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From: Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC <pmarc2008@gmail.com>
Date: Feb 18, 2010 8:11 PM
Subject: [PMARC] Dalits Media Watch - News Updates 18.02.10
To: Dalits Media Watch <PMARC@dgroups.org>
Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 18.02.10
Dalit woman beaten up by police officer - Times Of India
http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Times_of_India/400x60/0
Caste divide melts in common kitchen - The Telegraph
300 cops share meal and moments at New Police Line, Ranchi
http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Telegraph/400x60/0
Congress state union enlists atrocities on women in Madhya Pradesh- DNA
Harassment due to proximity - Express Buzz
'Dalit organisations must help settle disputes' - Times Of India
KDF flays CPM stand - Express Buzz
Gadkari plays the Dalit card - Hindustan Times
Civil Society Organisations voice key expectations from the Union Budget 2010 - India Prwire http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/other/2010021843842.htm
Times Of India
Dalit woman beaten up by police officer
http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Times_of_India/400x60/0
SULTANPUR (UP): In an instance of police brutality, a Dalit woman accused of murdering her husband was beaten up by an inspector, prompting authorities to suspend him.
The incident occurred on Wednesday in Manyari village in Aliganj area here after a man, Deepak Kumar, was found strangulated following which his mother lodged an FIR and the police started looking for his wife Sangeeta.
The woman was rounded up after some time and allegedly confessed to the crime, SP, Sultanpur, Satyendra Veer Singh said. Despite the confession, Inspector Kailash Nath Dubey, however, beat her up as a subordinate lady officer looked on.
Condemning the incident, Singh said, "This kind of behaviour was really uncalled for. The lady had already confessed to the crime that she had murdered her husband....There was absolutely no need of beating up this lady so mercilessly."
"It was total brutality on part of the inspector. Finding him guilty, we have put him under suspension. A departmental inquiry is on. We will take necessary action against him," Singh said.
Asked about the presence of a lady police personnel at the time of the incident, Singh said, "She is a subordinate officer.
"When the inspector is doing something, she is not supposed to (interfere). What I can say is that there was absolutely no need for this kind of attitude on part of the police. We have found him (inspector) guilty of absolute misconduct," he said, adding such kind of incidents will not be tolerated.
The Telegraph
Caste divide melts in common kitchen
300 cops share meal and moments at New Police Line, Ranchi
http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Telegraph/400x60/0
SANTOSH K. KIRO
Ranchi, Feb. 17: A week ago, they were cooking up a storm over caste. Today, they are stirring a broth of brotherly love.
To infuse "we" feeling among the men in khaki, divided over religion and caste all this while, the New Police Line has set up a common kitchen. Some 300 men now not only eat the same food, but also share the same dining table. And, in the process, they are getting to know each other better.
The system was completely different earlier. The men had set up several kitchens, each named after their homeland or their caste. Thus, there was Chapra Mess, Ara Mess, Brahmin Mess, Rajput Mess, Adivasi Mess and so on.
The practice, zonal IG Rezi Dung Dung and Ranchi SSP Praveen Kumar realised, was harming relationships. And they decided to mend the situation by setting up a common kitchen.
The men are happy, too. "We are now eating together from the same kitchen. It is a new, but nice experience," said Havildar Afsar Hussain.
Dung Dung inaugurated the common mess on February 10. Twelve government cooks and eight private ones have been hired. "We dismantled the previous system of cooking as it was not healthy. It did not create unity and sense of belonging — two things required in the police force," SSP Kumar told The Telegraph.
For smooth functioning, the mess has been divided into four kitchens, each under the care of five cooks. However, a policeman can eat from any of the kitchens though the food is same. "We have no caste divide. We will make the new system introduced by our officers a success," Hussain promised.
The two dining halls, which were virtually useless as they lacked tables and chairs, have been made functional. Apart from new dining tables and chairs, television sets have been added to the dining halls so that the men in uniform can relish their food while watching TV.
"We usually serve vegetarian food. The menu includes rice, roti, dal and vegetable, litti chokha, salad and kheer," said Pramod Kumar, the mess manager.
The SSP has plans to improve the kitchen and the dining halls. "I want to buy roti machines, cookers and other necessary items for the kitchen," he said.
