The Indian Express, 30-10-2006

UPA: Open 200 special schools, give preference to SC/STs in govt purchases, provide model villages, says Dalit Affairs committee

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 29: Not satisfied with the reservation policy for Scheduled Castes, UPA ministers have advocated direct action programmes such as dedicated schools, preference in government purchase and fully-equipped villages for the socially backward groups.
A group of ministers, chaired by Fertiliser & Chemicals Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, has recommended that 136 Special Navodaya Schools (SNV) be set up in SC-dominated villages. For the Scheduled Tribe, it has pegged the SNVs at 72.
After analysing the 2001 census, the Committee of Ministers for Dalit Affairs proposed that a special plan be drawn to ensure Dalit children have access to “quality education”. To that end, it has suggested SNVs — where 60 per cent of the seats would be earmarked only for SC/ST children — be set up in villages where SC/ST population is 40 per cent or more.
The 2001 census showed that literacy among SCs was 54.69 per cent and among STs 47.1 per cent compared to 68.81 for others. Though the literacy gap had reduced in 1991-2001 decade, yet illiteracy remained large and required sustained efforts to bridge it.
On the economic front, the panel has backed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s proposal to extend the Madhya Pradesh model of reserving one-third of government’s requirement from SCs and STs.
The recommendation is that the Ministry of Small Scale Industries draw up a “statutory procurement policy” to implement the MP example of setting aside 30 per cent of government purchases from SC and ST traders and suppliers.
The Prime Minister’s Office had put forward the proposal in July 2005 with the hope that “thousands of lakhs of self-employed youths will benefit immediately”.
Also on the anvil — but limited to the SCs — is the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram (Prime Minister’s Model Village) where all basic amenities would be made available within a pre-determined timeframe.
In about 71,406 villages where SC population is 40 per cent or more, different ministries would set deadlines to provide roads, drinking water, electricity, education, health, housing facility and community hall.

The Hindu, 26-10-2006

Dalits winnen land terug Dalit groepen in Rajastan hebben besloten land terug te eisen dat rechtmatig aan hen toebehoord. Naast onaanraakbaarheid zijn landdisputen het meest voorkomende probleem van kastelozen in Rajasthan. Er zijn steeds meer gevallen bekend waarbij leden van hoge kasten met geweld het land van kastelozen confisceren. De voorzitter van het Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR) meldt dat veel Dalit activisten hun land hebben moeten verlaten omdat zij zich verzetten tegen de misdaden die hen werden aangedaan door de hogere kasten.

Dalits resolve to reclaim land

The second highest number of cases of Dalit atrocity is related to land

JAIPUR: Dalit groups in Rajasthan have resolved to reclaim the land rightfully belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the State. After cases of untouchability, maximum instances of Dalit atrocities in Rajasthan pertained to those related to land, charged the activists assembled here to discuss human rights issues.
The activists, brought together by the Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR) from various parts of Rajasthan, noted that cases of untouchability continue to dominate the list of cases filed under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. However, the land-related issues came second, with growing instances of dominant caste persons forcibly taking over land belonging to Dalits. Such cases are said to be maximum in Jodhpur district, against which the State Government had reportedly launched a drive in September last.

* Growing instances of upper caste persons forcibly taking over land belonging to Dalits * Land issues account for 238 of 863 cases of atrocities against Dalits in two-and-a-half years

