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Ssc SOCIAL STUDY CIRCLE di (ESTD
1982) www.dalitindia.com ssc@dalitindia.com *********************************************************************** |
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June 15, 2001
A Comprehensive
Outline For The Development Of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes
A. AN INTRODUCTION
Scheduled Castes
and Scheduled Tribes in the country today are more than 200 million, and form
nearly 16% and *% of the population. This equals the population of the two
Super Powers. But, such a large group of people still live in misery, abject
poverty, and in inhuman deprivations as marginalized people living invariably
outside the society almost everywhere in the country. It is in fact very sad
and unfortunate for us that is said
today that if one wants to know how the hell would look like, one need not die,
but just go to a nearby we can not seed the SCs&STs in all the general
residential areas, schools, offices and playgrounds. But without the SCs
& STs the society can not survive even for a single day. For all the
basic and essential needs and services of the society are being taken care of
by them. However, when it come to giving recognition rewards and remunerations
the SCs&STs are still being discriminated or very conveniently forgotten.
They are still not being allowed to have their own shares in education,
employment and housing: or in planning, deciding, executing and administering
schemes and programs for their own education, employment, economic and social
development, and for the betterment of their own lives. Unfortunately or otherwise this has come to
be true even in politics for all of us to seed, even though without their
support and votes no political party can survive, hope to win any election, or
come to power and hold any office. These are the reasons as to why though the
country has made impressive strides in almost all walks of life, the
SCs&STs as community has benefited the least. The causes, it is true are
many. But a few salient reasons are:
1. We have been
placing a great reliance on the Trickle Down theory’ hoping that the benefits
of Development would slowly percolate through the different socio-economic
layers and ultimately reach the poor living at the bottom rungs and peripherals
of the society. This has unfortunately not taken place, as the benefits of planning
have been bottled up by the influential, powerful and those in positions of
advantage and power. As a result, the poor like SCs&STs have not benefited
from all these 4 decades of planning.
2. Planning has
always been done by those people who have the least experience and knowledge of
the actual problems of SCs&STs .
3. So far, not a
single member belonging to the SCs&STs have ever been appointed as a
regular member of the Planning Commissioner (The Prime Minister had promised
that he would consider the appointment a suitable SCs&STs as a Member of
the Planning Commission. This has since been done with the appointment of the
VC of JNTV, Hyderabad, Dr. Swaminathan,
a ST as a Member of the Planning
Commission.
4. Today the
Govt. and the officials do not bother for, hardly ever consult the SCs&STs
or their representatives and leaders even while talking about Plans, Programmes
and Schemes for the benefit of the SCs&STs.
5. The views and
opinions of SCs&STs leaders, associations, intellectuals etc, even if
allowed to be expressed, are not seriously take note of.
6. The needs and
demands of SCs&STs are not now being taken into consideration, even in
matters concerning the development of
SCs&STs or the SCs&STs
7. Many a
development of SCs&STs areas are being taken up, only to deprive them of
their meager assets and evict them from their lands and houses, that today
development has become a direct and immediate threat to their survival.
8. The present
Govts. plans marginalize the SCs&STs by displacing them from their
jobs cutting-off their other natural
sources of income, food and water depriving them of their traditional basis of
livelihood.
9. Present plans
and programs are being taken only to benefit those involved in them - the executives
the contractors and suppliers.
10. The leakages
of plan funds and diversion of resources and materials, benefits the wrong
people and groups for whom the programes were not intended, and leaves very
little for the target groups to benefit from.
11. SCs&STs
are politically not so conscious, as to take advantage of the system and assert
their rights in the democratic framework, by making right demands on the
Government at the right time for their
own benefits and development of their communities.
12. The
Government programs - especially those pertaining to SCs&STs Welfare are
never taken seriously, and there are no effective monitoring system to pinpoint
the failures/deviations from the plan objectives, diversion of resources and
lack of relevance/utility of the schemes, and to take timely remedial measures
and effect course corrections.
