From: Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC <pmarc2008@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 10:37 PM
Subject: [PMARC] Dalits Media Watch - News Updates 27.02.10
To: Dalits Media Watch <PMARC@dgroups.org>
Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 27.02.10
Rs 4,500 cr for Dalit welfare, Rs 2,600 cr for Muslims - Indian Express
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rs-4-500-cr-for-dalit-welfare-rs-2-600-cr-for-muslims/585050/0
Caste Hindus oppose burial of Dalit convert - The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/27/stories/2010022751430300.htm
Lady doctor ousts pregnant woman from hospital - Central Chronicle
http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/Central_Chronicle/400x60/0
Indian Express
Rs 4,500 cr for Dalit welfare, Rs 2,600 cr for Muslims
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rs-4-500-cr-for-dalit-welfare-rs-2-600-cr-for-muslims/585050/0
The Congress's ongoing drive to win back Dalits and Muslims, evident in general secretary Rahul Gandhi's visits to Dalit homes and Digvijay Singh's visit to Azamgarh, found a reflection in the Budget proposals on Friday with an increased allocation of 80 per cent for the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry and 50 per cent for the Minority Affairs Ministry.
Plan allocation for the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry, which mainly deals with the welfare of SCs, increased from last year's Rs 2,500 crore to Rs 4,500 crore while for the Minority Affairs Ministry, which is concerned more with Muslim welfare, the figure rose from Rs 1,740 crore to Rs 2,600 crore. For Bundelkhand, an additional allocation of Rs 1,200 crore was made.
The total plan allocation under different heads meant for the welfare of the SCs increased from Rs 1,788 crore last year to Rs 3,142 crore. Allocation for post-matric scholarship for SC students was more than doubled from Rs 818 crore to Rs 1,675 crore. Though the Ministry also deals with the welfare of OBCs, a small portion of the total allocation is earmarked for the section. That too, however, saw a jump from Rs 218 crore to Rs 413 crore.
Pradhanmantri Adarsh Gram Yojna, the scheme for integrated development of SC-dominated villages in the country, was allocated Rs 388 crore compared to Rs 98 crore in the last Budget. The scheme announced in the last Budget would be taken up as a pilot project in some states, and Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress is eyeing to regain power, figures prominently.
Similarly, for pre-matric scholarships for minorities, the allocation was more than doubled, with the government earmarking Rs 400 crore under this head in comparison to Rs 176.99 crore allocated in the last Budget. Post-matric scholarships and merit-cum-means scholarships saw considerable increase too, with allocation under post-matric scholarships going up to Rs 234 crore from Rs 132 crore. Multi-Sectoral Development Programme for Minorities being implemented in 90 minority-concentrated districts of the country, too, saw a significant jump from Rs 873 crore to Rs 1,223 crore.
"With the much-needed enhancement in allocation, we will now be able to carry out revision in the rates of post-matric scholarships for SCs and OBCs," said Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Mukul Wasnik.
Asked if the enhanced allocation would help the Congress woo the "Dalit-Muslim" votebank, he said: "The Congress has always been committed to the empowerment of the deprived sections. The enhanced allocation reaffirms our commitment to the deprived sections."
The Hindu
Caste Hindus oppose burial of Dalit convert
http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/27/stories/2010022751430300.htm
Staff Reporter
VEDARANYAM: Dalit graveyards have always been contested spaces. The caste fault lines re-emerged when caste Hindus opposed the proposed burial of a Dalit convert in a graveyard for Scheduled Castes at Katripulam in Vedaranyam on Friday.
The only ten Dalit families of Katripulam had converted to Christianity three years ago.
However, there has been a samudaya thadai, or community restraint, on commemoration of their religious practices within the village. With the first death in their community, the issue came to the fore.
Dalit graveyards have had a chequered trajectory here. All the graveyards on Government poramboke lands are common for all, except Dalits. As in life, Dalits are ostracised in their graves and the 'SC graveyards' are government-sanctioned euphemisms for such ostracism.
We have no issues with their cremating in the space allotted, but burying them with a crucifix would not be allowed. It would affect future burials by SCs in the limited space of three cents allotted to them," Veeramani, ex-president, Katripulam, told The Hindu.
Communal markers
When pointed out that there were just 10 SC families in the village, all of whom had converted, and none had issues with burial, Mr. Veeramani said that the "peaceful village need not have communal markers."
According to Birla Thangadurai, member of District Committee against Bonded Labour, those families had converted to escape caste oppression. The point is to have them bonded for eternity. An RDO or a Collector would forever be an outcaste in her or his own village, said Mr. Thangadurai.
Following 'peace talks' with the Revenue Divisional Officer, and at the intervention of the priest of the Chapel, it was decided that the body would be cremated.
Alternative site
If the Dalits sought an alternative burial site, it could be considered, said the RDO.
Central Chronicle
Lady doctor ousts pregnant woman from hospital
http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/Central_Chronicle/400x60/0
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Chronicle News Service
Betul Feb 25:
While the entire Betul district administration is contemplating ways to rehabilitate the members of Paradhi community, who are presently living in the make-shift camps, a pregnant tribal woman, on the other hand, was left writhing with birth pangs under the open sky. Neither any of the government official nor any representative showed any concern for the hapless poor woman.A case of inhuman treatment meted to the pregnant tribal woman in the Betul district hospital was brought to light by the social workers.According to information, Shobha Bai, 25, wife of Bhola Adivasi, a resident of village Rabadya of Athner block, was brought to the district hospital here by her relatives on Feb 21. The woman was first admitted in the maternity ward of the hospital. But later she was expelled from the hospital in the night. The woman was left reeling under pain out of the hospital for two days on a concrete platform under a tree. She was spotted by some of the social workers and they informed the civil surgen about the matter. She was admitted in the maternity ward again after long efforts by the social activists.
Bhola Adivasi, husband of Shobha, told our correspondent that the nurses in the maternity ward told them to come later because there were two more days due for delivery. They told them to come only after taking a proper bath, he said. Due to abject poverty, the man could not take her wife back to the village and decided to stay on the street for two more days. When the duo approached the nurses again after two days, they snubbed them and told them to come only after taking bath.When some of the social activists apprised the civil surgeon of the matter, he expressed his ignorance about it and asked them to get the woman admitted in the hospital. Later he went to the hospital and reprimanded the nurses and other medical workers for their inhuman behaviour.The woman required A+ blood for transfusion but it could not be available due to laxity of the district hospital. Later, a social activist Aqil Ahmed donated the blood and woman's life could be saved.The groupism in the Betul district hospital is at its zenith. The obstetricians are fully overlooking government's ambitious 'Janani Suraksha Yojna' scheme. Sources told our correspondent that the pregnant patients are facing lots of difficulties due to the struggle of dominance among the obstetricians. The employees apparently divided between the group of two obstetricians provide medical care to selected patients only and neglect the others.
--.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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