From: Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC <pmarc2008@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 3:07 PM
Subject: [PMARC] Dalits Media Watch - News Updates 01.04.10
To: Dalits Media Watch <PMARC@dgroups.org>
Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 01.04.10
Inequitable development - The Economic Times
Panel for 50 per cent reservation in pvt varsities - Indian Express
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Panel-for-50-per-cent-reservation-in-pvt-varsities/598507
India clashes with Britain over Equality Bill racism law - The Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/7541598/India-clashes-with-Britain-over-Equality-Bill-racism-law.html
'Reserve seats for SC, ST, minorities in pvt schools' - PTI
http://www.ptinews.com/news/583435_-Reserve-seats-for-SC--ST--minorities-in-pvt-schools-
The Economic Times
Inequitable development
1 Apr 2010, 0231 hrs IST,Tina Edwin,ET Bureau
The tragedy about data collection in India is that by the time primary data is converted into useable information, it may be too late to aid policy intervention. This is true of data collected by not just government agencies such as the National Sample Survey Organisation but also think tanks such as National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER).
One of the criticisms of Human Development in India: Challenges for a Society in Transition — a report put together by NCAER and Institute of Maryland, US — is that it is based on data collected in 2004-05, and it does not capture the impact of the changes of the past few years when the economy grew at more than 8% on an average every year.
That, however, should not mean that the report should be dismissed. It brings out various dimensions of human development to understand social inequalities, based on survey of 41,554 households in 1,503 villages and 971 urban blocks across 33 states and Union territories. Many of its findings are an eye-opener, while some others a reaffirmation of conclusion of other independent studies.
Consider social inequities and income disparity. Conventional belief holds that growth has percolated to the lowest denominator. But this was not so, at least five years ago, when the survey was conducted. The disadvantaged continued to suffer. This was seen in the disparities based on caste, ethnicity and religion. It was found that Dalits and adivasis continued to be at the bottom of most indicators of well being, Muslims and other backward classes (OBCs) in the middle, and forward caste Hindus and other minority religions at the top.
Indicators used to measure development were household incomes and poverty rates, land ownership and agriculture incomes, health and education. In terms of household incomes, adivasis and Dalits were the worst off with annual incomes of Rs 20,000 and Rs 22,800 respectively. OBCs and Muslim households were slightly better off, while forward castes and other minorities (Jains, Sikhs and Christians) had median incomes of Rs 48,000 and Rs 52,000, respectively.
Disparities between social groups can be attributed mostly to historical reasons, as also to difference in access to livelihood. Salaried jobs traditionally pay better than casual labour or farming. But permanent jobs elude the disadvantaged classes for reasons ranging from living in rural areas, lower education and fewer connections for job search.
Affirmative actions such as reservation in colleges have not helped the disadvantaged to join the mainstream due to inequities at the primary school level.
So, it is not surprising that forward castes dominate salaried jobs. The report illustrates this: more than three out of 10 men from forward caste and minority religions (other than Muslims) have salaried jobs against about two out of 10 Muslims, OBCs and Dalit men. The disadvantages classes — Dalits, adivasis and Muslims — have fewer social network ties, and this gets translated into lower access to education and jobs.
Efforts at inclusive growth had not really paid off, seen from the continuing regional and gender inequalities. Women earned less than men for the same job, and the inequality was more accentuated in rural areas. For instance, a woman in rural areas earned 54 paise for every rupee earned by a man and in urban areas, a woman earned 68 paise.
Many indicators would have improved by now, particularly as GDP and per-capita income have almost doubled since the survey. But disparity is unlikely to have narrowed much. Policymakers could draw inference from the findings to improve targeting of programmes aimed at inclusive growth.
The Telegraph
India clashes with Britain over Equality Bill racism law
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/7541598/India-clashes-with-Britain-over-Equality-Bill-racism-law.html
India is set to clash with Britain over Westminster's new Equality Bill which outlaws caste discrimination as a form of racism.
Dean Nelson, in New Delhi Published: 6:50PM BST 31 Mar 2010
The bill, which has been passed in the House of Lords, has been welcomed by campaigners for India's "dalits" or "untouchables", a caste which suffers extreme violence and persecution, but has been rejected by their government.
