Religion, Caste And Tribe Based Reservation - 3

[Sunder]

<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Jun 15 2006, 09:28 PM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Jun 15 2006, 09:28 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>After quota, Centre mulls 22.5 pc budgetary share for SC/STs </b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Will 22.5% of the tax revenues also be levied only from SC/STs?

[Guest]

Mudy:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Next Paswan will ask for seperate country on caste basis with Muslim as King. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Do you know that UP govt has requested all universities to submit a count of Muslim students? Was on Zee couple days ago? Seems like there's some kind of competition between UPA allies as to who best can divide Indians? Obiviously, the reward is vote banks. I hope people see through this and chase these buggers off.

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Will 22.5% of the tax revenues also be levied only from SC/STs? <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Oh!! they will get tax exemption.

[G.Subramaniam]

The following is a sarcastic post by Shiv at BR, but he has unwittiingly hit the truth

Reservations are masterminded by xtian conversionists
For example the dravidianist movement was/is missionary controlled

---------------

Oh absolutely. But there is enough material here to gel well with Acharya's conspiracy theories. I am going to make a statement that I do not believe myself - but tell me if it doesn't sound good:

Sonia Gandhi and the Congress are part of a group that seek to weaken the bonds between Hindus by forcing a reservation division between the "forward" castes and "middle" castes. As the FCs get alienated they will be allowed to get into minority education seats by converting - which will be the next step after causing alienation. There will then be a rush for convesrion by all castse - which is the real long term plan.

[Guest]

http://newstodaynet.com/guest/1206gu1.htm
<b>Dangerous signals</b>- M V KAMATH

[Guest]

{Came via email}

<b>Demand by missionaries and mullas for treating Dalit Christian and muslim converts on par with S/C and S/T Hindus for purposes of Constitutional and other legal privileges.</b>

It is widely known that the present Government at the Center, deeply intent to make the religious minorities special citizens and a vote bank in elections, has set up the present National Commission for religious and linguistic minorities, under the chair of Justice Ranganath Mishra. The Commission does not have any Hindu voice as a member and is loaded with known Hindu baiters representing the two large and powerful religious minorities in the country. The silver lining, however, is that Ex-Chief Justice Sri Ranganath Mishra is in the Chair of the Commission.

The Commission has invited public opinion on “requests to designate scheduled caste Hindu converts to Islam and Christianity as Scheduled castes”. The time limit given is three weeks.

This matter was considered many times in the past both within GOI and by the Judiciary. The demand was rejected more than once in both.

The arguments against the demand are known. Still, from a well-written representation ( Kerala Branch of the Federation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) given to the Mishra Commission, I summarise below a few points:

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->· Christians and Muslims may be numerically ‘minority’ but they are much more powerful, than the so called ‘majority’ Hindus, with their enormous worldwide resources which are put to conversion. This demand is nothing more than another attempt to secure more sinew for conversion and for grabbing political power.
· Please refer to Project Joshua and the new project Thessalonica (see attachment).
· Converts already enjoy all benefits, as Hindu OBCs and now they want the privileges of S/C and S/T. Why?
· Constitutional benefits for S/c and S/t were meant to mitigate the disabilities on account of ‘untouchability’ a phenomenon that dogged Hindu society for several hundred years. Christian conversion is primarily based on the inapplicability of any such kind of caste disability after conversion.
· Comparing these minority religions with Budhism or Sikhism (converts to these religions don’t lose their S/C and S/T benefits) is invalid because they are not aggressive prosyletising religions.
· The very term S/C and S/T has a nexus exclusively with Hindu religion. The present demand mischievously wants to remove this nexus.
· Given the SC Judgements capping reservations, conceding the demand will definitely mean that S/C and S/T who refuse to convert will definitely lose, with the eligibility of converted “Dalits” to same treatment.
· In 1996 the National Commission on S/C and S/T, clearly opined that this demand must not be accepted for a variety of reasons.
· The Planning Commission also was not in favour of this demand.
· The Supreme Court has held, inter alia, against the demand in Soosai vs Union Of India ( AIR 1986, SC 733) with elaborate analysis of the entire concept of special privileges for the deprived castes within Hinduism. The present Government is attempting to nullify that judgement by encouraging concerted religious minority pressure.
· Converted Christians already enjoy all benefits of reservation in education and in employment under Art 15(4) and 16(4) of the Constitution. The present demand, spearheaded by the World Council of Churches and the Indian counterparts is really to secure reservation of seats in legislatures, Panchayats,Municipalities etc. under Art. 330,332, 243D and 243T of the Constitution, and also in governing bodies of Statutory institutions. This means without any doubt “political power” to overwhelm Hindu majority in the entire polity. This is a diabolical move. See how much clout these two ‘minority’ religions wield already in the Northeast, in Kerala and a large number of electoral constituencies ( Religious demography of India by Center for Policy Studies ).<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<b>Project Thessalonica</b>
Can Hinduism face the onslaught of Project Thessalonica?
Alex Pomero
in a Croatian Newspaper