B. THE SCHEDULED CASTS AND SCHEDULED TTIBES IN
THE COUNTRY FROM UNIQUE DEPRIVATIONS LIKE:
1. They have been
traditionally kept at the bottoms of the hierarchy in every sphere and walk of
life.
2. They are still
unacceptable to the rest of the society, and hence continue to be oppressed.
3. They are
discriminated in every walk of life.
4. Those who try
to develop, grow and raise their heads and move forward are suppressed.
5. Those who
protect and try to lead them are deceived and treacherously victimized and
pulled down. In fact many are cruelly, mercilessly and in the most inhuman
criminal manner crippled and eliminated.
6. They are by and
large the asset less and resource less sections of the Society-deprived of all
opportunities of growth and development even when Government specifically wants
to take care of their protection and welfare.
7. As a result of
historic deprivations and criminal victimizations, are generally found to be
lagging behind even today in-
a) Education;
b) Employment;
c) Earnings;
d) Land holding;
e) Property;
f) Other wealth;
g) Business; and
h) Industry.
8. The few
educated amongst them are carefully and almost systematically sidelined,
marginalized and their effectiveness and progress curtailed as they enter the
services, for earning their livelihood and to support their families.
9. There appears
to exit a deliberate attempt today, right in the educational institutions, to
ensure that they do not get good education, better jobs and good income is come
up in life.
C. DEVELOPMENT AND SCs&STs
The Plans and Programmers taken up by the Govt so far have
been in the Core Sectors with a long term perspective of creating general
infrastructures, and resource development-like providing education, health
services, building communication networks etc. In the light of these, the
Govt’s Plans, Programmes and Schemes to benefit the SCs&STs were very very
small in insignificant. These can be classified broadly as Long Term and Short
Term Policies and Programmes.
1. Long Term
Policies have been centred around Reservation, so as to involve the SCs&STs
in the mainstream of social activity and provide them an helping hand and
opportunity to enable them to participate in-
a) The Political
Dynamics, at the very center of the National and State Legislatives.
b) The
administrative machinery, through proportionate employment and promotion of
their career in the hierarchy and higher echelors of decision and policy
making, as well as Planning.
c) The learning
activities in School and Colleges leading to better employment and social
growth.
2. Short Term
Welfare Programmes, have been structured to provide immediate relief to the
SCs&STs along with other poor in the country, to relieve them from the
problems of povertys and other misery. These Programmes are-
a) Poverty
Alleviation
b) Rural
Employment
c) Housing
d) Land for
landless
D. SHORTICOMINGS
OF THE GOVERNEMENT PROGRAMMES:
I. Long Term
Policies: The long term policies of the Government have failed to help the
SCs&STs since they could not keep pace with the developments and progress
talking place in the rest of the society. This has left the SCs&STs lagging
far far behind the rest. The gaps between the SCs&STs and rest of the
society is widening with every passing day.
1. Reservation in
Politics operates as a social lid, and prevents, save for rare exceptions, the
emergence of a vocal dynamic leadership amongst the SCs&STs who can assert
their views and the rights and dues of the community, right from the grass-root
level activists to local, regional, state, zonal and National leaders. As a
result, the present system has prevented the SCs&STs communities from
throwing up and leaders who could stand up independently on onces own for long
against anyone or any opposition.
2. Reservation is
services has been confirmed to:
a) Government and
Public Sector Officers leaving out the Private Sector which exploits ultimately
all the natural resources and also benefits itself immensely from all
Government Planning and Programmes and also the infra structures created.
b) Lower levels of
service, leaving out the higher echelons of service and sectors like judiciary,
Representations to SCs&STs through reservations in the lower Class IV, III,
& II services are really of no value. For, their presence at such
insignificant/powerless levels today do not have any worthwhile impact on the
course and style of functioning, as well as the ultimate decisions taken by the
Government and its Administrative and Executive machineries, or desired
influence over the society.