There are more than 250 million dalits in India, many of whom are denied water, access to schools, and in some cases the right to pass through villages by upper caste Hindus who believe their presence, or even their shadow, pollutes them. Some dalits in India still work as "night soil carriers" – transporting human waste from latrines.
One prominent dalit campaigner had his arms and legs amputated because he refused to withdraw a police complaint against higher caste men who had raped his daughter.
Ministers in London have become increasingly concerned about discrimination and persecution against lower caste Indians in Britain following a report last year which claimed thousands had been ill-treated because of their caste.
The report, by the Anti-Caste Discrimination Alliance, surveyed 300 British Asians and cited cases of children being bullied at school, bus inspectors refusing to work with lower caste drivers, and employees being sacked after their bosses discovered their caste status.
Until now victims of caste discrimination in Britain have had no recourse to law. India also has legislation outlawing caste discrimination but is fiercely opposed to any comparison with racism.
The Indian government has made its views known to British delegations at the UN's Human Rights Council in Geneva and at a European Union-India Human Rights Dialogue last month.
"India's position on this issue has been clear and consistent. Caste and race discrimination are two separate issues and there is no case to equate the two. We are opposed to attempts at international fora to equate the issues," said an official source.
Until the mid-1990s India had back moves to include all discrimination based on descent as a feature of racism in the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. But it changed its position in 1996 when it is understood to have become concerned at onerous reporting obligations under the convention.
India's leading campaigner for dalit rights, Dr Udit Raj, last night welcomed the Equality Bill and said it would increase pressure for the UN to recognise caste as a form of racism.
"The United Kingdom has done the right thing. The new law will give moral boost to the people discriminated on the basis of their caste and will force the UN to include caste as a tool of discrimination. The government of India has been adopting dual standards. At world forums they accept Indians are victims of caste but when it comes to local politics and policies they cash in on caste politics," he told The Daily Telegraph.
Indian Express
Panel for 50 per cent reservation in pvt varsities
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Panel-for-50-per-cent-reservation-in-pvt-varsities/598507
The Reservation Rights Protection Committee has demanded to make reservations (50 per cent of total seats) mandatory in deemed and private universities.
The forum has also demanded to make reservation policy mandatory in foreign education institutions through necessary amendment in the draft of Foreign Education Institutions Bill 2010. "The government should pay the fees of all SC, ST, Nomads and OBC," the forum has demanded.
The forum recently submitted a letter to newly nominated Rajya Sabha MP Bhalchandra Mungekar. In a letter the forum said, "Though the deemed and private universities get direct or indirect aid in the form of land, tax concessions from the government, they are considered unaided. Dalit, Adivasis, Nomads and OBC students are finding it difficult to get admissions in these institutions."
"There is also no provision of reservations in the proposed foreign education institutions bill. By doing this, government is forgetting the motto of inclusive growth at least in education sector. As per the article 15(5) introduced by the 93 rd constitutional amendment extensive powers have been given to the government/ parliament to make the reservation policy mandatory in all educational institutions including private unaided institutions. By using this constitutional authority, government should make provision of reservations mandatory in these institutes," says the letter.
PTI
'Reserve seats for SC, ST, minorities in pvt schools'
http://www.ptinews.com/news/583435_-Reserve-seats-for-SC--ST--minorities-in-pvt-schools-
STAFF WRITER 21:3 HRS IST
New Delhi, Mar 26 (PTI) A House Committee of Delhi Assembly today recommended reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBC and minorities in private schools and other technical institutions which were given land by the government free of cost or at nominal rates.
The report of the Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBC and Minorities was tabled in the assembly today.
Headed by Congress legislator Malaram Gangwal, the committee also recommended that the caste of a child be mentioned in the birth certificate and that it should be considered as caste certificate.
"Often students eligible for scholarships find it very difficult to get the caste certificate from the government officials. We recommend that the birth certificate mentioning the caste be considered as caste certificate," said the report.
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.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")
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Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC has been initiated with the support from group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and facilitate Dalits issues in the mainstream media. To create proper & adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/ International on Dalit issues is primary objective of the PMARC.
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