Figures for the past two-and-a-half years presented by CDR Chairperson P.L.Mimroth said land issues accounted for as many as 238 out of a total of 863 cases registered in Rajasthan during the period. Many Dalit activists had to leave their land and villages because they stood up and fought against the atrocities perpetrated on them by the dominant castes, he said.
"Rajasthan has maximum vacant land. Let us occupy that land and put up temporary sheds. Land ownership is the only way to break untouchability," said Paul Diwakar, convener of the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights, addressing the gathering.
"Land struggles are crucial for Dalits. We have to lay our claim on the land," added Mr. Diwakar, who extolled the expertise of Dalits in crafts and farming.
"In India we are facing untouchability on a day-to-day basis. Every minute five atrocities are committed against Dalits in the country," Mr. Diwakar said pointing out that the situation of unotuchability had become worse than ever. "These are the worst of times as far as the caste-based discrimination in the country is concerned."
According to him, major areas of violation of human rights of Dalits in Rajasthan included: not allowing Dalit grooms to ride on horses in their marriage processions; Dalits not being permitted to sit on cots in villages; not being allowed to drink water from hand pumps or draw water from community tanks; and harassment of Dalit women at work.
The groups cited cases in which dominant caste people did not permit Dalit sarpanchas to speak at panchayat meetings and Dalit women sarpanchas not being allowed to enter the panchayat buildings. The Dalit functionaries of the panchayats are not allowed to unfurl the national flag on national days.

The Indian Express, 24-10-2006

Dalit-vrouw verkracht in Kanpur (UP) De Indian Express meldt een zoveelste zaak van verkrachting van Dalit-vrouwen. Op 23 oktober 2006 heeft de regering van Uttar Pradesh de zaak van Pratima geopend, een 25-jarige hooggeschoolde Dalit-vrouw. Ze heeft een aanklacht ingediend tegen haar vader. Birendra Kumar zou zijn dochter herhaaldelijk seksueel misbruikt en zwaar bedreigd hebben. Een maand geleden zou Pratima de 'National Commission for Women' (NCW) hebben ingelicht over haar zaak. Eerder had Pratima de plaatselijke politie verschillende keren verwittigd, maar men zou geen enkele aandacht hebben geschonken aan haar vele aanklachten. Een belangrijke reden waarom haar verklaring genegeerd werd is Birendra Kumars functie als magistraat in de rechtbank. De politie verwittigde Birendra Kumar van de aanklachten, die vervolgens zijn dochter heeft gedwongen haar aanklacht in te trekken. Uiteindelijk wist ze te ontsnappen en trouwde met een aanverwante kennis. Birendra Kumar begon zijn schoonzoon te bedreigen en te beschuldigen van valse aantijgingen. Dit heeft ertoe geleid dat Pratima en haar man toevlucht hebben genomen in Delhi om daar een nieuw leven te beginnen. Haar toenadering tot de NCW heeft haar enige bescherming kunnen geven, doch blijft Pratima sceptisch, en wijst erop dat ze zich pas veilig zal voelen wanneer haar naam, die van haar man en haar schoonfamilie van iedere blaam zijn gezuiverd. De NCW heeft besloten om een speciaal team naar Lucknow te sturen om een onafhankelijk onderzoek te leiden.

UP Govt orders fresh probe into rape by SDM father (door Aasha Khosa)

New Delhi, October 23: The Uttar Pradesh Government has ordered a fresh inquiry into the sensational case of a 25-year-old Dalit woman who has accused her SDM (sub-divisional magistrate) father of raping her and unleashing a reign of terror against her husband’s family to avenge her escape.
Pratima, a science graduate, had approached the National Commission for Woman (NCW) nearly a month ago. Although the authorities in Lucknow are yet to respond to NCW letters, Pratima was called by the Director General of Police Bua Singh and Chief Secretary Navin Chandra Bajpai to Lucknow recently. “They gave me a patient hearing and have promised a fair inquiry into the false cases lodged against my husband’s family and also my personal exploitation by my father,” she told The Indian Express.
An officer of the rank of Senior Superintendent of Police has been given the charge of the inquiry.
Pratima has alleged that her father Birendra Kumar, SDM of Derapur in Banda district of Kanpur, had repeatedly raped her for one year and the police authorities did not pay heed to her several complaints. Buckling under SDM’s influence, inquiry officers would inform her father about it and eventually she would be made to deny having made such a complaint. Finally, she had escaped and married a distant relative’s son.
Pratima’s petition with the NCW said her “powerful father used his influence to allegedly kill her brother-in-law and got several false cases lodged against her in-laws.” In between, she was allegedly abducted and raped by her father again and only a habeas corpus petition filed by her husband set her free.
Pratima, who is seven-month pregnant, has been offered a job by the DGP. “They arranged a job for me for Rs 15,000 per month in a sugar mill and assured full security to the family.”Fearing attacks, Pratima and her husband have taken refuge in Delhi. However, maintaining her scepticism, Pratima said: “I want the false legal cases against my husband's family withdrawn to feel secure.”
The NCW has decided to send a special team to Lucknow to conduct an independent probe.

