Thursday, March 3, 2011

[ZESTCaste] Youth arrested for raping dalit girl

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Youth-arrested-for-raping-dalit-girl/articleshow/7620466.cms

Youth arrested for raping dalit girl
TNN, Mar 4, 2011, 05.02am IST

BAHRAICH: A youth allegedly raped a dalit girl, resident of Rajwapur
village under Payagpur police station at her residence on Thursday.
The family members after getting information informed the police who
registered a case and took the rapist in custody.

Kishori (14) was alone at home when a youth of the village entered the
house, choked the mouth of the girl and raped her. On hearing her
screaming, the neighbourers gathered on the spot and informed the
family.

The police are investigating the case.

Read more: Youth arrested for raping dalit girl - The Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Youth-arrested-for-raping-dalit-girl/articleshow/7620466.cms#ixzz1FcDSJECf

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[ZESTCaste] Fwd: CRY's response to the Union Budget 2011-12 [4 Attachments]

 
[Attachment(s) from Karthik Navayan included below]


 
Dear Friends,
 
Here is our response to the Union Budget presented by Mr. Pranab Mukherjee on 28 February 2011.
 
 
 

The allocations on elementary education have been increased to Rs. 29129.55 crores, an increase of 11.15 per cent over the last year (2010-11) allocation of Rs. 26207.99 crores at the revised estimate stage. So, the Finance Minister's claim of a 24 percent increase in allocations for education is not applicable for elementary education. As for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the allocation in 2011-12 is Rs. 20999.78 crores, over last year's revised estimate Rs. 18999.10 crores. Thus it is only on increase of only 10.53 per cent as against Finance Minister's claim of a 40 per cent increase.

 

Another thing to note in this increase is coming from the Prarambhik Shiksha Kosh (from the education cess) The government's own allocation for education has gone down from Rs. 7769.10 crore (Revised Estimate 2010-11) to Rs. 7096.15 crore (Budget Estimate 2011-12).

The ICDS scheme, the only comprehensive education and health scheme for children below six, gets a total of Rs. 10330.00, including Rs. 1035.81 crores for the North Eastern states, which is an increase of only 17.04 per cent over allocations in 2010-11, an amount vastly insufficient for the kind of requirement we have as a country. Within ICDS the sharing pattern of all components except supplementary nutrition has been changed to 90:10 between the Centre and States/UTs. For SNP, the ratio of 50:50 continues except for North-Eastern States, where it has been changed to 90:10. This is the main reason for high increase in allocations from the Central Pool. Considering India figures as a single country with nearly half – 42 percent of the world's underweight children, an increase that is below the ten percent norm is a huge let down for zero to six year olds and mothers.

On children's right to protection, the 11th Plan Outlay had promised Rs. 1073.00 Crore for the Integrated Child Protection Scheme for five years (2007-08 to 2011-12) and Rs. 45.00 crores for three schemes to be integrated with the ICPS. So the ICPS should have got a total of Rs. 1118.00 crore over the last 4 years. The allocation for the last plan year – this year – is Rs. 243 crores. So, the allocations, totals up to Rs. 819.85 crores only, Rs. 298.15 crores less than the Rs. 1118 crores promised. Another problem with ICPS is that it was formally approved only in February 2009, thereby meaning no expenditure in 2007-08 and 2008-09. This also leads to cumulative gap in achievement of outcomes intended from the scheme.

 

This is again a setback for implementing child protection norms in keeping with child rights promises made.

 

Allocation on ICPS and other schemes to be subsumed under it (2007-08 to 2010-11) In Rs. Crore

 

Scheme

2007-08 (RE)

2008-09 (RE)

2009-10 (RE)

2010-11 (BE)

2010-11

(RE)

2011-12

(BE)

Total over 11th Plan

ICPS

38.50

54.00

44.00

270.00

88.00

243.00

737.5

Shishu Griha + Programme for Street Children + Programme for Juvenile Justice

33.48

33.57

15.30

0.00

0.00

0.00

82.35

Total

71.98

87.57

59.30

270.00

88.00

243.00

819.85

RE – Revised Estimate                        Source: Expenditure Budget Volume II, Ministry of Women and Child Development, GoI, various years.

BE – Budget Estimate

 

 

Thank you and regards,

 

Ajay

Mobile: +918800734111

 

 


Ajay Sinha  
Associate General Manager - Policy Analysis 
 
 

DDA Slum Wing, (Barat Ghar),
Bapu Park, Kotla Mubarakpur
New Delhi - 110003, India
Tel: 0091-011-24693137 / 4790
Fax: 0091-011-24632302

I believe that every Indian child must be guaranteed equal rights to survival, protection, development and participation.
As a part of CRY, I dedicate myself to mobilising all sections of society to ensure justice for children.

