18.08.24.UT NEWS.CHENNAI.BY SIVAJI..Untouchables NewsTeam.
Panel for SC status to all Dalit converts racing against time as deadline nears
Former CJI-led Commission of Inquiry is likely to seek a short extension
Updated - August 18, 2024 12:14 am IST
Published - August 17, 2024 09:38 pm IST - New Delhi
A demonstration in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul demanding Scheduled Caste status for Dalit Christians. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Commission of Inquiry set up by the Centre to look into the possibility of granting Scheduled Caste (SC) status to Dalit Christians and Muslims is racing against time to submit its report as its two-year term is set to expire in October 2024.
The panel is likely to seek a “short extension” from the government to complete its task.
Bihar Dalit minor gang rape: Police arrest one of six accused, main accused still absconding
PATNA: Bihar police on Saturday arrested one of the six accused in connection with alleged gangrape and murder of a 14-year-old Dalit girl in Muzaffarpur district. In a related development, police attached the property of the main accused Sanjay Rai, who is still absconding.
The girl’s mutilated body was found in a village pond under Paroo police station, a day after she was kidnapped from her house on August 11. The girl’s mother, in a police complaint, alleged that a fellow villager Sanjay Rai had asked the family to allow him to marry their minor daughter, which the family refused.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Muzaffarpur Rakesh Kumar said that one person has been detained for interrogation in the case. The detainee is charged with helping the main accused escape from the village after the incident was reported to the local police. A blood-stained sharp-edged weapon has been recovered from the spot, he added.
SSP Kumar said that the doctors who conducted post-mortem have not confirmed rape as alleged by the deceased’s family. He, however, admitted that signs of injuries on the victim’s face, neck and left hand were found. “A property attachment notice issued by a court against main accused was pasted at his residence on Friday,” he revealed.
On Saturday, the property attachment order issued by the court was executed. He said that raids have been intensified to nab other accused in the case.
In the FIR, the girl’s mother alleged that Rai, who was married with three children, wanted to marry his teenage daughter. A day before the crime, he had threatened the family with dire consequences for turning down his marriage proposal.
“We were apprehensive of untoward incident, which happened on August 11,” the victim’s mother said.
The six accused, including Rai, have been booked for gang-rape, and murder, in addition to charges under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act.
VHP plans nationwide Dharm Sammelans to counter Opposition’s attempts to divide Hindu community
VHP president Alok Kumar says its aim is to counter the attempts being made to ‘divide the Hindu community’ over caste
Published - August 17, 2024 08:21 pm IST - New Delhi
VHP president Alok Kumar. File | Photo Credit: AP
In an attempt to strengthen its outreach to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities and to counter the Opposition’s narrative that the BJP wants to make changes to the Constitution, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad is set to organise “Dharm Sammelans” (religious conferences) in SC/ST clusters and villages across the country. Many seers will visit and eat at Dalit homes as part of the campaign which is scheduled to start a month before Deepavali.
A senior leader of the VHP informed The Hindu that heads of various religious sects have been urged to visit slum areas or clusters, both in villages and cities, for the initiative. The campaign will be carried out in each of the 9,000 prankhands (sub-divisions) of the VHP. The organisation’s parent body, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), will also participate in the campaign at several places.
How Caste Continues to Determine Asset and Landholding Structure in Rural India
However, many prominent commentators and journalists have argued that a caste-census will rekindle the waning shadow of caste and create deep fissures in society. So far, the debate has not included any analysis of economic disparity between different castes.
This article addresses this lacuna by presenting evidence of caste-based disparities in incomes and landownership in the agricultural sector. The evidence suggests that a caste census will not only allow us to assess the extent of ‘general’ caste domination in the ownership of the means of production but will also provide evidence on intra-caste heterogeneity in asset and land ownership within various marginalised caste groups.
The Situation Assessment Survey (SAS) of Agricultural Households of 2018-19 is the most recent nationally representative sample survey which records details of landownership by farming households across the country. So far, only three rounds of the SAS data have been collected.