Some months back I watched a documentary which aired an interview with a young Palestinian terrorist. Most people would be appalled simply at the fact that someone who had killed innocent people is being treated like a celebrity and given an opportunity to "explain" himself. But what was more shocking was that he showed absolutely no remorse for having killed innocent people on the streets of Israel, including women and children. Worse still was the fact that even the parents of those youngsters supported the violent activities of their children. The reason: they were simply doing their religious duty as true Muslims. For them killing an innocent bystander is Jihad, the God-ordained religious duty of every Muslim.

I was born to Catholic parents and raised by a missionary Catholic mother and an abusive, born-again Christian, who I will refer to only as "my mother's husband". I was raised in an "ideal" Christian environment, and would have followed my parents' footsteps and would have spread hate against other religions, if it weren't for a fortuitous meeting I had with a Chinese friend of my dorm roommate. Little did I realize then that the chance encounter would end up being a turning point in my life.

The Chinese student was Buddhist who talked about meditation and its advantages. Finding it curious I checked with my University library for some books on meditation. After some searching, I found a book on Transcendental Meditation ™, a meditation technique founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. That book sparked a profound spiritual and emotional transformation in me and I have never looked back. My thirst for knowledge led me to read more about TM and its roots in Hinduism. I started reading every book on Hinduism I could lay my hands on. In the Ramayana, I came across the life of Lord Rama and his only wife Sita. Hindus consider Rama and Sita to be the ideal couple and the path shown by them as the perfect man-woman relationship. It was a refreshing change from the abusive relationship I had witnessed and experienced in my own Christian family.

The wisdom and spirituality that I found in Hinduism has no parallels. There is practically no aspect of life that is not dealt with in detail by the innumerable texts that are a part of Hinduism. There are texts which deal with the mundane aspects of day-to-day living and those which deal with more profound questions such as those about life and death. To me, the most fascinating aspect of Hinduism was that it was inclusive, respectful and tolerant of all people and their various beliefs, in stark contrast to the exclusivity that pervaded my native religion. Unfortunately the adherents of the latter seem to be on a mission to destroy Hinduism.

Josh, my childhood friend with whom I communicate frequently was trained in a seminary is currently a Baptist missionary. I met Josh during my recent trip to USA. He had just returned from India and was going back again in November. Much of our conversation centered on his current assignment as part of something called Project Thessalonica. Josh was very passionate when he spoke of Project Thessalonica - passionate in a scary kind of way. In his eyes I could see the same resolve that was visible in the Palestinian terrorist in the interview.

Project Thessalonica is a sub-project of Joshua Project II. Joshua Project II set the scope and strategy for converting the "heathen" of the world in 10-40 window (regions that lie between the latitudes of 10 and 40 degrees north) whereas project Thessalonica (called PT) prioritizes the tasks to be taken. Joshua Project II strategized the methodology called 'Adopt-a-peoples' wherein every mission agency or church adopted a 'people group'. Tribals were the first and easy missionary targets. Unfortunately the missionary activity didn't weaken Hinduism as the church strategists had anticipated - many of the converts still celebrated and attended Hindu festivals and continued to follow Hindu traditions. As a counter measure Project Thessalonica was started in 2004. Before getting into the details of Project Thessalonica it will be useful to look at the origins of the name of the project.

Thessalonica was a major port city strategically located at the junction of the main land route from Italy to the east and the main route from the Danube down to the Aegean Sea. It was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia, a free city ruled by a popular assembly and magistrates. The people of this city were rich, technologically advanced and culturally distinct. Paul and Silas, during the Apostle's second missionary journey, visited Thessalonica to preach the Gospel and propagate Christianity. However, Paul's teachings received a lukewarm response from the people. Some locals irritated by Paul's teachings got a hold of Jason and his brothers, who were hosting Paul, and took them to city officials. They were charged with harboring traitors, but faced no physical harm. They were eventually made to post a bond and set free. In 390 AD, the Christian ruler Theodosius the Great, punished a revolt by the inhabitants of the city by massacring more than 7000 people. Much of the city was eventually converted to Christianity.