This communication may contain confidential and / or privileged information intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed. If you have received this in error, please notify the sender by reply mail and delete this message from your computer. You are prohibited from copying , disseminating, retransmitting and / or delivering this message to anyone. Any opinions, comments, statements and / or other information in this message do not necessarily reflect those of CRY - Child Rights and You and are not endorsed by it and will not act to its prejudice.

 
 

 

 


 


 
Ajay Sinha  
Associate General Manager - Policy Analysis 
 
 

DDA Slum Wing, (Barat Ghar),
Bapu Park, Kotla Mubarakpur
New Delhi - 110003, India
Tel: 0091-011-24693137 / 4790
Fax: 0091-011-24632302

I believe that every Indian child must be guaranteed equal rights to survival, protection, development and participation.
As a part of CRY, I dedicate myself to mobilising all sections of society to ensure justice for children.

This communication may contain confidential and / or privileged information intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed. If you have received this in error, please notify the sender by reply mail and delete this message from your computer. You are prohibited from copying , disseminating, retransmitting and / or delivering this message to anyone. Any opinions, comments, statements and / or other information in this message do not necessarily reflect those of CRY - Child Rights and You and are not endorsed by it and will not act to its prejudice.

 
 



--
B.Karthik Navayan, Advocate
H.No. 21-7-761,
Opp.High Court Post Office,
Gansi Bazar, Hyderabad,
PIN-500002, AP.
Cell:09346677007,
email:navayan@gmail.com
http://karthiknavayan.wordpress.com/
https://sites.google.com/site/karthiknavayan/

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Attachment(s) from Karthik Navayan

2 of 2 Photo(s)

2 of 2 File(s)

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[ZESTCaste] Reporters assaulted at Assam University, Silchar for covering students’ agitation

 

Reporters assaulted at Assam University, Silchar for covering students' agitation

 

 Barak Human Rights Protection Committee (BHRPC) has received information regarding an incident of assault on reporters at the Assam University campus at Silchar on 25 February 2011. It is reported that the assault was carried out by the security guards led by the proctor of the university Mr. Manabendra Dutta Choudhury and dean, students welfare Mr. Ramendu Bhattacharjee allegedly for covering agitation of the students. The scribes sustained grievous injuries and their laptops and cameras were snatched away and destroyed.

According to information received by the BHRPC, a group of reporters and cameramen mainly belonging to Guwahati-based private television channels (namely NE TV, News Time Assam, DY365 and Frontier TV News) reached the university campus with their laptops, cameras and other equipments at about 12 noon on 25 February to report demonstration of students.

Hostel boarders of the university were observing hunger strike and resorted to blockade at the main gate of the campus demanding immediate uninterrupted water supply. Ratan Das, general secretary of Assam University Students' Council told that drinking water crisis in the hostel was acute for a long time. Even there was scarcity of toilets. Students had been demanding for permanent solution, but the authority turned a deaf ear to it, he alleged.


According to the information, reporters had taken footage of the students' agitation before they were attacked. At about 12.30 pm the proctor of the university Mr. Manabendra  Dutta Choudhury and Dean, Students Welfare Mr. Ramendu Bhattacharjee arrived while the scribes were sending the news through their laptops. The proctor started hurling verbal abuse at the journalists and demanded them to stop sending the footages. The journalists tried to talk to him, but the proctor got furious and started beating them. The security guards accompanying him also joined him. 


According to Mr. Anath Bandhu Nandi (Arup), one of the injured reporters, Mr. Manabendra Dutta Choudhury first kicked at a laptop and then the guards jumped on them. At the behest of the proctor and the dean, the security guards kicked, punched and beat the journalists mercilessly. They snatched 3 laptops and 2 cameras destroyed them.


A group of agitating students rescued the injured scribes. Mr. Samin Sen Deka of News Time Assam, Mr. Anath Bandhu Nandi (Arup) of DY 365, Mr. Paplu Das and Mr. Anupam Mandal of Frontier TV News, and Mr. Bibhuti Majumdar of NE TV sustained injuries. Mr. Samin Sen Deka was sent to the Silchar Medical College and Hospital due to the serious nature of his injury and others were treated at the primary health centre at the university campus.