DNA
Congress state union enlists atrocities on women in Madhya Pradesh
PTI
Thursday, February 18, 2010 15:20 IST
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Congress today claimed that 91 minor girls were gangraped and 226 women raped in the state from October 2009 to January 10 this year.
Addressing a press conference, state Congress spokesman JP Dhanopia also said that all records for atrocities on Dalits had been broken in the state.
Expressing concern at the situation, he said, "the chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan neither appeared serious about the situation nor had he drawn up any plan to control crime."
"Thanks to Shah Rukh Khan, the chief minister had developed the habit of saying 'Main Hoon Naa' whenever any incident took place in the state," Dhanopia added.
Express Buzz
Harassment due to proximity
Last Updated : 18 Feb 2010 01:12:16 AM IST
It is a crime that residents of Manikeshwari Nagar live in a basti adjacent to the Osmania University, in physical proximity that sometimes feeds into the emotional on the issue of Telangana, as it did recently. It is not surprising. A majority of them are Dailts and Muslims, and either belong to Hyderabad of the old times or have come from some of the poorest parts of Telangana region. In fact I never knew Osmania University had one of these affirmative histories to it — the land where Manikeshwari Nagar today stands today, was apportioned to it by the university during the tenure of a progressive vice chancellor in the early '70s. ("He used to take Re 1 as salary", said Balaiah, one of the residents).
People in Manikeshwari Nagar dread to speak of Telangana to people they do not recognise, For they fear it might be the police in civil dress and might put them into jails on vague charges. Every time there is a police action on students of the university, it rubs off on the residents of this colony. In fact the Kaman (arch) at its entrance has a permanent battalion of policemen keeping vigil on who comes in and goes out. On February 15, a day after the police action against students at the campus, the police force was increased. And a mediaperson walking past this place, with a camera, spells trouble — not for the policemen, but for the others. If we, from our relatively better-off backgrounds can feel the fear of being targeted, or beaten up, one cannot say what it would mean to people who mostly work as contract labourers, and have small shops, in this colony, Justifiably, most young men have left their homes in fear of being arrested any day, even if they had nothing to do with the Telangana agitation.
But are those working with political parties supporting the agitation any safer? Does not seem so. Since last December, students, professors, lawyers and many other activists have been arrested on several charges. Some are out on bail, some others have to resort to taking anticipatory bails to avoid further arrests.
Alakunta Hari, a TRS party worker, who stood as an Independent candidate in the last elections, spoke to me on phone when I went to meet him at his home in Manikeshwari Nagar. He was, of course, in hiding, and out on bail. He said, "On December 26 around 30 policemen from the taskforce surrounded me like a terrorist, came to my house, and took me with them. They did not tell me why they were taking me… They took me to Falaknuma police station for interrogation. The DSP interrogated me. In my colony, Manikeshwari Nagar, at least 15 people were lathicharged on December 7. They slapped 14 cases against me in different police stations. Including ones on destroying private and government property, beating up police constable and so forth. All these are false charges… I had arranged for supplying food for the agitating students. That was the crime, and they got me arrested. They have booked false charges against people who are at the forefront of this movement. I cannot move out freely anymore. I was in Chanchalguda Jail for 14 days. They are making targeted arrests… they are creating fear to stop the movement…"
Around 436 cases have been filed against students of Osmania University. Srinivas Reddy, a tent supplier too was also arrested for supplying tents for the dharna site at the arts college in the university. FIRs have been issued against at least 800 lawyers who are directly or indirectly part of the Telangana agitation. Strangely, some cases are filed against SC and ST students under the Atrocities against SC, ST Act. In one case, a Dalit student was charged under the above Act for verbally lashing out against a Dalit police constable. The case was filed — as most cases have been in the Telangana agitation — by the policemen.
In connection with these random arrests and other demands, around 3,000 lawyers are assembling at Jantar Mantar, in Delhi on February 22. Among their demands include immediate withdrawal of all false cases against the agitators; to treat this is a people's movement, and present a Bill in Parliament for creation of Telangana. Leaders from various political parties are expected to address the gathering.
Irrespective of the viewpoints on Telangana, perhaps there is need for public debate on the use of unnecessary force and criminalisation of a movement which involves common people whose lives are impacted far more than that of the political party leaders. And there is need for political party leaders to be more vocal about condemning this criminalisation than has been done so far.