3. Reservation in
Education:
a) It is proving
to be nonexistent due to the lack of interest and will, and the universal lack
of enthusiasm in disseminating knowledge, and the educating the poor and the
deprived. In addition, corruption and nepotism in the educational institutions,
leaves the SCs&STs students disadvantaged and steadily
sidelines them.
b) It is limited
only upto graduate level, especially in professional institutions. As a result
there are hardly and opportunities for the SCs&STs to persue higher
education, which has become essential for entry to any significant position
anywhere in the country today.
c) It is proving
to be failure due to discrimination of the students by the academicians-the
teaching staff and other educationists - and by the Administrative supporting
staff.
d) It is becoming
inadequate due to lack of infrastructure to meet the needs and demands of the
students from the poorer and deprived strata of the society.
e) It does not
benefit the SCs&STs due to non-existence of financial support like
freeships, scholarships and fellowships, or their inadequate and untimely
disbursements.
f) It has failed
the SCs&STs due to discriminations at the time of evaluating and grading
the students from the weaker and marginalized sections of the society.
g) It does not
help the SCs&STs students as they are systematically cut down at the time
of admissions into school colleges, universities and other centers of higher
education through entrance examination, tests and interview.
h) It is
inadequate due to lack of reservations amongst the teaching administrative and
supporting staff.
i) It is of no use without providing for proper
means and facilities to the SCs&STs students to concentrate on their
studies-such as hostel facilities or other accommodations with library, reference, text book and other
relevant/essential reading materials to develop their intellect and
personalities, as well as scholarships, fellowships etc which should be linked
to the cost of living/price index.
4. General
resistance, antagonism and lack of interest in implementing Reservations to
benefit the SCs & STs, and the negative steps being taken by the non SCs
& STs to neutralize the Govt's. effects and deny all benefits, and further
discriminate the future of SC & St Committees and individual SCs & STs.
5. Large loopholes
and shortcomings in Reservation Rules, and the non-existence of any legislation
in this regard, help even small functionaries to subvert the reservation
philosophy, and evolve negative mechanisms and systems to defeat both the
purpose and operation of even specific reservation rules, and thereby block the
benefits reaching to SCs & STs.
6. No machinery
exists to check or overcome the adverse and negative reactions from the larger
society, and its determination to refuse any social status even to the educated
SCs & STs.
11. Short Term
Programmes : These have been conceived
because of the failure of Govt’s Plans and the various Socio-Economic
Development Schemes and Programmes in improving the conditions of the SCs &
STs. As the percolation policy of
development has failed, and the people in advantageous positions have cornered
all the benefits, not only the gaps between the few powerful sections of the
society and the large poorer masses has begun to widen and enlarge, but the
differences in standards of life have become massive. In fact, SCs & STs are now being pushed backward. As a result, they are getting more and more
marginalised. Thus, they are often
being reduced below the thresholds of human dignity and survival, and the basic
lifelines of survival – land, water and
food are now increasingly being squeezed and cut off. These developments had, even in the past rudely shaken the faith
of the people and conscience of some elites – the National Bourgoise. Hence, after the first quarter century of
the planning era – Government had realised the need to start some special
programmes to ameliorate the conditions and sufferings of the poor masses,
particularly the SCs & STs. These
are, by and large the Poverty Alleviation and Welfare Programmes. These attempts were often supplemented with
some local Infrastructure Creation Programs for the benefit of SC&ST
Communities.
The short-term programmes are failing because, they are
meant to be only temporary ameliorative measures, and can never deliver the
large masses of SC&ST people from their cumulative historic deprivations,
miseries, poverty, social antagonisms and other disadvantages. Further, in these programmes, there are many
built-in weaknesses and shortcomings such as:
1. Wrong Plans
2. Lack of ideas
3. Inadequate
Funds
4. Inadequate
staff
5. Untimely
support
6. Diversion of
Funds
7. Loss of Funds
8. Presence of
middlemen
9. Lack of
supporting schemes and horizontal linkages
10. Wrong type of
personnel
11. Lack of
motivation
12. Absence of
Training
13. Lack of
Incentives
- Rewards and
- Punishments
14. Inadequate and
lack of monitoring and evaluation
15. Absence of
timely interventions to correct the course of events.