The reporters later filed a complaint at Silchar Sadar Police Station, which is registered as Silchar PS Case No. 285/11. The complaint named Mr. Manabendra Dutta Choudhury and Mr. Ramendu Bhattacharjee and security guards as accused.


It is also reported that the university authority did not allow the entry and reading of the Dainik Samayik Prasanga, a local daily newspaper inside the campus. This is an undemocratic and authoritarian attempt at stopping outside information from coming to the hostel boarders of the university coupled with the attempt of stopping flow of information from the university as evident from the assault on the reporters. It seems that the authority of the university are flouting law of the land and behaving as law unto themselves.

BHRPC thinks that the information reveals a prima facie case of offences of 'voluntarily causing grievous hurt', 'theft of equipments' and 'criminal intimidation' by several persons under section 35, 379 and 506 read with section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

The information also reveals a prima facie case of violations of fundamental rights of the reporters to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 (1) (a) of the constitution of India and the right to practice profession of one's choice guaranteed under Article 19 (1) (g) of the constitution.

It is also a prima facie case of violations of human right 'to freedom of opinion and expression' as enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the general assembly of the United Nations in 1948. The right violated in this case is also guaranteed in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966 to which India is a state party. This covenant including this Article is a part of the Human Rights Protection Act, 1993 by virtue of section 2 (1) (d).

BHRPC also observes that the conduct of the university authority vis-a-vis the grievances of the students and their peaceful protest is, to say the least, authoritarian and undemocratic. The students were staging peaceful protest and demonstration for adequate sanitary facility, adequate supply of drinking water and other such basic amenities.

BHRPC wrote to the prime minister of India urging his personal intervention for ensuring a prompt and objective investigation into the incident, adequate security for the victims and witnesses, adequate compensation for the victims, effective redress to the students of the university. BHRPC also filed a complaint at the National Human Rights Commission.

 

            A. Names and addresses of the alleged victims:

           

      1. Mr. Samin Sen Deka (40yrs.), News Burea, Silchar, News Time Assam

            S/o. Lt. Saneshar Deka

            Jail Road, Near Normal School, Silchar -3, Assam

 

      2. Bibhuti Mazumder, Silchar Correspondent, NE TV

            S/o. Johorlal Mazumder

            Khatal Road, Silchar, Assam

 

      3. Anath Bandhu Nandi (Arup), Cameraman, Dy 365

            S/o Lt. Bagaban Chandra Nandi

            Radamadav Road, Silchar-1, Assam

 

      4. Paplu Das, Silchar News Burea, Frontier TV News

            S/o Lt. Priti Bushan Das

            Nikunja Bhawan opposite Drugasankar Patsala

            Ambicapatty, Silchar-4, Assam

 

      5. Anupam Mandal, Silchar Cameraman Frontier TV News

            S/o. N.K. Mandal

            Nataji Sarani, Batartal, Meherpur, Silchar-15, Assam

 

            B. Names and addresses of the alleged perpetrators/violators:

 

            1. Mr. Manabendra Dutta Choudhury,

            Proctor, Assam University, Silchar

            Dargakona, Cachar, Assam

           

            2. Ramendu Bhattacharjee,

            Dean, Students Welfare,

            Assam University, Silchar

            Dargakona, Cachar, Assam

 

            3. Security guards working at the university and assaulted the reporters

 See the report at the BHRPC site:  Reporters assaulted at Assam University, Silchar for covering students' agitation

View video of the incident: Students' agitation at Assam University, Silchar on 25 February 2011 for hygienic sanitation facilities, adequate supply of drinking water and internet connectivity etc and Reporters assaulted by officers and security guards of the Assam University on 25 February, 2011 for covering the event at Assam University, Silchar

--
W A Laskar
Freelance Reporter and Human Rights Defender
with Barak Human Rights Protection Committee,
http://bhrpc.wordpress.com
15, Panjabari Road, Darandha, Six Mile,
Guwahati-781037, Assam, India
Cell: +919401942234
Visit my blog at www.rightspeaks.blogspot.com
Skype: rights.defender

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[ZESTCaste] ‘Dalit leaders ignoring community interests’

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/%E2%80%98dalit-leaders-ignoring-community-interests%E2%80%99/252798.html

'Dalit leaders ignoring community interests'

Express News Service

First Published : 03 Mar 2011 04:11:50 AM IST
Last Updated : 03 Mar 2011 09:46:29 AM IST

CHENNAI: The Dalit intelligentsia on Wednesday slammed politicians
from the community for ignoring the basic rights of the scheduled
castes and scheduled tribes.