A few observations about the city of Thessalonica at the time of Paul will make its relevance to today's world clear. First the city was strategically located in terms of access to other cities by both land and sea. Before their forced conversion to Christianity, its inhabitants were economically and culturally prosperous. Perhaps more importantly they were tolerant, which explains why, inspire of provocation, the lives of Paul, Jason and his brothers were spared. The government was also indifferent to the missionaries and the adverse impact of their activities on the people.

Hindus in India today are in the same situation as the people of Thessalonica found themselves in at the time of Paul. They are prosperous economically and culturally and extremely tolerant of other people and faiths. The government is completely indifferent to the activities of the missionaries in India, in spite of the tremendous damage that missionary activity has wrought on the local population all over India. Seen in this context, the choice of "Thessalonica" as a name for a project focused on converting Hindus of India to Christianity seems particularly apt.

Project Thessalonica aims to stop or limit Hindu activity by converting people who form the pillars of Hindu culture, festivals, traditions and activity. Traditionally missionaries hate any public expression or display of heathen religions in the form of festivals and temples. Missions want to ensure that no new temple construction activity starts. With this objective they are converting masons, craftsmen and others involved in temple construction activity. The First Baptist Church of Nashville, Tennessee adopted towns where the annual Kumbh Mela takes place and has been actively converting the locals so that visitors face extreme hardship during their next visit trying to find services and supplies. Another mission group is adopting boatmen of Kasi where Hindus drop rice balls in river Ganges as an offering to their forefathers. The boatsmen are being trained in other fields so that they abandon this profession. They are making environmental groups raise the voice so that Ganesh processions, Kumbh Melas and Jagannath Rath Yatras are limited. One big worry seems to the extremely popular Hindu television programs. Christian agencies have decided on buying these prime slots at a premium and are actively working with programming sources. Over the past 20 years, missionaries also appear to have invested a lot in handling the political leadership, so much so that their activities appear to be almost immune to the ruling political party. It seems that a good section of media is also on their side to such an extent that any group opposing their activity finds itself identified as a militant or extremist group in the news media.

My friend Josh doesn't have any sense of remorse, guilt or reasoning when he speaks about converting the "heathens" of India through any means. Instead he shows a sense of pride and achievement as he believes that he is simply implementing God's word as written in the Bible. Just like the Islamic terrorist in the interview.

With Christian Jihadis like Josh at the forefront of missionary activities in India, one can only hope that Hindus don't face the same fate as the people of Thessalonica.

Additional reading

1. http://www.neglectedfields.net/
2. http://in.christiantoday.com/news/mis_166.htm
A sample of the missionary mischief " A year back, when First Baptist volunteers first set foot in India, the nation appeared overrun with idolatry and spiritual darkness. However, the mission team sees signs of hope".
To learn more about Project Thessalonica, e-mail project.thessalonica@neglectedfields.net or call the International Mission Board at 1-800-999-3113.
3. http://www.scbaptist.org/-1999999487/-1999941961.htm

[Guest]

Public opinion on SC converts sought by panel
Express news service
Posted online: Friday, June 09, 2006 at 0000 hrs IST
New Delhi, June 8

The National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities (NCRLM) headed by Justice Ranganath Misra has sought public opinion on <b>‘‘requests to designate Scheduled Caste Hindu converts to Islam and Christianity as SCs.’’</b>

The NCRLM is also holding discussions with various private and non-government agencies over the matter, a statement issued by the Ministry of Minority affairs said today.

NGOs and members of the public are requested to inform the Commission of their views within a period of three weeks.

<b>Last year, the Centre directed the NCRLM to look into the demands to specify Scheduled Caste converts to Islam and Christianity as SCs as part of its larger terms of reference. Headed by former Chief Justice of India Ranganath Misra, the
Commission is entrusted with the responsibility to recommend welfare measures for disadvantaged sections among religious and linguistic minorities including reservation.</b>

[Guest]

Finally...Please chime in.....

