Friday, May 30, 2008
Rework caste formula, says Gujjar leader Bainsla
Karwadi: Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla, spearhading an agitation to press for ST status for his community, on Thursday suggested it was time to exclude some castes which have already benefitted from quota and include new ones that "deserve and require" it.
Acknowledging that the quota space itself was getting increasingly crowded and keeping in mind the court ruling that reservation cannot exceed 49 per cent, Bainsla told reporters here that the "entire reservation system needs a relook".
He said no review had so far taken place about the extent of benefit to castes enjoying the reservation. Such an exercise should be undertaken to exclude castes which have benefitted by it and bring in its purview those castes which "deserve and require" quota, the Gujjar leader said.
"The best homage for the martyrs is that Gujjars get ST status. The Rajasthan government must send the correct recommendation to the Centre," said Bainsla who has already rejected Rajasthan government's suggestion for extending reservation to Gujjars under nomadic tribe status.
On the inconvenience caused by the Gujjars' agitation, he said, "I regret the inconvenience. We had no other option but to stay here till the ST stats recommendation is sent."
Asked where does the agitation go from here, Bainsla said, "We have paid the price. We have to stick to this place because we need this (ST status). We deserve this and we fulfil all parameters."
NCR burns
Meanwhile, at least two persons were on Thursday killed, one of them in police firing, and 14 policemen injured as stray violence marred the Gujjars agitation in Delhi and Haryana where normal life was badly disrupted by a rail and road blockade enforced by the community members, PTI adds from Chandigarh/New Delhi.
One person was killed when police opened fire on agitators who blocked traffic on national highway at Patti Kalyana in Panipat district of Haryana for hours while an elderly man died in the stampede triggered by the police action.
"An elderly fellow died in the stampede during the agitation while another who sustained bullet injury also died," Haryana's Additional Director General of Police (law and order) VB Singh, who visited the spot, told PTI over phone. He said some agitators were carrying arms and they too opened fire.
Singh said about 14 policemen were injured, three of them seriously, in the skirmishes with the agitators. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda ordered a magisterial inquiry into the circumstances leading to the death of the two persons. Police earlier fired tear gas shells and charged with batons at the agitators.
Hitting the streets in large numbers in support of the ongoing agitation by their community members in Rajasthan demanding Scheduled Tribe status, the Gujjar protestors set afire a Haryana Roadways bus in Panipat and blocked movement of rail and vehicles in the national capital.
In Delhi, police lobbed teargas to dispers stone-pelting Gujjars in Mehrauli area and incidents of violence also occurred at Aya Nagar, bordering Gurgaon.
Thousands of Gujjars took to the streets in the national capital and adjoining region, blocking roads and rail links to the city. Police took about 50 people into custody. The protesters staged demonstrations across the capital and squatted on railway tracks, blocking trains reaching the capital.
Vehicular movement on major stretches leading to the metropolis like the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) Expressway, Mathura Road connecting Faridabad and Delhi and Mehrauli-Gurgoan road was affected as protesters set-up blockades and burnt tyres.
Anticipating trouble, Railways cancelled ten trains, including Nizamuddin-Kochi, Maharashtra SamparKranti, Nizamuddin-Udaipur and Dehradun-Bandra Express. More than 35,000 police personnel, including those from the central paramilitary forces, were deployed in Delhi and surrounding areas, particularly in Gujjar-dominated areas.
Rail traffic between Aligarh and Ghaziabad was affected as a large number of protesters blocked a train in Loni in adjoining Ghaziabad on Thursday morning. The situation, however, returned to normalcy across the NCR by afternoon. However, tension continued at the village in Panipat where two persons were killed, prompting the authorities to deploy police in strength amidst fear that the situation may again turn volatile when the dead are cremated.
Responding to a call given by Gujjar Sangharsh Samiti, hundreds of Gujjars torched an effigy of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje in Sirsa and Panchkula and raised slogans against her government. Similar protests were held at many places in Gurgaon and Rewari districts.
© Copyright 2008 HT Media Ltd. All rights reserved.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Theologians Worry Indian Church Deviating From Original Christian Mission
11 May 2008
[Permalink] Theologians Worry Indian Church Deviating From Original Christian Mission
ALUVA - Some theologians in India have expressed concern that the Church is deviating from its original Christian mission by neglecting the poor and needy in the country.