The Indian Express, 13-10-2006

Wachtend op werk sterft Dalit familie van de honger Tegen de tijd dat Tulsi Bhuyian, 50 jaar oud, een arbeidskaart ontving in het kader van de Nationale Landelijke Regeling van de Waarborg van Werkgelegenheid, hij had zijn vrouw en zijn pasgeboren kleindochter al gecremeerd. Zij waren een dag daarvoor gestorven. Op de dag dat hij zijn kaart ontving, stierf ook zijn schoondochter. In slechts twee dagen, zag de arme landarbeider drie leden van zijn familie sterven. “Ze waren ziek en zwak. Er was al drie dagen niets te eten. Er is geen werk en dus geen geld om eten te kopen” aldus Bhuyian. De overheid geeft toe dat er administratieve fouten worden gemaakt bij het uitreiken van de kaarten, bovendien moet men vaak maandenlang wachten.

Waiting for job card, starving Dalit cremates 3 of own

BANWARA (GAYA), OCTOBER 12: By the time Tulsi Bhuyian, 50, of Banwara village received his job card for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme on October 6, he had cremated his wife Gita Devi and his newborn granddaughter. They died the day before.
The day he got the card, his daughter-in-law Phulkumari too died.
In just two days, the landless Dalit labourer saw three members of the family die. “They were sick and weak. There was nothing to eat in the house for the last three days. There is no work and so no money to buy food,” he said.
Though Sherghati SDO Durgesh Nandan said that these were not hunger deaths and Tulsi’s wife was suffering from TB and daughter-in-law from jaundice, District Magistrate Jitendra Srivastava admitted there have been administrative lapses.
“The mukhiya and the panchayat sewak have been served show-cause notice why job cards were delayed and why no work was done under the Employment Guarantee Scheme,” Srivastava told The Indian Express.
He said he could not yet establish if the deaths were caused by starvation but admitted that the Bhuyian family was “very very poor” and “there may be an element of truth in the allegations”.
No one denies Tulsi Bhuyian’s claim that there was no work, and no food. When officials reached the house after the deaths, they did not find any foodgrain.
Not just him, but six other musahar families of Banwara too had very little to eat. They were given rice and flour by government officials. There was hardly any work available for the last couple of months for 40 families of landless labourers in this village. The NREGS, launched in February, remains a virtual non-starter. The SDO too admitted that there was very little work and too much of poverty.
Job cards to 28 villagers were delivered on October 6, though they had applied a couple of months ago. On some of the job cards, the entries were back-dated.
In May, there was work to strengthen a canal under the food-for-work programme. The job card showed each of them received 5 kg of rice worth Rs 32.25 and cash of Rs 35.75. It adds to Rs 68 as stipulated under the NREGS. “But we received no foodgrain. We got only cash which varied from Rs 20-25 each day. The Mukhiya said that it was according to the measurement of the soil they had dug”, said Tulsi.
Apart from this single work, nothing under the EGS has been carried out. Officials said most of the work under EGS is “kachcha” (mud work) and it remains suspended in June-October due to the rainy season.
Ashok Singh, the mukhiya, first admitted that the canal work was done under the NREGS. Then he denied it. “It must be some other government scheme,” he said. He said labourers were needed for a repairing a village road but none from Banwara were coming despite notices. “Now I will move to cancel their job cards. They want free foodgrain,” he said.
Even as he was talking, a group of labourers from Banwara and other villages came at his house and said they had gone to work but found nobody.