16. Failure to
concieve to total/complete development plan, even in a limited manner, as a
pilot programme in a small area for totally liberating the SCs & STs in such nucleus pockets.
17.
Non-involvement of SC&ST leaders and intellectuals in the planning
process and in preparing programmes for SC&ST Welfare even at the micro
grass root levels.
18.
Lack of consultation with
the particular SC&ST groups and people living in the area for whose
benefits the developmental plans are being taken up.
For the development of any National, Society, Community
and Group of People, such term policies and to porary measures are not
sufficient. Therefore , there is an urgent need therefore to create permanent
assets for the SCs&STs to strengthen their survival base. Simultaneously,
significantly large/big developmental programmes have to be taken up, for the
exclusive benefit of SCs&STs, to lift them up from their sufferings and
problems, in which they are now steeped in. These programmers should generate
employment, further assets and income.
E. THE IMPERATIVE NEED:
There is an imperative need for creating a specifically
separate full-fledged Planning Body to develop the SCs&STs. This could be
either independent of the Planning Commission, or form a distinct part of the
Planning Commission. The background need/justification for this is –
1. The two Super
Powers, whose populations are nearly equal to the 200 million of SCs&STs
taken together today, have for long been trying their society, economy and
nation and they are still to succeed in their declared objectives/aims.
2. The two Super
Powers, have for long adopted different, almost diametrically opposite
socio-economic and politico-commercial ideologies. USA has opted for
Capitalism, allowing the growth of a free economy controlled, planned and
monitored by a number of private giants and multi-nations, leading to cut-throat
competitions for raw materials, capital and other resources, and the Market.
This means duplication and wastages of men effort, material, capital and all
other sources . On the other hand , USSR has chosen the communist model, that
lays emphasis on central planning and planned development of the economy on a
socialistic framework, to ensure a quick forced development, by utilizing the
available resources, theoretically, at the optimum levels . However both the
economics in spite of their experiences spread over many decades, are not in a
position to claim that they have solved the economic problems of their
respective National, and could meet the social needs of different groups of the
population living within the borders of their countries.
3. In the light of the above, adoption of either the
Capitalistic or the Communist models or a mix of the same therefore could not
help us in our efforts to develop the poor marginalized and the week like the
SCs&STs.
4. Our Govt. and their officials including the Planners
generally forget or tend to overlook the prevailing caste system and other
disabilities of SCs&STs in the country while adopting the different Plan
Models, Development Plans, Schemes, Programmers and experience of the two
countries. Therefore, we as a nation have so far failed to look for, and
develop our own special Models for the Development of the SCs&STs in the
country where due to the prevailing caste system and its evils all programs for
the benefit of the poor communities and SCs&STs suffer at every stage of
planning, implementation and evaluation.
5. The Governments
approach for the overall development of the Country, so far has been mix of
both the Capitalistic and Communist Models. This is apparently based on the
Principles of Democratic Socialism that aspires to develop the economy with
Government planning and at the same time encouraging the Private Sector to
participate in the Economic Development by mobilizing finance and other
resources of raw material and manpower
in the non-core and consumer areas where Government is unable to
concentrate to day of where its efforts would prove to be costlier and become
uneconomicable or turn out to be not viable.
6. In practice,
relaying on a Mixed Economy, has only benefited the emergence and growth of a
small powerful elite sections of society, who have all the characteristics of
aggressive colonizers exploiting the people and the natural resources, building
for themselves and exclusive society, while the guiding principles of
Government planning is Development and Growth with Social Justice as emphasized
in the Constitution. As a result, the
gap between the haves and have-nots have been growing wider, leading to
disappointments, individual frustrations, financial difficulties, economic crisis,
social unrest, and law and order problems.