Times Of India
'Dalit organisations must help settle disputes'
CHITRADURGA: Seeking cooperation of dalit organizations in settling disputes involving community members, state SC/ST commission chairman Nehru C Olekar on Tuesday emphasised the need to root out misunderstandings.
At a press conference, he denied reports about police officials ill treating Bhagyamma, a dalit woman, at Bharamasagara.
The commission urged the government to set up separate police stations for speedy settlement of cases related to atrocities on dalits besides enhancing hostel accommodation for community students.
The commission will also visit Koppal, Raichur, Gulbarga, Bidar and Bagalkot districts to review progress achieved under the 18% fund allocation and redressal of disputes.
Express Buzz
KDF flays CPM stand
First Published : 18 Feb 2010 12:15:18 PM IST
Last Updated :
KOLLAM: The Kerala Dalit Federation (KDF) has said that the dalit communities will react against the move of the CPM to persecute the officers belonging to the SC/ST communities including Wayanad District Collector T Bhaskaran.
KDF state president P Ramabhadran said here on Wednesday that the CPM turned against the Wayanad District Collector as he refused to toe the line of the CPM on the land issue.
CPM district secretary Saseendran threatened the Collector over phone and state secretariat member E P Jayarajan threatened him while addressing a public meeting.
The CPM was employing intimidatory tactics to force the officers belonging to the SC/ST communities to do unlawful things, Ramabhadran alleged.
Hindustan Times
Gadkari plays the Dalit card
Pradip Kumar Maitra, Hindustan Times
Indore, February 17, 2010
Newly appointed BJP president Nitin Gadkari is keen to expand the party's support base by drawing Dalits and other backward communities into the rank and file.
His move to woo Dalits was evident from the statue of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar placed prominently at the venue of the BJP conclave near here and his equating of Ambedkar with US civil rights leader Martin Luther King in his first address to his party's national executive on Wednesday.
Drawing a parallel between King and Ambedkar, Gadkari said, "Martin Luther King fought for the dignity of Blacks in the US while Dr Ambedkar devoted his life for social justice for backward classes in the country."
Significantly, Gadkari visited Ambedkar's birthplace in Mhow, 25 km from Indore on Tuesday and had lunch at the house of local BJP corporator Preeti Karosiya, who belongs to the Dalit community.
The party president told the national executive that getting the support of the Dalits would enable the BJP to increase its vote-share in general elections by at least 10 per cent, thereby putting it in a position to stake claim for power at the Centre in future.
His decision to garner the support of Dalits was also aimed at increasing the voteshare for the BJP in assembly elections in some states, including Bihar.
Talking to Hindustan Times, Gadkari, however, denied that by drawing a parallel between Ambedkar and King, he was indulging in votebank politics.
"The BJP always considers Dr Ambedkar as the country's real icon who did not get due recognition from the then ruling party," he said.
Responding to criticism that the BJP was playing the Dalit card to counter the recent visits of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi to Dalit villages, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad denied this. He said Ambedkar was included in the list of revered persons whose legacy is invoked every morning by affiliates of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh before Gandhi began visiting Dalit homes
India Prwire
Civil Society Organisations voice key expectations from the Union Budget 2010
http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/other/2010021843842.htm
Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) and Oxfam India to raise key issues that come in the way of effective implementation of budgetary allocations
New Delhi, Delhi, February 18, 2010 /India PRwire/ -- Taking view of the serious problems like non-allocation and underutilisation of budget/resources for various schemes under the government of India, the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) and Oxfam India today demanded increased allocation for flagship schemes in health and education from this year's budget besides effective utilisation of the allocated resources.
``A series of people's consultations held by the CBGA across the country with support from Oxfam India has revealed that there is need for greater allocation of budget for the flagship schemes under health and education besides effective utilization of allocated budget and better accountability and commitment towards various schemes for the upliftment of SCs and STs,'' said Nisha Agrawal, Chief Executive Officer, Oxfam India.
In terms of education, the UPA had promised a hike in public spending on education to 6 percent of the GDP. However, the overall public spending on Education in the country continues to remain at a low of 3.37 percent of the GDP. With only two years left for the Eleventh Plan period to end, the Union Government still has not been able to allocate even 50 percent of the total outlays (recommended by the Planning Commission in several schemes, like, Mid Day Meal, Strengthening of Teachers' Training Institutions, and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan. In 2007-08, the actual expenditure incurred in the whole country on Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, was only 81 percent of the total funds available that year for this scheme. ``Moreover, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 has also not been notified yet,'' Nisha pointed out arguing that it is imperative that this was done at the earliest.