Christian Today, 11-10-2006

100.000 Dalit Christenen bij ’World Religious Freedom Day’ Honderduizend Dalits (voorheen bekend als onaanraakbaren) worden verwacht bij een protestmars voor religieuze vrijheid in India. De mars vindt plaats in Nagpur op zaterdag 14 oktober. Er wordt geprotesteerd tegen de aanhoudende onderdukking van Dalits en de aanwezigheid van anti-bekering wetgeving. De demostratie valt samen met het 50e jubileum van Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s ceremoniele bekering tot het buddhisme. Er zal een massale bekeringceremonie plaatsvinden onder leiding van dr. Udit Raj, voorzitter van de All India Confederation of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Organisations, een koepelorgaan van Dalit organisaties. De tocht word ondersteund door Buddhisten, Christenen, Sikhs en Hindu leiders in de aanweizgheid van internationale waarnemers. Ook wetgevers en Bollywood sterren zullen aanwezig zijn.

100,000 Dalit Christians to Attend ‘World Religious Freedom Day’ Rally in India (door Daniel Blake)

One hundred thousand Dalits (formerly known as ‘untouchables’) are expected to participate in a rally calling for genuine religious freedom in India. The rally will be held in Nagpur, India, on Saturday 14 October 2006.
The ‘World Religious Freedom Day’ rally will protest against the continued oppressiveness of the caste system and the proliferation of state-level anti-conversion legislation, tells Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
The demonstration is co-sponsored by CSW partner, the All India Christian Council (AICC), and marks the fiftieth anniversary of Dalit icon Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s ceremonial departure from the Hindu caste system by embracing Buddhism. It will include a mass conversion ceremony, led by Dalit leader and politician Dr Udit Raj, chair of the All India Confederation of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Organisations.
The rally is supported by Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu leaders, and will be attended by international observers. High-profile attendees will include legislators and Bollywood actors.
The event will be preceded on 13 October 2006 by an invitation-only symposium for key Indian activists and international partners to discuss global efforts to emancipate Dalits.
The rally takes place against the backdrop of increased antagonism to conversions from Hindu extremists.

We believe this peaceful rally will be the start of nationwide movement promoting the most basic human right – the freedom of conscience and the ability to choose one’s religion. Dr Joseph D’Souza, President of the AICC, & Dalit Freedom Network (DFN)

During 2006, the opposition Hindu Nationalist Party (BJP) has either introduced or strengthened existing anti-conversion legislation in each of the states in which it holds power. The conversions of Dalits and other vulnerable groups are particularly restricted, with four of the six anti-conversion laws stipulating harsher punishments where the convert is a Dalit, tribal, female or a minor.
Hindu extremist groups have also targeted Dalit converts to minority religions, particularly Christianity, in violent attacks which are often committed with impunity.
Dr Joseph D’Souza, President of the AICC and Dalit Freedom Network (DFN), said, “India’s Dalits are taught by the Hindu caste system that their fight against injustice is contempt for the divine. I urge the global community to stand in solidarity with the Dalits as they seek liberation from caste-based discrimination and modern-day slavery.”
“We believe this peaceful rally will be the start of nationwide movement promoting the most basic human right – the freedom of conscience and the ability to choose one’s religion. The citizens of India will overturn these anti-conversion laws through an unrelenting campaign in the media, in the courts, and in civic life”.
CSW National Director, Stuart Windsor, stated, “We fully support the AICC and the All India Confederation of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Organisations in their fight against caste-based oppression and anti-conversion legislation. It is abhorrent that the Dalits are consistently denied the right to religious freedom through discriminatory legislation, social pressure and outright violence. We join with our partners in a call for true religious freedom in India.”