Such concerns and regrets were heard at the recent annual meeting of the Indian Theological Association.
Father M.K. George, an educator, presented a paper in which he regretted that Christian educational institutions are "increasingly focusing on cities (and) neglecting the village poor."
Of late the Church in India shows an interest in professional and higher education that demands higher investments and involvement, said the professor of a Jesuit college in Kerala state.
Church's Engagement in Civil Society: A New Way of Being Christian Today was the theme of the meeting held in Kerala at Aluva seminary. The 64 theologians who attended included five laypeople and seven nuns.
Father George says managing institutions for higher education "has become a lucrative business," and Christian educational institutions have joined "in the rat race and are now in the vicious circle of an exploitative structure."
According to him, the Church has concentrated its services in recent years on urban residents and neglected villagers despite several Church documents pointing out that more than 70 percent of "people in need of our help" are in villages.
The Jesuit priest pointed out that "globalization and market economy" have driven up the cost of education and health services, making even government services unaffordable and inaccessible to poor villagers.
"In a world where market forces and the state are equally oppressive ... the Church has to find a new way of being Christian in India today," Father George said, calling for a revaluation of the way the Church conducts its educational mission.
Another speaker, Jesuit theologian Father Michael Amaladoss, regretted that Christians do not actively engage in civil society and their presence in social issues is minimal.
The priest based in Chennai, capital of neighboring Tamil Nadu state, presented a paper titled Theological reflections of new way of being Christians in India today. The Church started as a movement of people who sold possessions and shared what they had, he said, but later it became institutionalized and the institution took over the movement.
Father Amaladoss noted "confusion among the Church ranks whether the Church community exists to celebrate sacraments or the sacraments are a symbolic celebration of its life in the world."
Stressing the need for more active participation in civil society, he said the "time has come when we should think of making the Church community again a social movement."
According to him, the clergy claim not only spiritual power but also economic, social and political power within and outside India's Christian community, which accounts for just 2.3 percent of the country's more than 1 billion people.
They should realize their God-given authority is to serve and not for domination, he continued, calling for more lay participation in the Church.
"Laypeople are not mere listeners. They have the right and a duty to participate in the discernment and planning as well as in the action. If they do, then we can look forward to a new series of social teachings that are more practical and oriented to action in civil society, Father Amaladoss said.
The theologian recalled the Church suggested some social changes that did not even work within the Church. "The bishops declared some years ago that the caste system was sinful, but they have not launched any credible movement to abolish it even within the Church," he regretted.
Redemptorist Father Thomas Kocherry, who has led a movement of fisher folk in India for the past three decades, told SMC News the discussions were "part of soul searching" and he found them "meaningful and encouraging."
"We have to bring new dynamics in society and understand different realities surrounding us," he added. As one suggestion, he said the Church "should sensitize the community about environmental degradation along with moral degeneration."
[Permalink] Theologians Worry Indian Church Deviating From Original Christian Mission
ALUVA - Some theologians in India have expressed concern that the Church is deviating from its original Christian mission by neglecting the poor and needy in the country.
Such concerns and regrets were heard at the recent annual meeting of the Indian Theological Association.
Father M.K. George, an educator, presented a paper in which he regretted that Christian educational institutions are "increasingly focusing on cities (and) neglecting the village poor."
Of late the Church in India shows an interest in professional and higher education that demands higher investments and involvement, said the professor of a Jesuit college in Kerala state.
Church's Engagement in Civil Society: A New Way of Being Christian Today was the theme of the meeting held in Kerala at Aluva seminary. The 64 theologians who attended included five laypeople and seven nuns.
Father George says managing institutions for higher education "has become a lucrative business," and Christian educational institutions have joined "in the rat race and are now in the vicious circle of an exploitative structure."
According to him, the Church has concentrated its services in recent years on urban residents and neglected villagers despite several Church documents pointing out that more than 70 percent of "people in need of our help" are in villages.
The Jesuit priest pointed out that "globalization and market economy" have driven up the cost of education and health services, making even government services unaffordable and inaccessible to poor villagers.
"In a world where market forces and the state are equally oppressive ... the Church has to find a new way of being Christian in India today," Father George said, calling for a revaluation of the way the Church conducts its educational mission.