7. The above facts
are not new or unknown. These have been
long recognized, but sufficient corrective measures have been taken so
far. Therefore, in a developing country
like India, and in planning for large groups of assetless, deprived,
marginalized and oppressed people like the SCs & STs, we have to evolve
right type of models, distinctly different and at the same suitable and
appropriate for the people area and time.
8. What the SCs
& STs require today is better opportunities to live as equals with personal
freedom, human dignity and self-respect.
Though, most of them are still in need of basic requirements of Food,
Clothing and Shelter, we have to plan for massive inputs during the Centenary
Year of Bharat Ratna Baba Saheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, and the Decade of sorial
Reconstruction beginning with it to
ensure that the SCs & STs get:
- Good education
- Decent employment
- Better housing
- Dependable health
and medical facilities
- Remunerative
wages and higher salaries
- Recognition of
their work and contribution
- Liberated from
their traditional works
- Help in
modernizing the tools and equipments used in work to reduce the monotony and
drudgery of their works, with appropriate technical and scientific inputs.
- Encouragements to
diversify their occupational base.
- Assistance to
ensure class mobility from being working Class Labour Force to a progressive
entrepreneur community, through Technical, Managerial and Entrepreneurship
Trainings, and by opening up avenues into business small industries etc.
F. FOR THE DEEVELOPMENT OF SCHEDULED CASTES AND
SCHEDULED TRIBES, WE SUGGEST :
1. SC & ST
Leaders and Intellectuals be actively associated in Planning, especially in
preparing the programs and schemes for the development and growth of the SCs
& STs in their areas. As a specific
step 25% of the Planning Commission Members should be drawn from SCs &
STs. We will be grateful if you could
select a Vice Chairman from the SCs & STs to assist you in farming the Plan
and evolving the Plan details.
2. Every Ministry
and Department, and every State/UT must set aside 25% of the budget for
schemes exclusively for the benefit of SCs & STs.
3. The Planning
Commission at the Centre and in the State/UT levels must earmark 25% of the Plan allocations for SCs & STs, or
according to their population in the State/UT.
4. Diversion of
the funds earmarked for SCs & STs must not be allowed, or be permitted to
be carried forward. Individuals
responsible for the lapses if any in this respect must be sevearly punished.
5. Financial
Institutions must set aside 25% of the funds turned over, for allocating to the
SCs & STs.
6. Special
Financing and Loan Scheme to promote on a cooperative basis, Development of
Business and small Scale Enterprises by the SCs & STs must be launched, to
provide 100% soft loans, with other incentives such as tax concessions, raw
material supply, concessional availability of land industrial sheds, water and
power.
7. Misuse and
non-utilization of funds earmarked for SCs & STs must be made an offense.
8. All Plan
Schemes and Financial Expenditure for SC & ST Development must be closely
monitored. Special
Vigilance/Surveillance committees of SCs & STs must be set up a every level
to monitor the schemes and their execution.
9. The executive
machineries charged with the responsibility of implementing SC & ST
Development Schemes must be strengthened with sufficient powers. These agencies must be thrown or kept open,
answerable, and work as closely as possible with the target groups. Accountability and audibility of the
officials must be clearly and unambiguously fixed.
10. Special
Programs for SC & ST Development in areas like Education, Employment,
Entrepreneurship Development to take up Small Scale Industries and business
ventures must be planned for.
11. Compulsory
Free Education upto Matriculation levels for all SC & ST children, and upto
graduation levels for SC & ST Girls and Women must be planned for.
12. Special
incentives for Schools, Colleges and Teachers who promote education amongst the
SCs & STs, including ‘Opportunity Costs’
to the parents must be introduced.