The Hindu, 10-10-2006

Speciale maatregelen om Dalits te rehabiliteren De overheid van Rajasthan beweerd dat het speciale maatregelen heeft getroffen om Dalit families te rehabiliteren die getroffen zijn door recente overstromingen in het district Barmer. Het weerlegde de beweringen dat Dalits uit rehabilitatiekampen werden verwijderd en dat discriminatie in de hulpverlening wijdverspreid is. Reagerend op het nieuwsbericht “vloed slaagt er niet in om haat tegen Dalits weg te spoelen” liet de overheid weten dat de beschuldigingen „volledig ongefundeerd en feitelijk onjuist'' waren. Het nieuwsbericht was gebaseerd op een onderzoeksrapport van een fact-finding missie die op verzoek van dalit organisaties naar het getroffen gebied was afgereist. Het Centrum voor Dalit Rechten (CDR) en andere Dalit organisaties melden naar aanleiding van hun bezoek dat vooroordelen over Dalits nog wijdverspreid zijn, bovendien zouden Dalits uitgesloten zijn van een overheidsonderzoek om de schade te inventariseren.

Special measures taken to rehabilitate Dalits: Govt.

Administration committed to providing all possible relief to Barmer flood-hit, says Rajasthan official

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Government on Monday claimed that it had taken special measures to rehabilitate Dalit families affected by recent floods in Barmer district and refuted allegations that Dalits were being thrown out of rehabilitation camps and there was widespread discrimination against them in relief and resettlement.
Reacting to a news report, "Floods fail to wash away hatred against Dalits'', published in these columns on Sunday, Director Information and Public Relations Amar Singh Rathore said the accusations were "completely baseless and factually incorrect''. He asserted that the State administration was committed to providing all possible relief to all affected citizens.
The news item had quoted the fact-finding report of a monitoring committee appointed by the Dalit groups of the State that visited the flood-affected areas in Barmer recently. The Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR) and other Dalit bodies had charged that there was an all-pervading prejudice against Dalits and they were being excluded from the Government survey to assess the damage.
Mr. Rathore in a communique to The Hindu said the district administration and State Government had been sincerely working to provide relief to the affected citizens ever since large parts of Barmer and Jaisalmer districts bore the brunt of 600 mm of rainfall for three days in August.
As soon as the district administration issued warning about heavy rains in Barmer, including the villages mentioned in the news report, Dalits were shifted to relief camps along with other affected villagers. "Initially, all marooned people were evacuated by the Army and put up in temporary camps. Any allegation of discrimination is tantamount to casting aspersions even on the Army, which is unthinkable.''
Mr. Rathore said the CDR office-bearers did not contact Barmer Collector Subir Kumar, who is overall in charge of relief operations; Divisional Commissioner B.L.Arya; Principal Secretary Urban Development, Lalit Panwar, who was sent to Barmer to supervise relief works; Relief Secretary R.K.Meena, or any other senior officer having responsibility of monitoring relief operations.
As per the survey reports of damaged houses in Mundho Ki Dhani, a total of 112 houses, including 17 belonging to Scheduled Castes, were damaged and a payment of Rs. 29,200 was immediately made to these families in accordance with the Central Government's norms. In Chokhla village, 134 houses belonging to SC families were damaged and an assistance of Rs. 2.29 lakhs was given to them. Similarly, 523 houses in Dunda, near Kavas, were damaged, out of which 86 belonged to SC families and an assistance of Rs. 6.04 lakhs was disbursed to them.
Mr. Rathore said all affected families were provided assistance as per the Calamities Relief Fund (CRF) norms and the allegations of non-inclusion in survey and discrimination in providing assistance to Dalits were without any factual basis.
As far as lodging the affected people in temporary shelters was concerned, the DPR said that 18 camps were established at which 2,000 tents provided by Army were erected and the SC families were provided shelter in as many as 10 camps. "In these camps, all kinds of relief material was provided and there was no question of discrimination in providing basic amenities."
While the CRF norms permit only 15 days' relief, the State Government is continuing with these camps till date. They have been provided with utensils, clothes and food material such as wheat flour, rice, dal, potato, etc., through donor agencies. "Where is the question of any discrimination?'' said Mr. Rathore.
Mr. Rathore said the families shifted to new locations due to submergence had been identified and a special package had been worked out to rehabilitate them. In this package, a residential plot of 150-sq.-yard size will be provided free of cost to each affected family and the State Government will spend Rs. 1.25 lakhs on the construction of pucca house for each household.
For permanent rehabilitation, the pockets inhabited by Dalits have been taken on priority. In the first phase, the Awas Vikas Sansthan will construct about 1,500 houses in 16 habitations out of which nine are dominated by the Dalit population. Mr. Rathore said Dalits would be provided these houses free of cost.
Dhunda village, situated near the Uttarlai air strip of defence forces specially mentioned in the monitoring committee's report, is covered in this package, while Dalits living in Chokhla village have been adopted by Mahaveer International for construction of pucca houses for them. Mr. Rathore said Mundho Ki Dhani had been adopted by Lions' Club at the behest of the district administration.

