From: Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC <pmarc2008@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 7:12 PM
Subject: [PMARC] Dalits Media Watch - News Updates 18.06.10
To: Dalits Media Watch <PMARC@dgroups.org>
Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 18.06.10
More seats for SC, ST students at central universities - The Economic Times
Nod for amending Central Educational Institutions Act - The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/18/stories/2010061854331500.htm
Higher education quota must continue, says survey - The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/18/stories/2010061861401300.htm
Pay and use community centres at Ambedkar villages soon - Indian Express
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Pay-and-use-community-centres-at-Ambedkar-villages-soon/634981/
'Ensure funds for welfare of SCs, STs are utilised well' - The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/18/stories/2010061856260300.htm
DU admissions - rise in number of reserved category applications - IndiaEduNews
End bias against SC, ST students: RPI to TTD - Express buzz
http://expressbuzz.com/states/andhra-pradesh/end-bias-against-sc-st-students-rpi-to-ttd/182585.html
Caste rules - The Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Mysore/Caste-rules/articleshow/6056389.cms
The Economic Times
More seats for SC, ST students at central universities
18 Jun 2010, 0301 hrs IST,ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: The government has cleared amendments to Central Education Institutions (reservations in admission) Act, 2006 that will allow certain central educational institutions to give higher reservation to SC and ST students than what is stipulated under law.
As per the clearance given by the cabinet on Thursday, these universities could also get exemption from implementing 27% quota for OBCs in admission as required under the Act and instead give higher reservation to SC and ST students.
These universities, most of which are located in the North-East, will be able to continue with 15% reservation for STs even though the CEI Act stipulates 7.5% reservation for them. The CEI (Amendment) Bill 2010 will be introduced in the coming session of Parliament, information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni said.
In another decision, the cabinet allowed the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to start an academy that will enable it to award post-graduate and doctoral degrees from this year.
The CSIR will set up an Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR). Currently, scientists pursuing research in any of the 37 laboratories of CSIR across the country have to register themselves at different universities.
The Hindu
Nod for amending Central Educational Institutions Act
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/18/stories/2010061854331500.htm
Aarti Dhar
| To exempt some institutions from implementing OBC quota |
NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved amendments to the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admissions) Act, 2006 that will allow the institutions to implement the 27 per cent reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) in six years instead of the stipulated three years and exempts some Central institutions from implementing the quota for the OBC where implementation of this Act exceeds the maximum limit of reservation as fixed by the Supreme Court.
The amendment seeks to provide a balance between the the State level policy and the national policy on reservation, particularly in the north-eastern States, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told journalists after the Cabinet meeting. Several Central institutions expressed their inability to develop infrastructure and acquire faculty in three years due to various reasons.
The Amendment Bill, that would ensure equity and inclusiveness and meet the regional aspirations, will be introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament, she said.
As per the proposed amendments State seats (the seats earmarked to be filled from amongst the eligible students of State in which the Central Educational Institution is situated), if any, in a Central Educational Institution (CEI) situated in the tribal areas referred to in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution shall be governed by the reservation policy of the State government concerned in the matter of admissions of the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes.
If the seats reserved for Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes or both taken together in a CEI exceed 50 per cent of the annual permitted strength, that CEI shall be exempt from making any reservation for the OBCs. If such a CEI is situated in the north-eastern States, including Sikkim but excluding the non-tribal areas of Assam, the percentage of seats reserved for the SC or the ST candidates shall not be reduced from the level obtaining on the date immediately preceding the date of the commencement of the Act; while in case of the CEI situated in other areas the percentage of seats reserved for the SC or the ST candidates in that CEI shall stand reduced to 50 per cent.
If the seats reserved for the SC or the ST candidates or both taken together in a CEI fall short of 50 per cent of the annual permitted strength, the percentage of seats reserved for the Other Backward Classes shall be restricted to such shortfall.
The number of seats in a branch of study or faculty in a CEI shall be increased with reference to the number of seats in that branch of study or faculty available for the academic session immediately preceding the date of the coming into force of this Act or with reference to the number of seats actually filled in that session, whichever is less, mainly with a view to avoiding wastage of resources.
All the CEIs (other than those exempted under section 4 of the Act, ) are, presently, required to reserve 27 per cent seats for the OBCs (excluding "creamy layer"), in addition to 15 per cent seats for the SCs and 7.5 per cent seats for the STs as also to expand their capacity, over a maximum period of three years, from the academic session 2008-09.
Difficulties experienced by some of the CEIs, particularly those situated in the north-eastern States inhabited significantly, in some cases predominantly, by tribal population, and the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, which has been reserving 50 per cent seats for the SC and the ST candidates in keeping with the objectives specified in their respective Acts have led to the amendments.
The Hindu
Higher education quota must continue, says survey
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/18/stories/2010061861401300.htm
Aarti Dhar
| "First ensure access to quality elementary education" |
NEW DELHI: Supporting the government's policy of reservation in Central institutions of higher education in the country, a survey has said such an affirmative action will have to continue until the existing inequalities in terms of access to quality elementary education are removed. "The reservation policy compensates these inequalities faced by the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and the Muslim community," it says.
