SC/ST quota in pvt sector: India Inc. responds
After initial reservations, the private sector has reportedly started responding positively to the idea of job reservations for SCs and STs in the private sector. "While a number of industry associations have come out in support of affirmative action, including job reservations in the private sector, they have sought more time from the government to discuss the proposal with their members", said a report in The Indian Express. Following a meeting of the ministerial group on affirmative action appointed by the Union government, secretary, Social Justice and Empowerment ministry, Sarita Prasad wrote to captains of Indian industry explaining the need for affirmative action and soliciting their suggestions on the subject. Reminding the business world of its corporate social responsibility, Prasad’s letter stated: "The future engine of expansion and growth of employment is the private sector and it should carry with it the marginalised sector of society". The government has also initiated a direct dialogue with several industrial houses. Reportedly, the Tata group and the Videocon group of companies are among those that have responded positively.

Dalits threaten to embrace Islam
They may have no real intentions of converting, but some Dalit groups seem to have found a new strategy in their struggle for justice: threat to convert to Islam if the authorities refuse to respond to their demands. Dalits from several villages of Salem district in Tamil Nadu converged before the district collectorate last month to publicise their intent to embrace Islam in protest against the "inaction’’ of the Department of Adi Dravidar Welfare with regard to issuing house site pattas for lands reportedly identified long back for constructing group houses for them. A petition submitted by them alleged that it is because of the resistance of people from the upper caste, who continue to treat Dalits as "untouchables" and "second class citizens", that the welfare department was not acting on its own promise. But district authorities said they were offering an alternate site to the Dalits as the site earlier promised had run into legal hurdles but the Dalits were saying no to the new site. (The Hindu, December 10).

Aluminium matters more than tribals
On December 1, 2004, the Orissa police attacked and critically injured 16 Adivasis (tribals) in Rayagada district. Many, disproportionately women, were arrested. More than 300 Adivasis and Dalits were targeted for protesting the creation of a police station and barrack for armed police at Karol village, near the proposed aluminium plant site of Utkal Alumina International Limited (a joint enterprise of Aditya Birla Group, and ALCAN, a Canadian company) at Doraguda. The people were demanding that the state construct healthcare and education facilities instead. Those injured were dumped in Rayagada jail and denied hospital care; some were reportedly missing. Armed police, the CRPF and the Indian Reserve Battalion patrolled the area as thousands gathered, demanding justice. The government of Orissa has violated its legal and ethical mandate by suppressing public dissent through police brutality. Why are state police prioritising the interests of corporations over those of citizens? (The Asian Age, December 11).

Paraded naked for marrying out of caste
A couple in Manhu village of Khunti subdivision were tonsured and paraded naked on December 9 for daring to tie the knot last week against their parents’ wishes, as they belonged to different castes. Bishun Ghasi (20), a Dalit, managed to escape the wrath of a mob showering shoes and blows on him and informed the police at Torpa, 18 km from here. His wife, Galo, is an Adivasi. They were receiving threats from the village elders to end their affair or face social ostracisation. Police today raided the village and lodged an FIR against 10 persons, including the father of the girl, Bagun Munda. Torpa sub-inspector Ashok Bhagat said four village elders - Bhadrav Pahan, Birsa Pahan, Somar Pahan and B. Pahan - were arrested. "The village elders did not accept the affair as the girl belongs to the Adivasi community and the boy to Ghasi. Her parents are against the affair,’’ Bhagat said. The couple were paraded naked after a meeting of village elders, police said. (The Indian Express, December 11).

Unicef’s cover girl has a doctor’s dream
The youngster from Bihar who defined girl power for the entire world when she became cover girl last year for Unicef’s global report on children has just had a change in plans. She wants to become a doctor, not a teacher. Lalita Kumar, 18, from the community of Musahars in a village in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district, became a harbinger of hope for millions of underprivileged children when she featured on the cover of the UN body’s State of the World’s Children 2004 report. She was the first girl from India to receive the rare honour. The Class 8 student who came to this Bihar capital as chief guest at a Unicef function says her mission in life continues to be to pursue higher studies. But her final goal is now to become a doctor and help the poor. "If I get the opportunity to pursue higher studies after completing Class 10, I will try to become a doctor to help the poorest of the poor in the rural belt," said the Dalit girl, who managed to pull herself out of her straitened life to not only dream big but also go about achieving those dreams. "It was Unicef that gave me confidence and courage," said Lalita in an interview. (IANS, The Asian Age, December 13).