The first round was conducted in 2003, and the second one was almost a decade later in 2013, and finally the third and last wave of data was collected in 2018-19. Further, no information about future SAS data collection is available on the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation website.
The other major source of landholding data is the quinquennial Agricultural Census. The most recent publicly available data from this Census is for 2015-16 as findings from the current round which began in 2021-2022 is yet to be made public. Therefore, akin to the absence of periodic consumption and employment data in the last decade, more recent information on farm incomes and landholding is also scant.
This makes it harder to assess government claims about rural incomes and asset ownership during the BJP regime. However, since rural land markets in India are thin, information from the 2018-19 SAS data can be useful in understanding the caste-based landowning patterns today.
In this article we use the SAS data to show how landownership and consumption expenditure vary across castes in different states. For this analysis, we divide states into six groups.
The first group consists of northern states including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana.
The fourth group consists of the eastern states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar.
The fifth group includes the western states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra and the sixth group comprises of the Southern states including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
ST households have the lowest levels of monthly consumer expenditure
Table 1 shows the average monthly consumer expenditure (MCE) incurred by a household for each social group – SC, ST, OBC and general category in each of the six regions of the country.
Since the MCE comprises of expenditure on consumption goods and durable assets, it is considered an indicator for a household income. Northeastern states have the most equal MCE distribution across caste groups in the country.
However, in all other regions, general category households have the highest levels of MCE (10,611 INR) while ST households have the lowest levels of monthly consumer expenditure (8,204 INR). In the Central and Southern states, the average MCE of general category households was almost twice that of ST households.
Further, in all regions, MCE by SC households was comparable to that of ST households and the MCE of OBC households is closer to that of the General category households. The distribution of MCE by caste groups suggest that the SC and ST households are still lagging other caste groups across all regions except the Northeast.
| Table 1: Monthly Per-Capita Consumption Expenditure (Amount in Rs.) | ||||
| Region | ST | SC | OBC | General |
| Northern States | 11921 | 11264 | 13410 | 14743 |
| Central States | 5690 | 7222 | 8663 | 10018 |
| Northeastern States | 10088 | 9782 | 9716 | 9367 |
| Eastern States | 5791 | 7014 | 7520 | 8375 |
| Western States | 8381 | 8834 | 9752 | 9821 |
| Southern States | 7354 | 8578 | 9581 | 11340 |
| National Average | 8204 | 8782 | 9774 | 10611 |
| Source: Author’s calculations using the Situation Assessment Survey 2018-19 | ||||
General category households are most likely to live in pucca houses
Next, we analyse the nature of dwelling structures in the countryside. Table 2 shows the proportion of rural households owning permanent (pucca) houses in each of the six regions of the country. Once again, in all regions, except the northeast, general category households are most likely to live in pucca houses in our villages (57 per cent).
The corresponding figure for ST and SC households is only 27 per cent and 36 per cent respectively. The disparity is most stark in Central states where only 18 per cent of ST and 33 per cent of SC households have pucca houses while the corresponding figure for general caste households was 64 per cent. Both Northern and Southern states have relatively lower dispersion among castes in the proportion of households living in pucca houses across castes.
| Table 2: Proportion of Households living in Pucca Houses (Figures in per cent) | ||||
| Region | ST | SC | OBC | General |
| Northern States | 42 | 44 | 67 | 73 |
| Central States | 18 | 33 | 47 | 64 |
| Northeastern States | 15 | 23 | 16 | 26 |
| Eastern States | 17 | 28 | 40 | 52 |
| Western States | 27 | 41 | 53 | 57 |
| Southern States | 41 | 45 | 59 | 0.68 |
| National Average | 27 | 36 | 47 | 57 |
| Source: Author’s calculations using the Situation Assessment Survey 2018-19 | ||||
Land Access Index lowest for SC households
Finally, we discuss caste-wise distribution of the most important asset in the countryside – agricultural land. For this analysis we construct a Land Access Index (LAI) which is defined as the percentage share of agricultural land owned by a caste in total agricultural land divided by the percentage share of that caste in the rural population.