An analysis of the OBC reservation policy for higher education in India carried out by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) for the National Academy of Sciences, however, impresses upon the government to fulfil its promise to make elementary education available and accessible to all, and improve quality of education in order to provide a level playing field to students from all communities.
Positive impact
Importantly, the study strongly recommends that compulsory universal elementary education and quality secondary education maximise the positive impact of reservation in higher education. "Reservation needs to be effectively implemented and complemented with several other measures — both short-term and long-term — to make it more effective," the report suggests. Also, large scale privatisation in higher education is diluting the benefits of reservation, thus leaving a large proportion of SC, ST, OBC and Muslim youth at a disadvantage.
Pointing out that there was no conclusive evidence to suggest that the existing reservation has diluted merit or lowered quality of professional education, the report describes reservation to OBC without the creamy layer as an important step forward to make the poor and marginalised among the OBCs and Muslims access quality higher education
According to the report, evidence from Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, States with a strong history of reservation for OBCs in educational institutions, shows that students from the OBC category are as competitive as students from general categories in entrance exams to institutions and final grades.
The nature and quality of elementary and secondary education available to Hindu SCs and STs, Muslims and OBCs in tribal, rural and urban areas undermine the capabilities of the students to compete at these levels, and even if they compete they face serious impediments to compete for seats. Acute lack of access to remedial and coaching for students of these communities makes it difficult for them to compete with those having access to better endowments and opportunities in terms of social background, schooling and access to coaching.
Opportunity counts
"Given improved opportunity to better quality education at the elementary and secondary level will certainly make the children from Dalit, tribal, Muslim and OBC communities compete and gain access to higher education," the study says.
The study attempts to analyse the OBC reservation policy in State-level institutes and tries to draw inference in the context of 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in higher educational institutes run by the government.
Conducted over a period of six months between January and September 2008, the study compiled and analysed status of enrolment and performance of OBC students as compared to SC, ST and general category students in both professional and non-professional courses from 9 universities across the three States and data collected from TISS, the Indian Institutes of Technology and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Indian Express
Pay and use community centres at Ambedkar villages soon
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Pay-and-use-community-centres-at-Ambedkar-villages-soon/634981/
Posted: Thu Jun 17 2010, 04:26 hrs Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh):
Community centres in the scheduled caste dominated Ambedkar villages will soon come at a charge for users.
The state government has decided to levy "User Charges" for these buildings, being constructed under the 'Special Component Plan' (SCP). The charges, say officials, will be used for maintenance of the buildings and salaries of caretakers. Even BPL families will have to pay, although they will be given a 50 per cent rebate.
The Department of Social Welfare, nodal department for the implementation of the Special Component Plan, has asked district magistrates to decide on the charges and send details by June 30. The maximum and minimum limits will be between Rs 250 and Rs 1,500 per day and will be applicable from July 1.
Principal Secretary (Social Welfare) Prem Narain said: "We are getting spacious community centres constructed for the benefit of all, but the SCs will certainly be given preference as they are being constructed in Ambedkar villages. We are constructing 4,000 centres in two phases and around 1,600 are already complete. Since we want the centres to be well maintained and clean, we are levying user charges. These user charges have to be decided by the districts."
Villages which have a large population of SCs are declared Ambedkar village and the government takes special care of development there.
Narain said this is the first time that charges are being levied at community centres. "We may extend it to other community centres as well. As of now, it is only for Ambedkar villages."
The Hindu
'Ensure funds for welfare of SCs, STs are utilised well'
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/18/stories/2010061856260300.htm
Staff Correspondent
Houses built for them are unfit
for living,
says Muthappa
Madikeri (Karnataka): Deputy Commissioner K.H. Ashwatha Narayana Gowda has called upon the urban local bodies and the gram panchayats to earmark the specified funds for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and spend them mandatorily for their uplift.
He was presiding over a District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee meeting concerning the SCs and STs, here on Wednesday. Mr. Gowda instructed the District Social Welfare Officer to visit the gram panchayats and urban local bodies to ensure that funds for the welfare of SCs and STs were earmarked and spent properly. Funds meant for these groups should be utilised to help them join the mainstream, Mr. Gowda added.
The issue of construction of Ambedkar Bhavans in Somwarpet and Virajpet taluks was also raised at the meeting. Mr. Gowda said that each gram panchayat would have to contribute a sum of Rs. 5,000, while town panchayats should contribute Rs. 5 lakh each for the purpose. Chief Executive Officer of the zilla panchayat A.B. Ibrahim called upon the officials concerned to take the benefits of the government programmes to the SCs and STs . He regretted that some officials did not show the desired progress in this regard.
Muthappa, a member of the vigilance and monitoring committee, said quality of the houses constructed under various schemes for the SCs and STs , at a cost of Rs. 40,000 each, were unfit for living. The unit cost of the housing schemes should be enhanced to provide reasonably good houses, he said. Responding to this, Mr. Gowda said that such houses would have to be constructed at the costs specified by the Government, but the people concerned would be told to ensure quality.