At a meeting to discuss the 'Current problems of Scheduled castes and
Scheduled Tribes' at the Dr Ambedkar Academy, the intelligentisia,
comprising bureacrats, academicians, social activists and people from
different walks of life, said that even after 63 years of Independence
nothing had changed for the community.

"Now we have political rights as all states have Scheduled Caste MLAs
and MPs. But these MPs are hankering for power and using the community
as a ladder and in the process, they ignore the basic rights of the
community," said former chief secretary of the State and advisor of Dr
Ambedkar Academy Dr A Padmanaban.

"The Dalit parties are bothered more about seat-sharing, but have
hardly voiced for the need to abolish untouchability in the State,"
said Padmanaban, also the former Governor of Mizoram.

Padmanaban also slammed the SC & ST commission for barely
acknowledging letters highlighting the problems of the community.

"The Congress party in their earlier poll manifesto, the Common
Minimum Programme, promised a lot of things for the Dalits, but
nothing has taken shape. Even Chief Minister M Karunanidhi promised a
lot for the community, but nothing has been done," he said.

He also said that assurances by the private sector to provide jobs to
Dalits had seldom been implemented.

He expressed hoped that the recent assurances by former bureaucrat and
FICCI advisor P Murari would be implemented.

Padmanaban was also critical of the committee appointed to study the
panchami land issue.

"They have to submit the report in six months and till now they had
only two sittings. With elections around the corner, I think it is
highly unlikely that they would be able to submit the report by the
given deadline," he added.

Former bureaucrat C Chellappan voiced concern over denial of rights to
Dalit panchayat presidents and the delay in allocation of funds to the
Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing Development Corporation.

S Devadoss, director, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT),
Chennai, and Chellappan also highlighted the need for more hostels for
Dalit students besides doing away with capitation fee for Dalits in
private institutions.


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[ZESTCaste] Kanshi Ram's brother vows to fight Mayawati

 

http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/131319/india/kanshi-ram-brother-vows-to-fight-up-chief-minister-mayawati.html

Kanshi Ram's brother vows to fight Mayawati
Piyush Srivastava | Lucknow, March 3, 2011 | Updated 09:02 IST

Dalbara Singh, younger brother of late Kanshi Ram, has announced that
his Bahujan Sangharsh Party would expose the Uttar Pradesh chief
minister and her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Singh floated his party two years ago and was in the wilderness. But
now he believes that the Dalits are expecting him to overthrow
Mayawati.

"I wake up every morning with a sense of guilt that I am sitting idle
when someone is destroying the dreams of my brother. He was a
visionary who wanted to liberate the Dalits from the clutches of
capitalists and caste forces.

Mayawati, who is dishonest, presented herself before my brother as
honest. He was a simple man who couldn't realise that he was promoting
a very corrupt leader. She held him captive during his last days and
forcefully took over the BSP. I cannot sit silent anymore. So my party
will field candidates against her BSP in 2012," Singh said.

Leaders of Mayawati's BSP believe that he has been created by her
rivals, particularly by the Samajwadi Party.

Singh said he founded Kanshi Ram Bachao Sangharsh Samiti in 2006 which
was converted into BSP in October 2009. Its first state- level
convention will be held at Gangoh in Saharanpur on March 15.

For the record, Singh registered a complaint with the Tughlak Road
police station in New Delhi in October 2006 alleging that Mayawati had
conspired to kill Kanshi Ram.

The BSP had rubbished the allegations, saying the founder of the party
had said he had nothing to do with his family members.

BSP's state president Swami Prasad Maurya said the Congress and the
Samajwadi Party were trying to mislead the masses by promoting such
political forces.

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[ZESTCaste] HC asks CB-CID to probe mystery death of dalit youth

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/HC-asks-CB-CID-to-probe-mystery-death-of-dalit-youth/articleshow/7615453.cms

HC asks CB-CID to probe mystery death of dalit youth
A Subramani, TNN, Mar 3, 2011, 12.44am IST

CHENNAI: The mystery death of a dalit youth, who had married a caste
Hindu girl, has been handed over to the CB-CID for investigation. The
youth, who hailed from Puzhal near Chennai, allegedly died in a road
accident in Tirunelveli where the girl is from.

Vesting the probe with the CB-CID on Wednesday, a division bench of
the Madras high court comprising justice Elipe Dharma Rao and justice
D Hariparanthaman directed the additional director-general of police
(CB-CID) to take over the matter and hand over the investigation to a
competent officer. The CB-CID shall report the progress of the
investigation to the court after four weeks and the probe shall be
completed in eight weeks, the judges said.