For example, if a state had 50 per cent OBC households, and they own 50 per cent of the agricultural land, then the LAI for OBC households would be 1. In other words, OBC households’ land ownership is proportional to their population.
Similarly, if a caste’s LAI is less than 1, it means it’s landownership by that caste is less than its population proportion and an LAI greater than 1, implies that the caste disproportionately owns more land than its population proportion.
Table 3 reports the LAI for each caste across the six regions of India. Four important points emerge from the analysis of caste-wise landownership. First, the average LAI for ST households across the country is 1.2. This suggests that ST households who lagged other castes in MCE and pucca housing, are not the worse-off group in terms of land ownership.
However, there may be significant differences in the quality of land owned by ST households. Second, the LAI is lowest (0.5) for SC households. Therefore, the proportion of land owned by SC households is almost half of their population proportion. This implies that average landholding of SC farmers would be smaller than that of other caste groups.
Third, the average LAI for OBC households is 0.9 which suggests that landownership by OBCs, the largest caste group in the country is roughly proportional to their population shares in most regions of the country. However, we cannot ascertain intra-OBC disparity in landownership as that data does not exist.
Finally, the average LAI for general caste households is 1.5 which means that this group’s landownership is 1.5 times its share in the population. Moreover, there are significant regional variation the LAI for this caste. In Southern states, general caste households’ landownership is almost twice their proportion in the population. The corresponding figure for Eastern and Central states, is 1.8 and 1.7 respectively.
| Table 3: Land Access Index | ||||
| Region | ST | SC | OBC | General |
| Northern States | 2.2 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.5 |
| Central States | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.7 |
| Northeastern States | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Eastern States | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.8 |
| Western States | 0.8 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| Southern States | 1.1 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 1.9 |
| National Average | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.5 |
| Source: Author’s calculations using the Situation Assessment Survey 2018-19 | ||||
Our analysis shows that monthly consumer expenditure, and pucca home ownership by SC and ST farmers continue to lag the general and OBC households. Further, in terms of landownership, general category households disproportionately own more land than any other social group. Data from farmer households contributes to the debate around caste census in two ways.
First, the disproportionate landownership by general castes across the country shows their dominance in ownership of productive assets which may form the basis of their socioeconomic prominence in the countryside.
Therefore, a caste-based census may illuminate differences in ownership and employment patterns across sectors which may be necessary for more targeted welfare and redistribution policies. Second, the aggregated indices for OBCs suggest that their landownership is proportional to their population proportions. However, this may conceal intra-caste disparities between various sub-castes within the OBCs. Therefore, a caste census could better inform public expenditure and policy design.
Kartik Misra teaches economics at Sewanee: The University of the South.
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NACDAOR Condemns Supreme Court Verdict on SC/ST Sub-Quota, Calls for Immediate Caste Census
New Delhi — The National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) has voiced strong opposition to the recent judgement delivered by a 7-judge bench of the Supreme Court, which the organization claims could severely undermine the constitutional rights and representation of Dalits, Adivasis, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
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During a press conference held at the Press Club of India in New Delhi, Ashok Bharti, Chairman of NACDAOR, expressed the collective anxiety and fear generated by the Supreme Court's decision among over 350 million Dalits and Adivasis. He said NACDAOR has been requesting the Government for a long time to set up a commission to study the conditions of SC and STs so that it is not only known to the SC/STs, but also to the general masses of this country.
Bharti described the apex court ruling as a violation of natural justice and judicial conventions, asserting that it threatens the hard-won rights of marginalized communities. He stated, " Census that provides authentic data of general well being has been inordinately delay for no reason of justification."