13. Marketing
networks be established to buy and sell the produce of the SC & ST
entrepreneurs. Government Departments
and Offices must be asked to buy their needs from SC & ST marketing
societies and industries.
14. Land Ceiling
Laws must be reviewed, talking into account the increased returns from the
lands due to developments in Science and Technology, and the improvements of
irrigation facilities. Absentee and
lordism should be strictly prohibited by law.
15. All Surplus
Lands and Muste Lands must be vested with the SC & ST Agricultural Worker
Cooperatives to be set up in each village.
16. All SC &
ST families in both Urban and Rural Areas, especially those in service in the
cities and towns be provided with houses, to save them from avoidable
discriminations and insults based on social prejudices due to Caste
Considerations and lingering concepts of untouchability, and to protect these
vulnerable groups from the market forces that fleece the homeless.
17. Special
Recruitment and Promotion Drives should be launched every year to fill 25% of
the posts in every Department and Office at every level with SCs & STs. Posts like Chief Ministers and Secretaries
to the Governments, Heads of Department like Chairman, Managing Directors,
General Managers, Chief Secretaries to the Governments, Collectors/District
Magistrates, Police Chief, SHOs etc. should be filled on a rotation basis, for
specified tenures, with opportunities for SCs & STs in proportion to their
population percentage in the society.
18. To enable
recruitment of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes at higher levels in
various Departments, they should be allowed to apply for the posts directly,
without having to route their application through proper channels, as it is now
being done in the case of UPSC posts.
19. At the time of
recruitments, the ACRs of Scheduled Casts and Scheduled Tribes serving in Govt.
and Public Sector should not be referred to, as these generally prejudices the
Recruitment Boards and members of Selection Committee against the Scheduled
Casts and Scheduled Tribes. They should
be selected purely on the basis of their qualifications, experience and
performance during the selection/interview, like all those from the private
sector.
20. Facilities
must be provided to recruit and made provisions for reservations in all Defence
Services.
21. All Programs
for SCs & STs including Reservations in Services and Educational
Institutions must be kept out of the Courts.
22. SC & ST
Associations and Unions must be law be the first ones to be recognized in any
office establishment. They must be
associated with planning, execution and Monitoring of the Programs for the
Welfare and Development of the SCs & STs.
23. Only
Labour-Intensive Programs should be encouraged in SC & ST areas.
24. Specific
inputs of Science and Technology should be made to improve the tools and
instruments used by the Workers, most of whom are today SCs & STs in their
traditional areas of work to improve their effectiveness, productivity,
outputs, wages, working conditions, hygiene, health and reduce physical danger,
strain, monotony and drudgery.
25. Democratization
of Government Establishments to give a say to the workers, amongst whom SCs
& STs are significant, with special protection for SCs & STs to ensure
that their interests are not trampled upon or those who take up their cases are
not victimized further.
26. Scientific and
Technological inputs must be increased to open up new avenues of work for the
development of SCs & STs in Sericulture, Backwater/Brackish or Fresh Water
Fish Farming for utilizing waste waters and waste lands to breed high value
catches like ‘PRAWNS’.
27. Opening up of
Export Markets for Handlooms, Handicrafts, other produce of SCs & STs
through people’s action groups and voluntary organizations for self-development
on community basis, with permission to receive financial contributions from
abroad.
28. Special
Organisations to tap the experience, knowledge and skill of retired and
retiring SC & ST officials.
29. Vacation
Societies like Pioneer/Youth Camps to utilize the services of Students and
Teachers in educating literacy programs, conscientising and developing of SCs
& STs in rural areas and Urban slums.
30. Special SC
& ST institutions both at the Central and State/UT levels should be manned
exclusively by SCs & STs taking advantage of the ematling provisions of
Article 16(5) of the Constitution, since SCs & STs are a particular
denomination of the Society cutting across all religious, regional,
linguistics, caste, tribe, racial and ethnic considerations.