Another speaker, Jesuit theologian Father Michael Amaladoss, regretted that Christians do not actively engage in civil society and their presence in social issues is minimal.
The priest based in Chennai, capital of neighboring Tamil Nadu state, presented a paper titled Theological reflections of new way of being Christians in India today. The Church started as a movement of people who sold possessions and shared what they had, he said, but later it became institutionalized and the institution took over the movement.
Father Amaladoss noted "confusion among the Church ranks whether the Church community exists to celebrate sacraments or the sacraments are a symbolic celebration of its life in the world."
Stressing the need for more active participation in civil society, he said the "time has come when we should think of making the Church community again a social movement."
According to him, the clergy claim not only spiritual power but also economic, social and political power within and outside India's Christian community, which accounts for just 2.3 percent of the country's more than 1 billion people.
They should realize their God-given authority is to serve and not for domination, he continued, calling for more lay participation in the Church.
"Laypeople are not mere listeners. They have the right and a duty to participate in the discernment and planning as well as in the action. If they do, then we can look forward to a new series of social teachings that are more practical and oriented to action in civil society, Father Amaladoss said.
The theologian recalled the Church suggested some social changes that did not even work within the Church. "The bishops declared some years ago that the caste system was sinful, but they have not launched any credible movement to abolish it even within the Church," he regretted.
Redemptorist Father Thomas Kocherry, who has led a movement of fisher folk in India for the past three decades, told SMC News the discussions were "part of soul searching" and he found them "meaningful and encouraging."
"We have to bring new dynamics in society and understand different realities surrounding us," he added. As one suggestion, he said the Church "should sensitize the community about environmental degradation along with moral degeneration."
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
A bank for SC/ST needs
A bank exclusively to meet SC/ST needs?
22 May 2008, 0312 hrs IST,Mahendra Kumar Singh,TNN
NEW DELHI: The government is considering a proposal to set up a national bank for Scheduled Castes and Tribes to ensure "dedicated funding" for the disadvantaged groups.
The bank, likely to be established on the lines of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), will finance economic activities of people belonging to SC/ST groups to uplift their standard of living.
This may be followed by dedicated banks for other socially weaker sections like OBCs, minorities, safai karamcharis and physically- challenged. Under the plan, the government intends to restructure all six national corporations for disadvantaged groups and turn them into full-fledged banks.
On Monday, the Planning Commission held a meeting with chairpersons and directors of the finance and development corporations working for these groups.
Plan panel member Bhalachandra Mungekar said, "There are systemic problems in the functioning of these corporations. The need is to infuse professionalism to ensure that disadvantaged groups get access to adequate credit."
However, Mungekar added, "These corporations are functioning to the best of their competence under the circumstances. The Planning Commission is considering how to turn them into professional organizations with a social purpose and in course of time, this issue will be discussed at a higher level."
Sources said the plan was to convert all six corporations for disadvantaged groups in a phased manner to national level banks which could raise capital from the market and provide special services to these groups on the pattern of Nabard. The move would also protect these organizations from political interference as defeated and retired politicians were often appointed as chairpersons, an official said.
Mungekar called the meeting to review the lending policy, coverage and recovery from beneficiaries and to find out alternate strategies to make these corporations more effective in their functioning. These corporations are generally funded by the central and state governments to ensure that beneficiaries get loans at lower interest rate as commercial banks have failed to fund this section of society.
But it has been noticed that functioning of these corporations were not up to the mark, considering financial inadequacy, dependent on central and state governments, poor recovery and lack of autonomy. The six national corporations were disbursing loans worth Rs 500 crore only every year and annual beneficiaries were just around 30,000.
22 May 2008, 0312 hrs IST,Mahendra Kumar Singh,TNN
NEW DELHI: The government is considering a proposal to set up a national bank for Scheduled Castes and Tribes to ensure "dedicated funding" for the disadvantaged groups.
The bank, likely to be established on the lines of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), will finance economic activities of people belonging to SC/ST groups to uplift their standard of living.
This may be followed by dedicated banks for other socially weaker sections like OBCs, minorities, safai karamcharis and physically- challenged. Under the plan, the government intends to restructure all six national corporations for disadvantaged groups and turn them into full-fledged banks.