Bharti pointed to a concerning trend within the judiciary, noting that since the landmark Indira Sawhney case in 1992, the Supreme Court has frequently issued rulings that negatively impact the rights of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), even when these groups were not directly involved in the cases. He emphasized that the recent judgement continues this pattern, eroding the legal protections that SCs, STs, and OBCs rely on for fair representation.
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In the case in question, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta argued that the concept of equality is dynamic and has evolved through various Supreme Court decisions, including the Champakam Dorairajan and Indira Sawhney cases. Mehta suggested that sub-classification within affirmative action policies is necessary for rationalizing these measures.
NACDAOR, however, has strongly criticized this position, accusing the government of adopting a stance without adequate factual support, studies, or consultations with the affected communities.
Comprehensive List of Demands
In light of the Supreme Court's ruling and the government's stance, NACDAOR has issued a detailed list of demands aimed at safeguarding the rights and representation of SCs, STs, and OBCs. These demands include:
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Rejection of the Supreme Court Judgement: NACDAOR calls on the government to reject the recent Supreme Court judgement, which they argue overturns the principles established by the 9-judge bench in the Indira Sawhney case.
Termination of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta: The organization demands the immediate termination of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for presenting a position before the Supreme Court that, according to NACDAOR, was formulated without proper consultation with SC/ST Members of Parliament, constitutional bodies like the National Commission for SC/STs, or other stakeholders.
Act of Parliament on Reservations: NACDAOR urges the government to introduce a new Act of Parliament on the reservation rights of SCs, STs, and OBCs, following the widest possible consultation with all stakeholders. They also call for this Act to be included in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution to protect it from judicial review.
Caste Census: The organization demands the immediate conduction of a nationwide caste census, which has been delayed without justification. They insist that the census should include a caste column for non-SC/STs to accurately reflect the progress and representation of various social groups, including OBCs.
Publication of Caste-Based Data: NACDAOR calls for the government to release data on the caste composition of employees in SC/ST/OBC categories across all government ministries, departments, and public sector undertakings, in order to present an accurate picture of caste representation.
Creation of Indian Judicial Service: The organization advocates for the establishment of an Indian Judicial Service to ensure that judicial officers and judges are recruited from all sections of society, thereby enhancing diversity and representation in the judiciary.
Judicial Representation Quota: NACDAOR demands that immediate steps be taken to ensure that 50% of judges in the High Courts and Supreme Court are from SC, ST, and OBC categories. Until this target is achieved, they call for a halt in the recruitment of judges from already over-represented communities.
Filling of Backlog Vacancies: The organization insists that the government must take swift action to fill all backlog vacancies for SCs, STs, and OBCs in central government ministries, public sector undertakings, state governments, and their associated entities.
Mandatory Affirmative Action in the Private Sector: NACDAOR calls for the introduction of mandatory affirmative action policies in the private sector, particularly for companies that have significant financial dealings with the government, including loans, credits, or production-linked incentives (PLI). They argue that voluntary measures promised by industry bodies like CII and ASSOCHAM in 2006 have not been implemented in full, necessitating mandatory enforcement.
The press conference concluded with NACDAOR's call to action, urging Dalit, Adivasi, and OBC communities, along with their respective organizations, to participate in a nationwide peaceful agitation on August 21. The organization encourages protesters to submit their demands to the Government of India through district collectors or sub-divisional magistrates in their respective areas.
Canvassing picks up pace in Jammu after assembly polls announcement
BJP appears on sticky wicket, Congress and National Conference likely to make gains according to experts
Within hours of the Election Commission announcing the much awaited assembly elections, Jammu became the hub of heightened politicking.
The major parties vying for votes across Jammu would be Bharatiya Janata Party, its arch-rival Congress, National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, Apni Party and Democratic Progressive Azad Party.
Going by the BJP’s performance in the recently held Lok Sabha elections vis-à-vis undercurrent against it, political analysts feel the saffron party may not be able to accomplish its “mission 50-plus” and may instead fall in the ballpark of its 2014 tally of around 25 to 26 seats.