G. PROGRAMMES FOR CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS:
In the end on behalf of Bharat Rathna Baba Saheb R. Bhim
Rao Ambedkar Centenary Celebrations Committee and the 200 million Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Country, we express our concern about the
prevailing conditions of the SCs & STs and demand the immediate action be
taken on the following suggestions:
I. Dr. Ambedkar,
his life, struggle, mission and achievements are so great, that hardly any
field in the Indian Social Life can be said to be free from his
contributions. As every one of us are
well aware, the SCs & STs, BCs & Minorities and the Weak were always
his first concern. However Ambedkar’s
contributions for the Welfare of Workers, Women, Youth and their Education
cannot be brushed aside. So we demand
that the Govt. should immediately consider.
1. Special
Programme for worker, Women youth and education of the weaker sections like SCs
& STs, BCs & Minorities and Women, particularly those belonging to
these weaker sections.
2. Taking concrete
steps to create permanent assets and benefits to the SC & ST Communities,
which could also be made use of by the other economically poor.
3. Making a full
length colour film on the life and struggles of Bharat Ratna Baba Sahed Dr. BR
Ambedkar.
4. Books of Dr.
Ambedkar as well as research works and other publications of Dr. Ambedkar
should be brought out on all regional languages at subsidized rates.
5. Dr. Ambedkar’s
birth place in Madhya Pradesh, Deeksha Bhoomi at Nagpur and the Samadhi at
Bombay be declared as National Monuments and developed appropriately.
6. Coins and
Postal Stamps in memory of Baba Saheb should be brought out by the Government
in different denominations and values.
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students, teachers, officials and
offer professionals must be sent abroad for studies and trainings.
II. The Govt. as part of the Centenary
Celebrations, establish during the current year and within the next three
years, at least: -
1. One Residential
College and a Polytechnic in each District in the name of Dr. Ambedkar
exclusively for the benefit of SCs & STs and other economically poor
students like the GB Pant Polytechnic in Lucknow.
2. One III and one
Junior Technical Centre with training facilities in all trades including
computers, desk top publishing, TV Radio repair etc. exclusively for SC &
ST and other Economically poor in every Block in the country.
3. One Institution
providing Diploma and Degree in Journalise for SCs & STs in the name of Dr.
Ambedkar in all the divisions of the States, and also in the Union Territories.
4. One
Professional College/Institution of Higher Learning in the name of Dr. Ambedkar
in every State & UT Capital.
5. Special Sports
Schools and Cultural Centres to train the youth in Music and Dance in every
Block.
6. Dr. Ambedkar
Fund to provide incentives to teachers and institutions promoting with special
care education of SC & ST children in general and girls and women in
particular.
7. Health Centres
and Dispensaries, in every SC & ST hamlets, villages and slums be
established by encouraging the Voluntary Organizations and Private Doctors.
8. Two separate
Housing Corporations to provide houses to:
a) All SCs &
STs in their hamlets and villages.
b) All slum
dwellers in the cities, towns and Industrial areas in places where slums now
exist by way of self contained multi-storey flats.
9. Cooperatives or
Companies for export and import of products which could be handled by SCs &
STs.
10. A separate
Banking Organization to provide consumption loans, and to finance small
developmental programmes, to SCs & STs in the rural areas and to take up
other lucrative business in urban areas.
11. A chain of
Special Sainik Schools all over the country, especially in the Tribal Areas for
educating and training SC & ST children and other economically poor for
entry into Defense, Para-Military Forces and Police.
12. Special Land Cooperatives for SCs & STs in the
village areas to acquire and develop waste lands, marginal lands and surplus
lands since SCs & STs do not have adequate lands today.
