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Dalit Status ( A frontline review)

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• Download Microfinancing information management software from http://mifos.org/.
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• Contact Grameen Koota for their experience.

DSS to protest for Budget allocation for SC/STs

http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=87523

Udupi August 5: Karnataka Dalit Sangharsh Samithi (DSS) (Bhimvad)
would organise a protest rally to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappas home
office on August 12, demanding Budget allocation to SC/STs based on
their population in the state.

Addressing a press conference here today, R Mohanraj, the state
committee convener of DSS said " at least 1000 members from each
district of the state would participate in the protest rally. He added
that the budgetary allocation for various developmental activities for
SC/STs in the state was only seven per cent as against their
population in the state which is 22.5 per cent." Despite their appeal,
the Chief Minister had failed to evolve schemes for the social and
economical development of these sections. The budgetary allocation
should be made on the basis of their population, Mr Mohanraj demanded.
"This would be the first step of the protest against the government
before taking further agitational steps if the government failed to
fulfil their demand," he said.

He added that the DSS besides other things, would demand
implementation of Single Window System for the schemes for SC/STs,
scholarships for SC/ST students on par with other states, construction
of more hostels for these students, waiver of loans for those availed
loans from Dr Ambedkar Development Corporation till 2007, reservation
to these sections in the private companies and industries, reservation
in the appointment of 'Archakas' (priests) in the temples under Muzrai
department and actions against those employed in the government
offices with fake caste certificates.

Exclusive excerpts from Vanmam (fear of violence during processions)

http://www.hindu.com/lr/2008/08/03/stories/2008080350120300.htm

You can get the book from

http://www.easternbookcorporation.com/moreinfo.php?txt_searchstring=16151

Author: Bama Faustina (Tr. Malini Seshadri)

Exclusive excerpts from Vanmam

The youngsters got together and decided on a secret plan. 'We young
people must each carry a knife in our waistbands. We mustn't be the
first to start anything. But if they cause any trouble, we must
retaliate.'

'When the procession moves, the women and children must walk in the
front row. We will walk at the outer sides. The men will bring up the
rear. Especially when we are going through the Pallar street, we must
be extra careful.'

Meanwhile, the youngsters of the Pallar street were making plans of
their own. 'We young men must carry weapons. As soon as their
procession reaches the bazaar, we must start some disturbance. Then,
when it enters our street, we must target a few of their fellows and
finish them off. We can wait in hiding in the side-lanes. We must send
away our women folk to the nearby colony on the previous day itself.'

'But there'll be police protection. How can we kill those fellows?'
'What great police, da? That's why we're going to hide in the
side-lanes and watch. The moment we've finished the killing, we must
run away. We mustn't get caught by the policemen. We mustn't get into
the clutches of those Parayar fellows either. If we run westwards from
here, we can get away.'

And so, according to plan, the youngsters of both streets were armed
and ready. When Mass was over, the procession set off, with the
chapparam of the Risen Christ in front and the second chapparam of the
Holy Mother following behind. The youngest children went first,
followed by the older children and the women. Then came both
chapparams, and behind those walked the men. The young men walked in
two lines along the edges of the procession, keeping guard. Only three
policemen were there as protection, and they were walking along slowly
right at the end of the procession. Along the way, the people recited
prayers and sang hymns. There was a lurking fear in their minds. O
Risen Christ, please watch over us and take us safely back to our
street, was the prayer in all their hearts.

SC, ST school dropout has gone up: CAG report

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/sc-st-school-dropout-has-gone-up-cag-report_10079311.html

SC, ST school dropout has gone up: CAG report
August 3rd, 2008 - 12:56 pm ICT by ANI

New Delhi, Aug 3 (ANI): A report of the Comptroller and Auditor
General (CAG) says that school dropout rates for students from
Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) have gone up.
In a performance audit of the Educational Development of SC and ST in
India, the CAG has highlighted among other things, alarming gaps in
the Government''s policy implementation as far as Universalisation of
Elementary Education (UEE) for SCs and STs is concerned.
According to report, the Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) And Gross Dropout
Rate (GDR) displayed an adverse trend in respect of SC and ST boys and
girls.
The drop out rate in respect of SCs and STs boys and girls increased
in 2003-04 with reference to 2001-02 in several states. The increase
ranged from 0.04 to 28.98 percent in 2003-04.
As per the 2001 Census, the SCs and STs constituted 16.23 and 8.2
percent respectively of the country''s population.
The literacy rate of the SCs and STs was 55 and 47 percent
respectively against the national literacy rate of 65 percent.
Seven and eight schemes were respectively are being implemented by the
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Tribal
Affairs for the benefit of them.
These schemes cover a variety of benefits such as scholarships,
construction of hostels and schools, establishment of book banks,
provision of remedial and special coaching and sanction of
grant-in-aid to voluntary organizations.
The CAG also recommends that financial management and control of the
educational schemes for SCs and STs be strengthened by greater
attention to utilisation of funds, adjustment of unspent balances and
prevention of diversion of funds. (ANI)

 ‘I am part of a collective awareness’

http://www.hindu.com/lr/2008/08/03/stories/2008080350110300.htm

NEW VOICES

'I am part of a collective awareness'

R. AZHAGARASAN

Dalit writer Bama talks about how caste informs and runs through all
aspects of life, including religion and how education is the key to
emancipation. Excerpts from an interview featured in her forthcoming
book, Vanmam.