BBC News, 9-10-2006

Indiase Dalit leider overleden Een prominente politieke leider van de Dalits in India, Kanshi Ram, is op 9 oktober in zijn huis gestorven. Ram, 72 jaar, was oprichter van de Bahujan Samaj Partij. Hij was al twee jaar ziek. Ram werd bekend als symbool van een groeiende politieke rol voor Dalits in de Indiase politiek van de jaren '80. In zijn condoleance, beschreef de Indiase Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Ram als „één van de grootste sociale hervormers van onze tijd…zijn politieke ideeën en bewegingen hadden een significante invloed op onze politieke evolutie".

Indian Dalit leader passes away

A prominent political leader of the lower-caste Dalits in India, Kanshi Ram, has died at his home in the capital, Delhi.

Mr Ram,72, founded the Bahujan Samaj Party, a regional party which he led along with Mayawati, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state.
He was ailing and bedridden for the past two years, reports say.
Mr Ram emerged as the symbol of a growing political role for the Dalits in Indian politics in the 1980s.
In his condolence message, Indian PM Manmohan Singh described Mr Ram as "one of the greatest social reformers of our time...his political ideas and movements had a significant impact on our political evolution".
"He had a larger understanding of social change and was able to unite various underprivileged sections of our society and provide a political platform where their voices would be heard," Mr Singh said.
Under Mr Ram's leadership, the BSP won 14 parliamentary seats in the 1999 federal elections.

Astute
The BSP, founded in 1984, has led the government in the restive and politically crucial northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh several times.
In 1995, Mayawati, who was groomed by Mr Ram, took over and became the first leader of a Dalit party to head a state government in India.
Apart from Uttar Pradesh, the BSP has a considerable presence in Punjab as well as the central state of Madhya Pradesh.
Analysts say Mr Ram was an astute politician and was hugely influential among India's Dalits or untouchables.
Under Mayawati's leadership, the BSP has now toned down its anti-upper-caste rhetoric to broaden its support base, reaching out now to the upper-castes and to Muslims.

WDC Media News, 4-10-2006

Onderdrukking Dalits compliceert hulp na overstromingen Het hoofd van een Christelijk ministerie dat in Azië werkt zegt dat zelfs tijdens overstromingen de discriminatie van Dalits overminderd door gaat, dit bemoeilijkt het bieden van hulp aan deze groep. De overstromingen als gevolg van de moessons heeft onlangs honderden Dalit dorpen Dalit onder water gezet. Sommige gebieden ontvingen in drie dagen tijd een hoeveelheid regen die normaliter in twee jaar valt. In het District Barmer van Rajasthan, zitten zowel hoog-kastefamilies en lage-kastefamilies vast op hogergelegen zandduinen.

