*NATIONAL CAMPAIGN ON DALIT HUMAN RIGHTS 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* *June 18, 2007* * "Support leaders who work for welfare of Dalits"-** The Hindu** * http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 *Left-ruled States slow on SC/ST uplift-** The Pioneer** * http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Pioneer/400x60/0** ***VCK bid to win Dalit hearts down south- **New Indpress* http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20070618012855&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0 *A Dalit? Go find a Dalit society-** Express India** * *http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=241627*** *The Hindu* *"Support leaders who work for welfare of Dalits"* http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Staff Reporter TIRUNELVELI: Members of the "oppressed community" should identify, follow and support leaders, who sincerely toil for the social and economic freedom of Dalits, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has said. Addressing the 'Mannurimai Maanaadu' of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi here on Sunday evening, he said his government was distributing agricultural lands to poor farmers and farmhands after it came to power a year ago. If the official machinery could be further motivated, all real beneficiaries would get their share. "Hence the poor, especially the Dalits, should identify and support the leaders, who really want to see their betterment. If the oppressed are attracted towards such noble leaders, all the genuine demands of the Dalits will easily become a reality," the Chief Minister said. "I'll extend all possible cooperation and even lead the battle to realise this dream," Mr. Karunanidhi said. The conference appealed to the Chief Minister to take steps to provide five cents of land and a house measuring about 300 sq. ft. to the poor. A commission should be formed to identify the real beneficiaries under this scheme, another resolution said. While appealing to the State Government to stringently enforce Land Ceiling Act and to initiate steps to retrieve 'panchami' lands, the conference said legislation should be enacted to prevent take over of land in major towns and cities of Tamil Nadu by residents of other States and non-resident Indians. The Dalits should be given reservation to get contracts for quarrying sand and stone, construction of government buildings etc. The meeting also supported reservation for Muslims and Christian Dalits. The Government was urged to honour Dalit leaders, such as Emmanuel Sekaran and Ondi Veeran. The meeting urged the Chief Minister to declare the birth centenary of Muthuramalinga Thevar on October 30 as a holiday, since he supported the entry of Dalits into the Sri Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai. Party general secretary Thol. Thirumavalavan, Ministers Arcot N. Veerasamy, S. Durai Murugan, K. Ponmudi, Maideen Khan, Poongothai Aladi Aruna, Geetha Jeevan, MLAs M. Appavu, V. Karuppasamy Pandian and N. Maalairaja and others participated * * *The Pioneer* *Left-ruled States slow on SC/ST uplift* http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Pioneer/400x60/0 * * Rajeev Ranjan Roy | New Delhi **The pace of assisting SC/ST families is too fast in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat, but not in the Left-ruled States of West Bengal, Tripura, and Kerala. The Centre has dubbed the performance of the three States in assisting SC/ST families as 'poor' along with Assam, J&K, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Orissa, Punjab and Sikkim are other States falling in the category of 'poor performers' in assisting SC families. Orissa's efforts in assisting ST families, however, have been termed as 'good' where the BJP-BJD alliance is in power. The latest progress report of Statistics and Programme Implementation (S&PI) Ministry on the Centre's ambitious 20-Point programme says Chhattisgarh helped 2,45,846 SC families during April 2006-February 2007 against the target of 26500, thus registering the success rate of 928 per cent. The success rate of AP, Gujarat, Jharkhand, MP, and Rajasthan in assisting SC families under 20-Point programme has been pegged at 116, 135, 171, and 124 per cent respectively. The Ministry has termed their performance as 'very good' along with Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and Chandigarh. The 'poor' success rate given to West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala is based on the ministry's assessment where their achievement against the target of assisting Scheduled Caste families stands at 48, 26 and 42 per cent during the period between April 2006 and February 2007. These States were found lagging far behind from others in assisting Scheduled Tribes families as well. West Bengal met only 25 per cent of the total target, while Kerala and Tripura met 43 and 63 per cent of the targets. The 'very good' performers in assisting ST families were found in AP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Karnataka, where they have achieved 125, 279, 703, 152, 187, 799 and 123 of the targets during the period covered by the progress report. The other States in this category are Maharashtra, Sikkim, UP, TN, and Daman & Diu. Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and Orissa have been judged as 'good' performers. The overall performance rate of all States in assisting SC families, however, has been pegged at 112 per cent. According to a ministry official, there was a target of 27,38,335 SC families to be helped out under 20-Point programme between April 2006 and February 2007, but 30,71,619 families were assisted, registering the success rate of 112 per cent. "In the case of ST, the overall success rate has been much higher. Against the target of 10,00,441 families, the State and Union territories helped 22,14,354 families. The achievement rate is 221 per cent. It would have further gone up had the other States like West Bengal performed good," the official said.