Coming to your representation of "caste in Christianity", I see a
contradiction. Unlike your strong critique of Indian Christianity in
Karukku, in Vanmam you see Christianity as empowering, especially for
Parayars.

I wrote Vanmam in 2000. Karukku was written in 1992. During that time,
Dalit movements grew. A lot of Dalit writing has also been published.
Vanmam certainly shows the effect of these developments. The impact of
these changes can be seen in the Church also. Nowadays, it gets
involved in Dalit-related issues. The Jesuits especially… they give
priority to Dalits. Now the Church is doing something for the
development of us Dalits… not just financial. In fact, they named the
1990s as the "Dalit Decade" and came out with an action plan. For
instance, Dalits were given preference in jobs. You know, earlier,
this kind of thing was not there. In fact, Dalit girls were actively
discouraged from joining the sisterhood. Do you know that way back in
the 1950s, there were some French missionaries who even offered legal
aid to Dalits? The Dalits had a feeling that somebody was there to
guide them. In fact, there were lots of people in my own village who
were serving as bonded labourers. What the priest did was… he asked
them not to go to work. The landlords hired coolies from the next
village. If they didn't go for work, they would have to starve. But do
you know what the Dalits did? In order to make the landlords think
that they were living happily, these people carried sand in gunny bags
from the river as though they were carrying paddy. And they
deliberately walked through the streets of those landlords carrying
the sacks!

But in the way you look at caste in Christianity, I find a major shift
in Vanmam. You equate Parayars with Christians and Pallars with
Hindus. Doesn't this contradict what you yourself said in Karukku
about Christianity?

It could seem that way. But remember, the events I narrated in Vanmam
are limited to a particular village. So you cannot take it as a
generalised statement. This is the state of affairs in Kandampatti
village. Among Parayars there are a good number of Christians, and it
is not so among Pallars.

But you seem to be saying that after Parayars converted to
Christianity they left the Hindu mentality behind ... became social
revolutionaries.

To some extent this is true in Kandampatti village.

What about 'Pallar Christians'? Are you saying that even among Dalit
Christians, Pallars preserve their caste identity?

Very often it is caste, not religion, that is the basis of all things.
There are Nadar Christians and Udayar Christians...we label them as
"upper-caste" Christians. We are Pallar Christians and Parayar
Christians...we don't change. We don't even come together under one
umbrella as "Dalit Christians". Not only this, let us not forget that
even among Parayars, the Hindu Parayars and Christian Parayars play a
cat-and-mouse game. Here, even caste isn't a unifying factor. Anyhow,
Dalits get the benefit of education through the missionaries and
Christian institutions. Ultimately, as Ambedkar said, education plays
a key role in Dalit emancipation. The next important thing is to move
out of one's own place. Pallars are in the list of Scheduled Castes,
so they get educational opportunities and come up in life. Parayars
don't have such opportunities. This is because many of them converted
to Christianity and so became "Backward Castes". Of the Dalits who
converted, Parayars form the largest number, more than the Pallars.
So, these Parayars have to rely mostly on Christian institutions for
education. From this point of view, I think Christianity has done a
lot.

But I wonder whether one can generalise. We need to distinguish
Christianity from the work of individual missionaries. Because, it is
individual missionaries who have done a lot.

I think your question itself is irrelevant today. Because you cannot
compare those missionaries with the present-day missionaries. They are
miles apart. Those missionaries worked on various aspects like
literature, society, the economy, and even legal aspects. They had
respect for people. They really wanted to uplift them. Today, most of
the missionaries do not have that attitude. They are interested only
in uplifting their own kith and kin. Some are interested in
accumulating wealth. Today, the charisma of the Church itself is gone.
Of course, there may be some exceptions.

In the case of Karukku, I think, the context of Dr Ambedkar's birth
centenary celebrations plays a major role. Do you think Karukku would
have got the same kind of response if it had been published in the
1980s?

No, I don't think so. My brother always told me, "Nobody would have
bothered to look at your book, if it had been published ten years
before." That's true. There was a context for it.

 Only reservtion for dalits is not enough: Kainth

http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/11498/38/

Only reservtion for dalits is not enough: Kainth
VERINDER SAREEN
Sunday, 03 August 2008
NAWANSHEHAR: Former MP and president of Bahujan Samaj Morcha Satnam
Singh Kainth said on Sunday that in the present scenario in which the
entry of private sector in different aspects of life has thrown up new
issues and challenges, only pressing for reservations would do Dalits
no good.