Ministry Finds Oppression in India Complicating Flood Relief Aid to Dalits

(AgapePress) - The head of a Christian ministry working in Asia says even as floods sweep through many of India's communities, discrimination and persecution continue against that nation's poorest and least educated -- the outcaste Dalits -- making it difficult for many of the most needy individuals to get aid.
Flooding triggered by seasonal monsoons in India have recently left hundreds of Dalit villages swamped as a result of overflowing rivers and dams. Some areas received two years' worth of rainfall in three days; and in the Barmer District of Rajasthan, both high-caste families (the wealthy) and low-caste families (the poorest) -- the latter known as Dalits or untouchables -- were marooned on sand dunes.
When camps were set up for the displaced, however, members of higher castes chased Dalit families away, denying them food and clean drinking water. But K.P. Yohannan, founder and president of Gospel for Asia (GFA), says the Christian ministry's missionaries are reaching out to assist all victims of the floods, regardless of caste.
"We have given top priority to work among these Dalits during these times of flooding and crises," Yohannan notes. "Many hundreds of our workers are bringing food, clothes, and water and working among these people," he says.
Government officials in India had planned to pump standing water away from some Dalit villages, the GFA spokesman points out, but the officials had to abandon work due to strong opposition from high caste residents. He says the Dalits are often the last group to receive emergency assistance, and they often face discrimination when it comes to disaster aid and relief distribution.
Yohannan sees GFA's outreach to the Dalits as an opportunity, not only to help but to share the gospel with these people in a tangible, holistic way. "This gives us the opportunity to share with them that we do this because of Christ's love," he says, "and this has been a great joy for us."
The ministry leader says he has heard many reports from GFA missionaries of Dalits "saying things like, 'Nobody cared for us, and we didn't know what to do,' and 'thank you for coming and helping us.'"
While GFA does much in the areas of serving the poor and distributing aid, Yohannan says the ministry's primary aim is to plant churches among those who have never heard the Gospel. GFA trains and sends native missionaries who are already familiar with the language and culture, and who live at much the same level as the people they serve, thus removing many social barriers.

The Financial Express, 3-10-2006

Slechts in 12 deelstaten budget voor ondersteuning kastelozen Staten waar wel veel kastelozen wonen zoals Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim en Bihar moeten nog aan de richtlijn voldoen om een afzonderlijk begrotingshoofd te creëren, waarin minimaal 22.5% (in verhouding tot het bevolkingpercentage dalits) van de uitgaven voor de ontwikkeling van kastelozen wordt bestemd. De commissie is nu van plan aan alle resterende staten een brief te schrijven met het nadrukkelijke verzoek om zo snel mogelijk aan deze richtlijn te voldoen. De richtlijnen voor deze bugdet allocatie is in oktober 2005 uitgegeven en moet strikt worden nageleefd.

So far, only 12 states have separate plan outlays for SC/ST uplift (door Oineetom Ojah)

NEW DELHI, OCT 2: Major SC, ST inhabited states like Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim and Bihar are yet to comply with the Centre’s directive to all states and union territories (UTs) to create a separate budget head, earmarking at least 22.5% (in proportion to the population of SCs and STs) of the Plan outlay for their development under the Special Component Plan (SCP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP), According to details available with the Planning Commission, of the 29 states and UTs, only 12 have created the separate budget head for allocation of funds for the upliftment of backward classes. The commission now plans to write to all the remaining states and UTs to complete the exercise. It had issued the guidelines in October, last year. “Guidelines issued in this connection should be strictly followed,” it said.
According to 2001 census, Jharkhand has a SC population of 11.80% and ST 26.30%. Karnataka has 16.20% SC and 6.60% ST population, while Rajasthan has 17.20% SC and 12.60% ST. Tripura’s SC population is 17.40% and ST is as high as 31.10%. Manipur has the highest ST population in the country at 34.20%. Its SC population is 2.80%. Sikkim too has a high ST population at 20.60% and SC population of 5%. The commission, at a meeting held recently, had warned that states found lacking in fund allocation and utilisation for these classes would have to suffice with a lesser Plan outlay during the next Annual Plan.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had entrusted Yojana Bhavan with the job to ensure appropriate allocation and proper utilisation of funds for substantial reduction in poverty and unemployment levels among these backward classes and creating productive assets for the SCs and STs. A special cell has been set up in the Bhavan under Principal Adviser Chandrapal to monitor the entire exercise for the upliftment of the SCs and STs.
Following the guidelines issued by the Centre, the states have to make SCP and TSP an integral part of the Annual Plans as well as Five Year Plans. They also have to make the allocation non-divertible and non-lapsable to direct the flow of outlays from the general sectors in the central ministries and departments for the development of SCs and STs. The Centre will extend Special Central Assistance both for SCP and TSP as 100% grant to fill the critical gaps and missing inputs for family-oriented, income-generating schemes and supporting infrastructure development with a special focus on BPL families.
“The Centre, in consultation with the GOM on Dalit Affairs, is working out the guidelines for central ministries and departments so that the fund allocation at the central level is also in proportion to the SC, ST population,” Chandrapal told FE.
There has been a marked increase in Plan outlays for the backward classes in 2006-07 compared with 2005-06 in anywhere between Rs 1,000-5,000 crore.