On Monday, the Planning Commission held a meeting with chairpersons and directors of the finance and development corporations working for these groups.
Plan panel member Bhalachandra Mungekar said, "There are systemic problems in the functioning of these corporations. The need is to infuse professionalism to ensure that disadvantaged groups get access to adequate credit."
However, Mungekar added, "These corporations are functioning to the best of their competence under the circumstances. The Planning Commission is considering how to turn them into professional organizations with a social purpose and in course of time, this issue will be discussed at a higher level."
Sources said the plan was to convert all six corporations for disadvantaged groups in a phased manner to national level banks which could raise capital from the market and provide special services to these groups on the pattern of Nabard. The move would also protect these organizations from political interference as defeated and retired politicians were often appointed as chairpersons, an official said.
Mungekar called the meeting to review the lending policy, coverage and recovery from beneficiaries and to find out alternate strategies to make these corporations more effective in their functioning. These corporations are generally funded by the central and state governments to ensure that beneficiaries get loans at lower interest rate as commercial banks have failed to fund this section of society.
But it has been noticed that functioning of these corporations were not up to the mark, considering financial inadequacy, dependent on central and state governments, poor recovery and lack of autonomy. The six national corporations were disbursing loans worth Rs 500 crore only every year and annual beneficiaries were just around 30,000.
Dalit leader demands Buddhist control over Bodh Gaya temple
Dalit leader demands Buddhist control over Bodh Gaya temple
Wed, May 21 05:02 PM
Patna, May 21 (IANS) Dalit leader and Republican Party of India (RPI) MP Ramdas Athavale has come out in support of monks demanding Buddhist control over the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya, Buddhism's holiest shrine.
'We strongly favour Buddhist control over the management of the Mahabodhi temple and to ensure it we seek an amendment to the Mahabodhi Temple Management Act, 1949,'' said Athavale, who is also president of the RPI-Athawale.
Athavale, who visited the temple at Bodh Gaya, about 110 km from here, told IANS over telephone Wednesday that he urged the Bihar government to initiate the process for an amendment to the law.
According to the law, the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BGTMC) should comprise four Buddhists and the same number of Hindu members for a three-year period with the Gaya district magistrate as its ex-officio chairman and the mahant or the presiding priest of the Sankaracharya Math (Saivite monastery in Bodh Gaya) as ex-officio Hindu member.
The state government nominates a Hindu as chairman when the district magistrate is a non-Hindu.
Athavale said there should be five Buddhist members in the BGTMC and three Hindu members and the clause about only district magistrate's religion should be removed.
The temple got a governing panel last week after a gap of eight months.
Various groups of Buddhist monks have been fighting for over a decade and a half seeking an amendment to the law so that management can be handed over to Buddhists.
The 1,500-year-old temple at Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment 2,550 years ago, was declared a World Heritage Site in 2002 by Unesco.
Wed, May 21 05:02 PM
Patna, May 21 (IANS) Dalit leader and Republican Party of India (RPI) MP Ramdas Athavale has come out in support of monks demanding Buddhist control over the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya, Buddhism's holiest shrine.
'We strongly favour Buddhist control over the management of the Mahabodhi temple and to ensure it we seek an amendment to the Mahabodhi Temple Management Act, 1949,'' said Athavale, who is also president of the RPI-Athawale.
Athavale, who visited the temple at Bodh Gaya, about 110 km from here, told IANS over telephone Wednesday that he urged the Bihar government to initiate the process for an amendment to the law.
According to the law, the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BGTMC) should comprise four Buddhists and the same number of Hindu members for a three-year period with the Gaya district magistrate as its ex-officio chairman and the mahant or the presiding priest of the Sankaracharya Math (Saivite monastery in Bodh Gaya) as ex-officio Hindu member.
The state government nominates a Hindu as chairman when the district magistrate is a non-Hindu.
Athavale said there should be five Buddhist members in the BGTMC and three Hindu members and the clause about only district magistrate's religion should be removed.
The temple got a governing panel last week after a gap of eight months.
Various groups of Buddhist monks have been fighting for over a decade and a half seeking an amendment to the law so that management can be handed over to Buddhists.
The 1,500-year-old temple at Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment 2,550 years ago, was declared a World Heritage Site in 2002 by Unesco.
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