Dalit children discriminated in schools even today http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Dalit-children-discriminated-in-schools-even-today/228750/ Express news service
Ahmedabad, October 15 Mid day meal schemes are on. But if you are a dalit child in Amreli or Banaskantha districts, in all probability, you will be asked to get your own dish or plate from your home and be served separately. The rice may contain worms and food will be insufficient. In other districts like Sabarkantha, Navsari, Dang and Bharuch, the discrimination may not be there, but the quality of food served may not be any better. A sample survey undertaken by a city based NGO Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) during September 17 to September 21, 2007 across 99 villages in six districts of Amreli, Bharuch, Sabarkantha, Dang, Navsari and Banaskantha to assess the status of implementation of centrally sponsored food security schemes in Gujarat revealed that while in 61.61 per cent villages, the PDS shopkeepers keep the ration cards with them and enter wrong details, in 54.5 percent villages the shop keepers indulge in black marketing. Sharing the details of the survey, Nadeem an activist from CSJ said that while the cases of caste discrimination is rampant, most of such cases have been reported from Amreli district. Shobhini Vora, from Kanuni Seva ane Margdarshan Kendra, Amreli pointed out that in number of schools, Dalit children are asked to get their own plates or dishes from home for mid day meals. "In a number of schools, the children from lower castes are made to sit separately and they are even asked to bring drinking water from their homes," she added. The study also revealed that not only the children are being discriminated, but also the quality of food provided under the scheme is a cause of concern. "The quality of food is really bad in Dangs and Amreli," said Nadeem adding that while in some schools in Amreli, the rice served contained worms, number of students reported falling sick after consuming the food provided in the schools visited in Dangs. "While there are number of schemes declared for ensuring food security to the people, most of the people are not even aware of them," Nadeem added. Shabana Kazi, a paralegal from the Legal Aids Centre Modasa pointed out that while most of the villagers are aware of the malpractices resorted to by the PDS shopkeeper, people often chose not to react to the same as the shopkeepers are usually from the higher caste. "The report, which has come out of a sample survey may not reflect the total scenario of the state," Nadeem said adding that in any case it does reflect on the poor state of implementation of the same at least in six districts. "With this report now available to the central agencies responsible for the implementation of these schemes, we hope they will now act on this and take some measures for better implementation of these programmes," Nadeem added.