‘Atrocities against SC, STs declining’
Atrocities against those belonging to the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) were on the decline in the state, particularly in the district, claims D. Karthikeyan the collector, Erode district, Tamil Nadu. Inaugurating a seminar, ‘Protection of Civil Rights and Prevention of Atrocities Act’, in Erode, the collector said that the government had been providing compensation to the victims. Cases seeking compensation were coming down every year, he noted. According to figures provided by him, while in 1999-2000, 26 persons were provided a compensation of Rs. 2 lakh, Rs. 3 lakh was given to 22 of them in 2000-01, Rs. 9 lakh to 94 persons in 2001-02, Rs. 1.25 lakh to 11 in 2002-03 and Rs. 11.80 lakh to 59 persons in 2003-04. In the current financial year, of the Rs. 4 lakh sanctioned for compensation, the need arose only for Rs. 1.65 lakh, which had been given to victims. Urging members of the Scheduled Caste Vigilance Committee to ensure that the provision was not misused, he warned that stringent action would be initiated against those who indulged in atrocities against SC and STs. The district’s superintendent of police, P. Balasubramanian, said that the atrocities had come down drastically due to awareness. (The Hindu, December 18).

Dalits ask Sonia for Andhra quota bill
Dalits from Andhra Pradesh, led by Congress MP Sarvey Satyanarayana, met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and urged her to ensure that a legislation was brought in the ongoing winter session of Parliament. The bill is required in the wake of the Supreme Court striking down the categorisation of reservation for Dalits. This assumes significance in the backdrop of the Supreme Court ruling on November 5 proclaiming that only Parliament can pass a law for categorising reservation for the Dalits. The AP government had issued a government order on June 6, 1997, classifying the scheduled castes in A, B, C and D categories. An Assembly resolution was passed on April 22, 1998, and later an ordinance was promulgated and presidential assent was obtained. Finally, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on April 1, 2000, made an act to rationalise reservations in order to facilitate the categorisation. Mr. Satyanarayana said it was at the instance of Mrs. Gandhi that the AP Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution on December 10, in order to pave the way for the categorisation of reservations. (The Asian Age, December 20).

Have Dalit lives no value?
Dalit organisations demand to know why the TN state government adopted a selective approach to paying ex-gratia to the kin of murder victims. They said those murdered in Melavalavu, including a panchayat president, were in no way inferior to Sankararaman, manager of the Kancheepuram Varadaraja Perumal Swamy temple, who was killed recently. Then why did the government choose to compensate the loss of just this one person and ignore families of hundreds of murdered Dalits, they asked. Addressing presspersons in Chennai on Dec. 23, representatives of the Ambedkar Makkal Sabhai, the Makkal Thamizhagam and the All-India Ambedkar Makkal Viduthalai Munnani said a similar compensation should be paid to those killed in the Tamirabarani firing. This incident happened during the DMK regime, but merely because of that the families should not be denied adequate compensation. (The Hindu, December 24).

Pension for tribals over 60
The West Bengal government has decided to pay a monthly pension of Rs. 500 to tribals past 60 and living below the poverty line. In the first phase, the scheme will be launched in 50 blocks of Burdwan, Birbhum, Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore that have been identified by the Centre for its Integrated Tribal Development Project. If it is a success, the government will bring more areas under it. A study to identify tribals over 60 has begun in Burdwan and will be carried out in the other districts subsequently. "We want to start paying the pension from this financial year. We have asked the district magistrates to carry out a survey to identify tribal people over 60 years of age," said Bilasibala Sahis, the minister of state for backward classes welfare. Officials of her department said according to a rough estimate, there are about five lakh tribals in the area covered by the central project. Of them, over 50,000 are over 60. (The Telegraph, December 27).

Dalits irked by Rajasthan CM
Accusing the Rajasthan chief minister, Vasundhara Raje, of being "totally inaccessible" to Dalits ever since she assumed office, Dalit organisations in the state have approached the governor, Pratibha Patil, seeking her intervention to ensure justice to Dalits and stop caste-based discrimination. Representatives of Dalit organisations led by the chairperson of Centre for Dalit Rights, PL Mimroth, met Ms. Patil here on December 29 and charged that the administrative machinery in the state was insensitive to the plight of Dalits who were the victims of endless atrocities. He said Ms. Raje had shown no willingness to listen to the grievances of Dalits during the past one year. The delegation of Dalits urged the governor to direct the state government to take steps for strict implementation of laws protecting the Scheduled Castes and Tribes and ensure their access to the means of livelihood by safeguarding their share in land, water, wealth and capital. Mimroth said those belonging to so-called higher castes had grabbed the Dalits’ lands at several places. (The Hindu, December 31).