthly allowance and the day scholars get Rs 190 monthly. The monthly allowance for students pursuing certificate courses in Group C category like engineering, architecture, and post-graduate courses in teachers' training, library science and fine arts is Rs 190 for the day scholars and Rs 290 for the hostlers. Those pursuing general courses get Rs 230 per month if living in the hostels or Rs 120. It is only Rs 90 for the day scholars and Rs 150 for the hostlers if they are pursuing 10+2 courses. Ministry allocated Rs 41 crore for the two schemes in 2005-06 too, out of which Rs 18 crore was disbursed among 1.32 lakh pre-matric students. An amount of Rs 26.20 crore was disbursed among 1.63 lakh post-matric students. "If the scholarship amount under the two schemes is rationalised in view of the ground realities, the amount has to be increased up to Rs 700 crore," a ministry official said. The Hindu- TN Pavement dwellers federation formed <http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/12/stories/2006091204090600.htm> http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/12/stories/2006091204090600.htm Staff Reporter Estimated 40,500 people homeless in city CHENNAI : More than 11,000 households comprising an estimated 40,500 people are homeless in Chennai, according to a census of homeless people conducted by Action Aid International in 2003. Around 83 per cent of the homeless are from the Dalit community. The non-governmental organisation (NGO) has now brought together some 800 families to form the Engal Chennai Pavement Dwellers Federation, which held its inaugural meeting here on Sunday evening. The Federation aims to bring the homeless under one banner to voice common demands. It will attempt to make people aware of their rights and get them to utilise those Government schemes available to them. The Federation would agitate for the right to shelter and changes in governmental policy. Action Aid had contended that a 1991 survey that put the number of pavement dwellers in Chennai at around 19,000 was inaccurate and conducted its own survey in 2003. Their survey has further estimated that some 69 per cent of the homeless in Chennai did not have ration cards and that around 72 per cent did not have voter identity cards. Pavement dwellers in Chennai constitute mostly those in menial jobs with no social security, including wage labourers, construction workers, vendors, domestic help and sex workers, and the unemployed. Action Aid has expressed particular concern for street children who are vulnerable to sexual abuse, nutrition deficiency, drug abuse and forced employment. Twenty cluster leaders have been selected and some six leaders would be identified from among them to form the board. The selected leaders would receive special training and would lead the Federation independently. Action Aid is also currently involved with building a platform that includes non-governmental organisations, lawyers and government representatives to also voice the rights of the homeless, representatives of the organisation said. The Hindu- TN List of seats for SC/ST, women published <http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0> http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Staff Reporter Dharmapuri: The list of seats reserved for SC/ST and women in the local body elections has been prepared under the rotation of reservation exercise and published in the Government Gazette, said the Collector, Pankaj Kumar Bansal, here on Thursday. The total number of voters in Dharmapuri district is 9,54,082, including 4,76,101 men and 4,77,981 women. The total number of voters in the rural local bodies is 8,23,704 (4,11,344 men and 4,12,360 women); Dharmapuri municipality: 38,757 (19,305 men, 19,452 women); town panchayats: 91,621 (45,452 men and 46,169 women). The final electoral roll was kept on display at all rural and urban local bodies in the district to provide information to the public. Mr. Bansal said that the total number of polling booths in Dharmapuri district is 1,785 including 1,568 in rural local bodies, 54 in Dharmapuri municipality and 163 in town panchayats. The polling booths were divided into 108 zones. A total of 27 returning officers and 348 assistant returning officers were appointed for the local body elections in the district. Sixteen counting centres were established, including 13 in rural local bodies and three in urban local bodies. A total of 6,755 ballot boxes had been kept ready. New Kerala. Com- Punjab Balmikis, Mazhabis threaten to oppose Congress in Punjab <http://www.newkerala.com/news4.php?action=fullnews&id=21961> http://www.newkerala.com/news4.php?action=fullnews&id=21961 Chandigarh, Sept 14: In a veiled threat to Punjab Government, Balmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs today claimed that the Congress Government in the state would loose its vote bank if it failed to bring a new legislation ensuring 'reservation within reservation' for these two category of Scheduled Castes. "The 13 per cent population of Balmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs has voted en-block in favour of Congress at the last hustings. If no law providing reservation within reservation is enacted by the present Amarinder Singh government, these castes will oppose Congress supported candidates in February 2007 Assembly polls," Adi Dharam Samaj President Darshan Rattan Ravan told reporters here. Activists of the Samaj also protested across Punjab to pressurise the state government to bring new legislation for their "cause" in the on-going Assembly session. "Our activists are visiting villages to apprise people on the issue," he said. Ravan also demanded resignation from local bodies minister Jagjit Singh for allegedly dividing the SCs in the state and "completely ignoring" these two castes. --- PTI 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 -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! 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