They anticipate the Congress and the National Conference eating into the saffron party’s vote share, upsetting its applecart.
BJP led Congress in 29 out of total 36 assembly segments in Jammu and Udhampur parliamentary constituencies in the Lok Sabha polls. Seven assembly constituencies of Rajouri, meanwhile, were part of Anantnag-Poonch-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat.
Following the delimitation exercise in May 2022, Jammu and Kashmir now has 90 assembly seats — Jammu region with 10 districts has 43 assembly constituencies and Kashmir with 10 districts has 47 — up from 87.
Of these, 74 are general seats, nine are for Scheduled Caste candidates, and seven for Scheduled Tribes.
The number of voters in the UT is 87.09 lakh, of which 44.46 lakh are men and 42.62 lakh women. The final electoral roll will be published on August 20.
BJP retained both seats from Jammu in the Lok Sabha polls for the third straight elections, but the party’s winning candidates, Jugal Kishore Sharma and Dr Jitendra Singh, trailed in seven assembly segments of Gulabgarh (in Reasi district), Suchetgarh and R S Pura (in Jammu district), Inderwal (Kishtwar district), Bhaderwah, Doda (Doda district) and Banihal (Ramban district).
In these seven assembly segments, Congress and its INDIA bloc ally, National Conference maintained a lead, in Banihal and Gulabgarh in particular.
Urban Agenda | Decarbonising Freights
With the conversation surrounding net zero and cleaner air, authorities are recognising their role in the importance of cleaning the logistics sector.
Poor air quality in Indian cities is a major health hazard with studies estimating that the lifespan of Delhiites is shortened by as much as 12 years as a result. While the national capital may make the headlines every winter for its foul air, the air quality is well below global and national standards for an overwhelming majority of Indian cities across the year.
Vehicular pollution is a significant contributor to poor air quality in cities and towns; diesel vehicles, in particular, are known to be a major contributor to this pollution.
The only exception to this policy vacuum is the periodic bans on the entry of heavy goods vehicles in large cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Notably, Delhi frequently implements seasonal bans on the entry of medium and heavy goods vehicles, particularly diesel-run ones, between November and February.
Plea to allot Panchami lands to beneficiaries
Published - August 17, 2024 10:32 pm IST - MADURAI
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed Madurai district administration to file a counter affidavit to the public interest litigation petition seeking a direction to the authorities to retrieve Panchami lands to a total extent of 103.33 acres in the district and allot the lands to the Scheduled Caste (Arunthathiyar) people.
A Division Bench of Justices R. Subramanian and L. Victoria Gowri sought response from the authorities to the petition filed by A. Muthupandi of Valayankulam in Madurai district. The petitioner who belongs to a Scheduled Caste is a farmer.
Dr Faggan Singh Kulaste,MP.mandla is appointed as Chairman of Welfare of SCST committee.
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Lok Sabha speaker constitutes six new parliamentary committees for 2024-25
Read more At:
https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/lok-sabha-speaker-constitutes-six-new-parliamentary-committees-for-2024-2520240817113003/
Super Result..
Published - August 17, 2024 10:32 pm IST - MADURAI
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed Madurai district administration to file a counter affidavit to the public interest litigation petition seeking a direction to the authorities to retrieve Panchami lands to a total extent of 103.33 acres in the district and allot the lands to the Scheduled Caste (Arunthathiyar) people.
A Division Bench of Justices R. Subramanian and L. Victoria Gowri sought response from the authorities to the petition filed by A. Muthupandi of Valayankulam in Madurai district. The petitioner who belongs to a Scheduled Caste is a farmer.
Dr Faggan Singh Kulaste,MP.mandla is appointed as Chairman of Welfare of SCST committee.
.....
Lok Sabha speaker constitutes six new parliamentary committees for 2024-25
Read more At:
https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/lok-sabha-speaker-constitutes-six-new-parliamentary-committees-for-2024-2520240817113003/
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