III. Since Dr.
Ambedkar is a great thinker, social reformer, Constitutional expert and
humanist and served the interests of women, labour and the poor, the present
trend of confining Baba Saheb as “the leader of Dalits only” should be avoided. Therefore, we demand:
1. Setting a
Central International University in the name of Dr. Ambedkar, comparable to
that of Patrice Lumuba Peace University at Moscow with.
i) National
Centres to specialize amongst others,
- Study of Indian
Languages,
- Culture and
Problems of SCs & STs,
ii) International
Centres to study amongst others,
a) Struggles of
the Oppressed Communities all over the world, and their emancipation programs.
b) Native
cultures.
c) Tribal life and
languages
d) Folklore and
Tribal Music
e) Problems of
Developing Societies
f) Cooperative
Movement
g) Societies free
from Casts and Castelite division.
h) Problems of
International Business in bringing about Justice and peace in the World.
2. National
Institutions in those spheres in which Dr. Ambedkar had worked extensively like
Sociology, Law Constitutional Dynamics, Labour Welfare Women’s Development,
Protected Water Supply to the poor should be named after Dr. Ambedkar.
3. Marathwada
University be renamed after Saba Saheb Dr. BR Ambedkar, as per the 1978
Resolution of Maharashtra Assembly.
4. Programmes
highlighting his life, struggle, mission and achievements should be serialized
on Radio and TV in regional languages and English with daily broadcast of his
quotations.
5. Dr. Ambedkar’s
Teachings and Life Story should be included in the school and college
syllabuses to make the younger generation aware of his contributions.
6. National Junior
Gold Cup Tournaments be conducted every year in the name of Dr. Ambedkar to
encourage and spot talents in:
a) Athletics
b) Foot Ball
c) Hockey
d) Volley Ball
e) Basket Ball
f) Badminton
g) Table Tennis
h) Cricket.
7. Small Open air
Theatre cum Stadiums as Art and Sports Complexes be built in every
Block/District in the name of Dr. Ambedkar.
8. Dr. Ambedkar
National and International Awards be instituted for outstanding work by
voluntary organizations and social workers engaged in the development of SCs
& STs.
IV. We suggest that expectations action on the
following be taken for the Welfare and Development of Scheduled Caste and
Scheduled Tribes.
1. The following
legislations should be passed in the Current Session of the Parliament
providing for:
a) Reservation to
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes.
The same has already been introduced earlier by us in the Parliament.
b) The benefit of
Agricultural laborers in the country.
c) Liberating and
rehabilitating all bonded laborers in the country.
d) Labour
participation in Management.
e) Reservation in
housing and in the allotment of various licenses and other Economic Development
Programs.
f) Setting up of
Land Tribunals in all Rural Areas to settle all land disputes. Suitable representations for Scheduled Caste
and Scheduled Tribes and other landless agricultural laborer communities to be
provided.
2. A suitable Peace Corps should be set up for deployment
in areas wherever communal and caste tensions have developed, and in place
where communal and caste riots have taken place with adequate representations
to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and other Minorities.
3. All allocations
of funds meant for the development of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes
should be spent, primarily to meet the needs of the Scheduled Caste and
Scheduled Tribes.
4. Facilities must
be provided to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes for development into small
and medium scale industries, as entrepreneurs.
5. All the
back-log of posts reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to be
filled up by 14.4.1994 for this purpose, the back-log should be determined on
the basis of total sanctions posts in every level, in every Department and in
every Office and the percentage of reservation applicable in the area and the
actual number of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in position.
V. FINALLY, WE CONDEN THE PARTISON ATTITUTES
OF THE MEDIA – TV & AIR.
It is highly
regrettable that though the Centenary celebration was launched by the than
Prime Minister Shri V.P.Singh on 14.4.1990 both TV and Radio have so far
neglected to bring out any worth while program in his memory. When compared to the role played by then
during the Centenary Celebrations of Shri Jawahar Lal Nehru and other
personalities, it is found that Dr. Ambedkar has been totally neglected, and
his Centenary
appears to be suppressed by TV and Radio. This is highly objectionable and remedial
actions must be taken by the Government immediately.
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