Only last week, the bench had expressed a strong apprehension about
foul play in the death of Vinoth Kumar, and wondered if it was at all
an act of a civilised society. It had already asked the police to
approach the case on the basis of an affidavit filed by the victim's
mother Ranjani.

According to Ranjani, Vinoth was arrested by the Puzhal police on
August 10 last year after he eloped with a minor caste Hindu girl. He
came out on bail on August 29. In December 2010, he was again picked
up by the police, and his mother approached the Madras high court on
January 11, 2011.

On January 14, she received a call from the Thisayanvilai police in
Tirunelveli district, stating that Vinoth was knocked down by a
vehicle while trying to escape from the police escorting him. Though a
post-mortem had already been conducted, as per court orders another
post-mortem was conducted on January 23 here.

On Friday last, concurring with the arguments of her counsel P
Vijendran, the judges wondered if it was possible to have a fair probe
in the matter at all. They also said the police force was trying only
to safeguard the interests of certain persons', and added: "This (the
suspicious death) was not possible without the collusion of the
police." They also wanted the police to arrest a third person named in
the new affidavit filed in the court, and felt that even the
magistrate who remanded Vinoth Kumar in judicial custody was biased.

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[ZESTCaste] 'Higher allocation to education shows Govt's priority'

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Higher-allocation-to-education-shows-Govts-priority/articleshow/7606162.cms

'Higher allocation to education shows Govt's priority'
Vishwas Kothari, TNN, Mar 2, 2011, 11.01am IST

PUNE: Member of Planning Commission Narendra Jadhav has said that the
government's overriding priority for education is evident from the Rs
52,057 crore allocation for education sector in the Budget -- up by 24
per cent over the current year. "What makes this significant is the
fact that the country is passing through a phase of financial
consolidation. The Budget provides for an overall planned expenditure
of less than 12 per cent and yet education has cornered a 24 per cent
share within this," Jadhav said while speaking to TOI from New Delhi.

Jadhav, who is the former vice-chancellor of University of Pune, said,
"Vocationalisation of secondary education and the introduction of a
pre-matric scholarship scheme for SC/ST students are the two most
significant social dimensions of this Budget."

"Similarly, the 40 per cent increase in allocation for the Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyaan, from Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 21000 crore is in line
with the larger objectives of the Right to Education initiatives. The
Abhiyaan has been very successful in terms of ensuring access at
primary level education. A lot of things are happening in the higher
education sector too as manifested in the last two years," he added.

"As such, the focus ought to have been on improving secondary
education by way of strengthening the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shikshan
Abhiyaan -- an extension of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, launched two
years back. The scheme for vocationalisation of secondary education
will go a long way in achieving this. Already, the National Skill
Development Programme has laid an objective of creating 500 million
skilled manpower by year 2022. Vocationalisation of secondary
education would only lead to improving employability of students."

"The pre-matric scholarship for class IX and X students from SC/ST
communities is also a very important and positive move," said Jadhav.

Former chairman of University Grants Commission Arun Nigavekar said,
"The finance minister has proposed special grants to recognise
excellence in universities and academic institutions but most of the
major support has gone to the central government institutions."

"One needs to realise that education is a concurrent subject and the
states are equally responsible for economic growth. The Budget also
ought to have given a clear direction to encourage private education
funding and should have created more conducive environment for private
education providers."

He said, "The concept of Innovation Council under Chairmanship of Sam
Pitroda would be catalysing force for enhancing quality and utility of
research in higher education institutions. It is good that states
would be helped to establish State level innovation councils."

However, the allocation of Rs 5000 crore for the National Skills
Development Council (NSDC) is low. "One would have expected the
government to give clarity on how it would bring in private skills
education providers by giving them special incentives and certain
legal status through NSDC," said Nigavekar.

"The process of foreign direct investments in higher and professional
education should have been given stress by providing special treatment
to private equity fund providers as well as by making life of foreign
education providers simple and easy by announcing single window
clearance mechanism," said the former UGC chief.

Nigavekar said, "The most significant aspect is putting higher
education on fast information track by way of the proposed National
Knowledge Network to link 1,500 institutes of higher learning and
research through an optical fibre backbone The connectivity would
create an environment for sharing of national knowledge resources and
also give push to internationalization of higher education."

Read more: 'Higher allocation to education shows Govt's priority' -
The Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Higher-allocation-to-education-shows-Govts-priority/articleshow/7606162.cms#ixzz1FWQweFIL

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