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->
The comiision's Email Id is ncrlm2005@rediffmail.com. The postal address is "Member Secretary, NCRLM, Gate 30, II Floor, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium New Delhi 110003 

The Chairman's postal address is 31, Aurangazeb Road New Delhi 110001 and that of the member secretary, a retired secretary to GOI, is Ms. Asha Das, D-297, sarvodaya Enclave, G/F, New Delhi.The Email Id of member  secretary is das_asha@yahoo.com
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->To
Chairman
NCRLM, Gate 30, II Floor
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
New Delhi 110003 

Sub: <b>Please don’t finance conversions</b>

Dear Justice R Mishra
This is to urge you strongly to kindly reject the motivated and ill-considered proposal to extend privileges provided under the Constitution for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to converts to non-Hindu faiths.

            The demand by Christian groups for special privileges to so-called 'Christian Dalits' are a fraud on the Dalits and a ruse to finance conversions to Christianity through the public exchequer. The Supreme Court in a landmark judgment of 1977 (Chief Justice AN Ray) had noted that, "if a person purposely undertakes the conversion of another to his religion, that would impinge on the freedom of conscience guaranteed to all citizens of the country alike".

            You would be aware that the Christian missionaries spread serious disaffection in society by their blasphemy against Hindu divinities, and divide society into warring factions by promoting ill-will and distrust amongst various groups, so as to win converts. A key argument made in this process is that they are promoting equality and the brotherhood of man. Yet this equality vanishes the moment the low caste converts leave their old family, culture and social group behind and seek to enter the churches as equals. Then they are given separate churches and even cemeteries! And now the responsibility for all this evil perpetrated by the church is placed at the door of Hindu society which is doing much to mitigate the lot of these groups.

             The church is keeping all its foreign funds for further evangelization, rather than the economic upliftment of the converted from poor sections of society. Thus, it willfully aggravates social unrest and inequality.

Any extension of privileges guaranteed under the Constitution to a Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to converts will doubly reward Church duplicity. It will be nothing short of State sponsored or State financed evangelization, which is blatantly unconstitutional. It will completely destroy the social fabric of the nation and will divide the nation on communal lines. In this regard, one is compelled to ask to what extent the Catholic affiliation of UPA chairperson Ms. Sonia Gandhi is responsible for the consideration of such a disastrous proposal at this moment in history.

            It is well known that the term 'Dalit' is a political invention with no sanction in Indian tradition. 'Dalit' theology is specifically by Christian evangelical and proselytizing groups funded by America , whose administration is taking undue interest in India ’s internal matters, to which UPA is a silent spectator.

In the name of national unity and integration, I urge the Hon'ble Commission to reject any moves to provide for special privileges to converts to Christianity.

(Sandhya Jain)
Columnist
The Pioneer
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>What women want </b>
Shailaja Chandra
Pioneer.com
<b>More than reservation, Indian women need equal opportunities in educational and professional fields for their collective emancipation------ </b>When it comes to stereo-typing women, little has changed in the last five decades. In a recent television programme, a former Cabinet Secretary did all the talking (for men). The women participants had the satisfaction of reminding viewers that India has never had a woman Home Secretary, Finance Secretary, Defence Secretary, Comptroller and Auditor General, Central Vigilance Commissioner, Chief Election Commissioner or Cabinet Secretary.

Women are seen as lacking core experience, number-crunching ability, accessibility, flexibility and the capacity to think big, to name a few oft-repeated deficiencies. Type-casting them into softer areas starts from the beginning and seldom stops.

In I960, when I had just finished the senior Cambridge examination with flying colours, my preference was medicine. The reaction was typical: "Oh but that would be a very long and hard life. Why not just becomes a lecturer? It is a light job and you can spare time for the family."

I stood my ground until my brother, a product of a liberal education at St Stephen's College, sneered: "Oh I can just see you, Shailaja Dhume, Lady Doctor, in Lower Parel - a signboard hanging from the upper storey of a grocery shop seen only by double decker bus passengers."

The whole family burst out laughing. There and then whatever ambition I had to become a doctor was buried.

In the 1970s, I shared a car pool with another woman officer. On reaching office she spent hours on the telephone with her mother-in-law discussing domestic trivia. I asked her why she needed to indulge in this purposeless conversation. She told me frankly her husband's career was the couple's first priority and in order to keep him happy, his mother had to be kept in good humour. Predictably, the husband did rise in his career while hers soon stagnated. Strangely she did not seem to care.
 
In the early 1980s, I was in the Ministry of Defence and was called by the Defence Secretary and told that I would occupy the position of Joint Secretary (Ordnance). That did not happen and I was told to leave the Ministry. I felt humiliated and demanded to be told what had happened. One of the reasons I came to know later was the apprehension that people would not even be able to ask me out for a drink! I was bundled off to an energy outfit and patronisingly advised to specialise in propagating smokeless chulhas, while my male colleagues strutted around spouting about electricity, petroleum and coal.