A proposal to increase the allocation to Rs. 1 lakh to build houses had been submitted to the Government through the Integrated Tribal Development Programme officer here, he added. Other members of the committee, Subbaiah and Veerabhadraiah, broached the issue of installing Ambedkar's statue on the Madikeri City Municipal Council (CMC) premises. The demand was made a long time ago, Mr. Muthappa said. CMC Commissioner, Srikanth Rao, said the issue would be brought before the general meeting of the CMC soon.
The District Social Welfare Officer, Rajesh Gowda, gave details of the assistance provided to SCs and STs who were affected under different circumstances in the last three months.
Madikeri Deputy Superintendent of Police, J.D. Prakash, officials of various government departments were present.
IndiaEduNews
DU admissions - rise in number of reserved category applications
New Delhi: The Delhi University (DU) has been seeing a rise during the past few years in the number of applications submitted by students from the physically challenged and Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
The number of applications received by DU this year from these categories is 18,894. The number of physically challenged and SC/ST category applications that DU had received in 2009, 2008 and 2007 were 15,406, 12,126 and 11,826 respectively.
Seema Parihar, deputy dean of the Students' Welfare at DU said that the reason for the sharp rise in the number of such applications is because students now are more aware regarding the availability of seats in the reserved categories.
Last year, the number of physically challenged students that had applied for admission at DU was 397. However, this year, the number had increased to 464, with more applications being expected even now.
"We are expecting still more students to apply in the physically challenged category seats this year," said Parihar.
The Dean of Students' Welfare at DU had issued a press release stating that the admission process for physically handicapped students would begin on June 23. "Students who have applied through the physically challenged quota are not required to come and check the cut-off list that will be declared on June 22," he said.
This step has been taken to ensure that physically challenged students do not have to suffer due to the extensive rush of students to check the cut-off lists and so that the admission procedure is a smooth sailing for them.
The admission list would be announced and admission slips will be issued to physically challenged students on June 23 itself.
Express buzz
End bias against SC, ST students: RPI to TTD
http://expressbuzz.com/states/andhra-pradesh/end-bias-against-sc-st-students-rpi-to-ttd/182585.html
18 Jun 2010 04:57:22 AM IST
TIRUPATI (Andhra Pradesh): At a round table conference organised by the Republican Party of India (RPI) here today, speakers urged the TTD to end discrimination against SC and ST students.
RPI State secretary P Anjaiah flayed the TTD for imposing restrictions on admission of SC and ST students in the hostels of Devasthanamsrun colleges.
Girijana Samkshema Sangham State secretary S Subramanyam said the TTD which is spending Rs 1 lakh on each Brahmin student of Veda Pathasala, was hesitant to spend more on providing hostel facility to the poor ST, SC students.
Sanghamitra Service Society chairman Viswanatham, Girijana Ikya Vedika district secretary Gundala Naik, Radhamma and others also spoke. The RPI resolved to intensify its stir to press the TTD for provision of hostel accommodation to all SC and ST students and for filling up of SC and ST backlog posts. ?
The Times of India
Caste rules
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Mysore/Caste-rules/articleshow/6056389.cms
M B MARAMKAL, TNN, Jun 17, 2010, 10.20pm IST
MYSORE (Karnataka): Karl Marx seems to be right in dubbing religion as `the opium of the people'. For, in India, every election has castes and communities playing vital role in influencing the voters. And the election to the legislative Council from the South Graduates constituency scheduled for Monday is no exception. Despite the candidates addressing the voters as an intellectual lot, they are secretly trying to woo them on the basis of castes.
In a voters strength of 89,000, Vokkaligas dominate the list with the numbers crossing 23,000. They are followed by SC and OBC voters with a strength of about 15,000 each. Lingayats account about 13,000 and Brahmins follow them with 10,000 voters.
However, in this multi-cornered contest, the real fight seems to be between the BJP, JD(S) and Congress with couple of independents. Though independents may not win the elections, they will definitely eat away into the votes of other party candidates.
While the BJP has fielded G Madhusudan, a Brahmin and two-time winner from this seat, the JD(S) has re-nominated sitting legislator K T Srikantegowda, a Vokkaliga, to take on Congress' Javagal Manjunath, a Lingayat.
Basically, the constituency is considered a strong hold of BJP and JD(S), but the Congress is working overtime to prove that it has the support of the educated class.
An added advantage for Congress candidate Manjunath is the presence of large number of legislators and Parliament members in this constituency, which comprises Mandya, Hassan, Mysore and Chamarjnagar districts. All these leaders are trying to prick the conscience of graduate voters by saying that unlike common voters, graduates have a social responsibility to fulfill and it is their duty to mend the BJP government.
On other hand, BJP leaders are trying to garner votes on the basis of Yeddyurappa's performance. At the same time, they never forget to puncture the spirit of JD(S) by saying the JD(S)' victory in 2004 was by `default'. Now, the JD(S) is working overtime to consolidate the support of Vokkaliga voters who outnumber the other community voters individually. Whatever the strategies, the victory of a particular candidate depends on the support of SC and OBC voters who constitute 1/3rd of the total voters.
--
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")
..................................................................
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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