Addressing a meeting of party workers here yesterday, Kainth said the
increasing gap between the rich and the poor, collapse of vital
sectors like health and education, increase in unemployment among the
poor esp. the Dalits and globalisation were the issues that were of
utmost concern at the moment. He accused the SAD-BJP alliance in
Punjab of failure on all fronts. Atrocities on poor had increased and
there was frustration among them as no one was listening to their
grievances in the state, said Kainth who urged his cadres not to
become a tool in the hands of power-hungry politicians.

An awareness programme had been prepared for creating awakening on
vital issues among the poor and the Dalits, he added.

How the SC/ST Communities are Denying their own Economic rights

From: Umesh Babu
Date: Aug 1, 2008 12:53 AM
Subject: How the SC/ST Communities are Denying their own Economic rights

Dear Friends

Dalit Peoples Movements and Political Movements all over India have
been focusing on the persisting problems of untouchability that is
prohibited under Art. 17 of the Constitution. On the economic rights
of the citizens, Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar while framing the
constitution of India has made enough provisions under Article 21 –
Protection of Life and Personal Liberty and Article 38(2) – to
eliminate the inequality in income remains unattended or least
attended. As to the Economic Rights of Dalit in particular, the spirit
of Constitutional Economic Safeguard enshrined in Art. 46, Art. 335,
Art 338(5C) and Art. 338(9) is lacking completely in the activism of
facilitating agencies.

Economic development are facilitated in terms of budgeting, planning,
policy formulation and implementation and monitoring thereof in each
sector of economics namely Primary Sector that includes Agriculture,
Forestry, Fisheries, Aquaculture, Mines, Quarrying and Minerals;
Secondary Sector that includes Manufacturing or processing the
produces from primary sector and Tertiary Sector that includes
business or service like banking, insurance, contracting, education,
health care, sanitation, research & development, etc. Different
departments/ministries of the State and Union are facilitating
economic developments in different sectors. Exclusion of Dalits in any
of the sector is not mandated either by the Constitution or Democracy
or the Universal Declaration of human Rights. Therefore Dalits have
every right to be included in the economic development but
unfortunately they are denied of their Economic Rights everywhere.

It is only 6th Five Year Plan when it was realized to include Dalits
also in the economic developmental activities and adopted Special
Component Plan (SCP) from 1979-80. But driving forces of economic
development does not include the skills, tenacity and sustainability
of Dalits. Despite of having highest Work Participation Rate (1911 –
57.5%, 1991 – 51.48%, 2001 - 51%) with 77.11% in Primary Sector, 9.83%
in Secondary Sector and 13.06% (1991 census) in Tertiary Sector they
are contributing maximum to the GDP (w.r.t population) but deprived
from their Economic Right. 75% - 85% Dalit population remains unrest
due to landlessness or marginal land holdings. They are denied of
basic civic amenities, quality education, higher education, equal
opportunity, dignity in each of the sector.

In 1995 the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) advised all
institution of Union/State to codify the budgeting and planning
processes under SCP Code 789 to facilitate the transparency and
accountability. On 27th June 2005, the National Development Council
(NDC) decided to bridge the Economic / Social Gap between SC/ST and
General in a period of 10 years. It is most unfortunate on the part
of Dalits that all these declaration and decisions taken are only to
befool SC. At ground level neither SCP exist nor any attempt has been
made to measure the prevailing economic gap and social gap between
SC/ST and General to which the Prime Minister and the NDC wants to
bridge in 10 years.

Emphasising on SCP it is pertinent to be mentioned that in the year
2007-08, the Government of National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi
diverted SC fund to the tune of Rs. 1534 Cr. i.e, almost all fund of
SCP. Similarly the U P Government diverted Rs. 3990 Cr. The status of
rest of the states is not better than this. When intervention was
made, the Govt. of NCT of Delhi accepted the lapses and issued order
to codify the planning and budgeting from the year 2009-10. U P govt.
is in the process of doing so and will decide on 06.08.2008. Order,
report and submission of concerned authorities of these two states
will be available on request.

The SCP means both legislative and executive orders of the Union to
allocate plan fund at least in proportion to SC population and spent
it in the schemes that benefit directly to the individual, families
and hamlets belonging to SC community. Codification of SCP under code
789 means facilitation to audit the allocation and expenditure, as it
is the public money that is being allocated and spent. Officials of
the State have to comply these orders/decision of Union under Art.
245, Art 356 and Art 257. To verify that which State/UT accepts SC
developments in terms of SCP it can be checked that how many
individual, families and hamlets are being benefited directly? Why it
is not being audited under SCP Code 789? If Audit report for SCP is
not available under code 789 then how the expenditure under mandate of
SCP is justified?

Friends I have practical experience and have no hesitation to state
that the achievements in Delhi and UP is very easy and any person can
do it. I am surprised that why the intellectual lot of SC community
has not been doing this work specially when we are talking about
market economy i.e. globalisation, privatisation, and liberalization.
I am not able to understand why the intellectual lot of SC community
is fighting for everything except economic rights. Why the economic
right is least attended? This SCP facilitates inclusion in private
sectors. Despite this why it is not attended yet. I hope SC community
organizers will come forward to take their economic rights.

I look forward for your comments and suggestions.

With Regards
--
Umesh Babu