** * * * * *New Indpress* * * *VCK bid to win Dalit hearts down south** * http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20070618012855&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0 Monday June 18 2007 11:50 IST TIRUNELVELI: The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) strained every nerve to establish itself down South by organising the ''land rights'' conference here on Sunday. With a sizeable presence in the northern districts, dominated by the parayars, the VCK was unable to make inroads into the pallar-dominated districts of Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Ramanathapuram, supported which are behind Puthiya Tamizhagam (PT) leader Dr Krishnasamy. ''Now, the VCK is trying its luck among the Dalits in the southern districts, where the Puthiya Tamizhagam is losing its clout,'' said Professor Manikumar of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, a noted scholar in the field of Dalit studies. ''As the thinly populated *parayars* in the southern districts are docile, unlike their brethren in the northern districts, the land rights conference of the VCK is likely to mobilise at least the parayars, whose right for land holding has not been properly addressed by any Dalit leadership for long,'' the Professor remarked. Accepting that the purpose of the land rights conference was to create a feeling among the community that the VCK is the sole political representative of the whole lot of Dalits, remaining leaderless in the southern districts now, highly placed sources in the party said that Thirumavalavan was very particular in making the Chief Minister participate in the land rights conference so as to demonstrate VCK's political influence among other Dalit sections in the region. Charging that the VCK was transporting their cadre from the northern districts for the conference, Thoothukudi district secretary of Puthiya Tamizhagam Athisayakumar claimed that his party still has credibility among the Dalits. Whatever might be the argument, the VCK is likely to win the hearts of the Dalits down south because of its meticulously carved political strategy, conspicuously missing with the Puthiya Tamizhagam. * * *Express India* * * *A Dalit? Go find a Dalit society* * * *http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=241627* * * *D P Bhattacharya*<http://www.expressindia.com/about/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> *Ahmedabad, June 17:* IN a recent trend, Ahmedabad is witnessing "only-Dalit" residential societies — around 300 of which have come up in the last few years. However, for most Dalits, it is not a matter of choice, but of compulsion. "Even if a Dalit can afford a flat in areas dominated by the upper castes, they are often denied by the builders or the seller," retired IAS officer P K Valera, who lives in one such Dalit society in Ramdevnagar, says. Some social scientists say the alienation started since 1982, after the anti-reservation agitation, but agree that the caste and class distinctions have become more serious in recent years. This trend can be seen not only in the walled city but also in the posh areas of west Ahmedabad like Satellite, Vastrapur, Bodakdev, Ambavadi. Socio-political scientist Achyut Yagnik says, "There are more than 300 Dalit societies in the city. In Chandkheda alone, there are 200 societies, most of which have come up after the 2002 riots when people moved out from Gomtipur, Bapunagar and Dani limda area. You will find construction contractors who only build Dalit societies." Jayantibhai Jadav, a Congress councillor from Chandkheda and a builder-constructor, said, "In case a Dalit approaches a upper caste builder for accommodation, he is either directly discouraged or tacitly denied. The upper caste buyers don't even approach Dalit builders." Jadav points out that while a Dalit from Gujarat cannot find a house in the upper caste societies, things are different for Dalits, who are non-Gujarati. "As the unfamiliar surnames do not reveal the caste of non-Gujaratis, Dalits from other parts of the country stands better chance to get accommodation in mixed societies," he adds. Ashok Shrimali, who moved from Gomtipur to Shyam Bungalows, one of the Dalit societies in Chandkheda post 2002 riots, said, "A quest of safety took me to various Hindu-dominated housing societies in Ahmedabad. But I was denied an accommodation everywhere as I am a Dalit," says Shrimali. Even in Chandkheda, he could not find accommodation in any of the mixed societies. "Finally, I moved to this society, inhabited by Dalits only," he says. "When does they (Sangh Parivar) consider us Hindus? Just check the list of the dead and wounded in the riots, you will find names of only Muslims and Dalits." says Bharatbhai Makwana, a small time businessman in a Dalit society in Ranip. "Only during elections and riots, they come to us. Otherwise, we are never considered as a part of Hindu society," he adds. "It is not only people from the lower income bracket, but Dalits retired from senior government position also find it difficult to find accommodation in the up market residential areas," says Valera, pointing to Kanabhai Parmar, a former under-secretary of Gujarat Legislative Assembly, who being a Dalit was denied accommodation in a upper caste housing society in Gandhinagar. Bitthal Bhai Makwana, a former government official and an ex-editor of National Book Trust, points out that even today, a Dalit cannot buy a house in the upper caste housing societies coming up in Chandkheda Gandhinagar Highway. "We have been trying to buy a house in Satelite for last 10 years with no result, as people refuse to sell their house to a Dalit," says Makwana. He adds that only recently, a gentleman from Uttar Pradesh has sold them a house in that coveted area. "Right behind my house is the Pramukhswami Society, a upper caste housing society, which has couple of shops vacant for sometime," he says. So far Makwana had made futile attempts to hire a shop there. "They would rather let this shops decay than rent it out to a Dalit," he adds. Builders and real estate agents say selling property to even one Dalit family in a society becomes detrimental to sales. Pulin Modi of Modi Constructions says, "Buyers do check out their neighbours before they book a flat in any area. Caste plays an important role as people want to live with their own class of people." He further said that people even avoid the builders, who sell houses to Dalits. Pankaj Shrimali, lecturer of history in G L S Arts college, says, "Wherever I had approached for house in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, I was denied as I was a Harijan. In Hari Nagar society in Gandhinagar, as a rule, they do not allow Harijans." Manjula Pradeep of Dalit Shakti Kendra says, "It is not always that people move to such ghettos because they were refused houses elsewhere. Even if a Dalit manages to find a house in such areas, the moment his identity is disclosed, his neighbours start avoiding him. This fear of rejection, social isolation and a need for social security has pushed most of the Dalits to such ghettos," Pradeep adds. ARUN KHOTE National Secretary National Campaign On Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) 8/1, 2nd Floor, South Patel Nagar, New Delhi-110008 Ph: 011- 25842249 /25842250 0- 9350183802 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: www.ncdhr.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! 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! 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