The Times of India, 3-10-2006

Militairen vallen Dalit huizen aan Vijftien niet geïdentificeerde personeelsleden van het leger zijn opgepakt voor oproer schudden en het veroorzaken van materiele en immateriele schade nadat zij 30 huizen van Dalits hebben aangevallen. Meer dan 12 mensen raakten gewond in Mohalla Nr. 31, waar voornamelijk vegers wonen. De aanvallers droegen honkbal knuppels en stokken en gooiden met bakstenen.

Army men go berserk, attack houses of Dalit (door I.P. Singh)

JALANDHAR CANTT: Fifteen unidentified Army personnel have been booked for trespassing, rioting, voluntarily causing hurt and damaging property after they attacked around 30 houses of Dalits in the Jalandhar Cantt area on Monday.
Over a dozen persons were injured in Mohalla No. 31, where employees mainly sweepers of Cantonment Board live. Carrying baseball bats and sticks, the attackers also indulged in brick-pelting, said residents.
The Armymen were in civvies and allegedly angry over a chain-snatching incident during Dussehra celebrations on Monday evening. They first thrashed Bunty, a local youth, and blamed him for the crime.
He was rescued by an ASI who told the Armymen that they could get a case registered.

ChennaiOnline, 3-10-2006

Geen Dalit nomaties wegens bedreiging De bedreiging van kaste Hindus tegen Dalits die zich verkiesbaar willen stellen voor een functie binnen het dorpsbestuur, heeft geresulteerd in niet één enkele benoeming voor de posten van voorzitter en afdelingsleden. Deze posten, die tot de vorige verkiezingen voor iedereen openstonden, zijn nu gereserveerd voor Dalits. De reservering is gebaseerd op de bevolkingspopulatie en het percentage dalits. In 2001 bleken er van de 923 kiezers, 574 Dalits te zijn.

No nomination filed due to threat

Thanjavur, Oct 3: The alleged threat by caste Hindus to Dalits against filing nominations for the Sirangudi reserved panchayat near Pattukottai in this district has resulted in not a single nomination being filed for the posts of president and ward members.
These posts, which till the last elections were open to all, have now been reserved for Dalits by the administration as per State Election Commission rules, according to district administration sources.
The posts of president and three members have been allocated to Dalits by the administration, based on the 2001 census report, which stated that the total number of voters here was 923, with Dalits numbering 574, they said.
Over the years, 500 Dalits converted to Christianity, which left just 74 Dalits eligible for filing nominations. Caste Hindus then opposed reservation for Dalits and also reportedly threatened them against filing any nomination.
This scenario resulted in Dalit Panthers of India demanding that caste Hindus allow the election to be held as scheduled and appeal before the court to redress their grievances. This did not find any takers.
The DPI then decided to field a woman for the post of president and got the documents prepared. However on September 30, the last day for filing nominations, her husband was allegedly detained, preventing both from filing their nominations.

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