Analysts like Praveen Jha of the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Dr. Narendra Gupta of Prayas argue that India's public health doesn't bring much cheer either as the combined budgetary allocation (i.e. the total outlays from both Union Budget and State Budgets) for health still stands at a meagre 1.04 percent of GDP for 2008-09, despite the fact that the UPA had made a commitment in the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) in 2004 that total public spending on Health in the country would be raised to 2 to 3 percent of GDP.
In 2003-04, only 1.58 percent of the total Union Budget was spent on Health. However, as a proportion of the GDP, Union Government's spending on Health shows a less perceptible increase from 0.26 percent in 2003-04 to 0.39 percent in 2009-10.Moreover, the total public spending on Health in the country continues to hover around the 1 percent of GDP mark, since the State Governments have not stepped up the priority for Health in their Budgets. As per the figures reported by the RBI, the expenditure on Health & Family Welfare as a proportion of Aggregate Disbursements from Budgets of All States has increased only marginally from 3.9 percent in 2005-06 to 4.1 percent in 2008-09 (Budget Estimates). As a proportion of the GDP, the expenditure on Health & Family Welfare from Budgets of All States shows a negligible increase from 0.6 percent in 2005-06 to 0.7 percent in 2008-09 (Budget Estimates).
The success rate of the Government's flagship programme i.e. the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) is lamentable. While the Planning Commission had recommended a total outlay of Rs. 89478 crore for this programme for the Eleventh Plan period, the total allocation made by the Union Government in the first three years of the Plan period (i.e. 2007-08 to 2009-10) stands at Rs. 36529 crore (only 40.8 percent of the total outlay recommended for the five years). In 2007-08, the level of fund utilization in this programme was low in several states (50-59%). In its 2009 Election Manifesto, the UPA had committed that every district headquarters hospital would be upgraded to provide quality health facilities to all. However, the amount of funds allocated by the Union Government for strengthening of district hospitals has been only Rs. 68 crore in 2008-09, which was further reduced to Rs. 36 crore in 2009-10.
The state of schemes for the upliftment of Scheduled castes & scheduled tribes are also not very impressive. The budget statement introduced by the UPA government reveals that most Union Government ministries / departments are not fulfilling the budgeting guidelines (which require that within the Plan budget of a ministry / department, a certain minimum share should be earmarked for the benefit of SCs/STs which should be the same as the proportion of SCs/STs in the total population of the country). Only a handful of the Union Government ministries are reporting their Plan allocations earmarked for SCs and STs. There is no information in the public domain on the assumptions made by the Union Ministries regarding the proportion of SC / ST beneficiaries in their schemes, based on which they are reporting their Special Component Plan (SCP) / Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) allocations. Moreover, the Plan allocations earmarked for SCs and STs as a proportion of total Plan allocation of the Union Government have been far below the norms of 16 percent and 8 percent (according to the percentage of SC and ST population in the country) for SCP and TSP respectively. Also, a large chunk of the funds earmarked for SCP and TSP, is diverted to essential services and employment generation programmes, with no emphasis on providing funds for long term development and empowerment of the SCs and STs.
"One of the commitments made by the Indian National Congress in its 2009 Election Manifesto pertains to Special Component Plan for SCs and Tribal Sub Plan for STs - "The Indian National Congress will take steps to ensure that allocations under the Special Component Plan for scheduled castes and the Tribal Sub-Plan for scheduled tribes are made in accordance with their proportions in the population." However, only a handful of the Union Government ministries are reporting their Plan allocations earmarked for SCP and TSP. Moreover, it is a matter of serious concern that the Plan allocations earmarked for SCP and TSP as a proportion of total Plan allocation of the Union Government (excluding the Central Assistance to the State & UT Plans) have been far below the norms of 16 percent and 8 percent (according to the percentage of SC and ST population in the country) for SCP and TSP respectively. In a single year, i.e. in 2009-10 (Budget Estimates), the deficit in SCP of the Union Govt. was as much as Rs.23682 crore and the deficit in TSP was Rs.9756 crore", said Ms.Yamini Mishra, Executive Director, Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability.
--
.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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