When my daughter finished her class 10 examination, my husband insisted that she must opt for mathematics up to class 12. Mother Superior of the Convent dismissed the request. I was told to change the child's school, if I wanted a combination of humanities and maths.

In the past, the UGC had wisely recommended: "Mathematics and science are important subjects and adequate preparation is essential to gain admission to significant courses at the University stage. Special efforts should, therefore, be made to encourage girls study mathematics and science at the secondary stage and special efforts should be made to prepare woman teachers of mathematics and science."

Today, of 20 women's colleges in Delhi University, only 11 offer science courses. Most, however, offer a professional bachelor's programme in elementary education. School teaching is still considered as the most suitable career for women.

The gap in educational and professional prospects between the sexes is a universal phenomenon. In the UK, the differences have been attributed to ''wrong choices made (by women) early in their careers... sliding into dead-end and part-time jobs after they have children, with serious consequences for their future career earning". Boys were found pursuing subjects that led to more lucrative careers. "Mother-hood" was found to be the fundamental reason for further widening the gap between men and women once they started their careers.

Much more important than reservation for women is the need to encourage and enable girls to study science and mathematics. Otherwise, like the raging controversy, which Larry Summers (president, Harvard University) sparked off, we may also end up questioning women's brainpower and their capacity to work 80-hour a week. Without giving a fair opportunity, how can one question their lack of innate ability to understand science and maths and proceed to close doors on them forever?

It is the same when it comes to the professions. Do we wail for wider opportunities to be opened for women and expand their career options; or, do we give them cynosure appointments to appear politically correct? When offered a gubernatorial assignment, former CEC TN Seshan is reported to have declined saying he wanted work, not a job. Whereas women are considered material to be made governors and chairpersons of organisations in charge of women and children's welfare, they are considered unfit to head organisations, including ministries involved in 'hard areas'.

<b>That is the change that women should seek to bring about, instead of dreaming that reservation in Parliament will make a lot of difference to their learning or earning power - much less their reputation for innate competence. </b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Excellent article.
I agree with her, woman avoid taking responsibility, those who does have to fight system, home, every single shoulder and it’s like daily battle or never ending sorry story. Once one gets out of state of mind to prove others life becomes easier and fight turns into excellent competition.
Reservation will not serve purpose; woman should take initiative and rise on its own. It’s not a difficult task. Physically they may be weak but that can be overcome by using brain.
Condition of Indian woman is far better than western woman.

[Guest]

<b>Vajpayee is OBC, so are Arjun Singh, Karat and Rajnath </b> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->That’s according to caste certificates, officially sealed and delivered to The Sunday Express for a “fee” ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 500. These certificates can now be used to get all benefits—from jobs to college admissions—available as per government policy
.............
• Vajpayee was declared as an Ahir by the Faizabad collectorate, when he is a Brahmin.

• BJP president Rajnath Singh, a Rajput, is, on paper in Faizabad, now a Kurmi.

• Two OBC certificates, issued from two different places, declare Arjun Singh an Ahir in Faizabad and a Kahar in Kanpur.

• Deepak Kumar, a Rajput, former District Magistrate and present Vice-Chairman of Kanpur Development Authority, is now a Kahar.

• Prakash Karat’s certificate issued by the Lucknow office makes him a Garadia.

All these certificates can be obtained in a day and from one place but The Sunday Express team tested it for over a week obtaining one or two certificates on one day and tried the same the next day, and the next, to see how easy it is.

From Lucknow itself, the newspaper obtained a pile of blank but stamped certificates of “caste,” “domicile,” “character,” “birth,” “motor vehicles registration”

— you name it. On these blank forms, official signatures could be forged.

But The Sunday Express got the certificates duly issued by a proper authority with serial numbers and actual signatures. Names of high-caste prominent people were deliberately used to explain how vulnerable the system is and how blindly the certificates are signed.

Evidently, it didn’t occur to anyone how an Atal Behari Vajpayee can be an OBC.

Just contact the relevant tout, give them the name, the address, the caste and the cash. The certificates are home-delivered within three to five hours.

No questions asked, no one cares to check documents, no interviews as per due process. Nothing.

<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[G.Subramaniam]

Upper caste hindus need to take a longer term perspective of reservations

In pre-partition India, upper caste hindus agreed to reservations quota for
'meritless and unqualified' muslims

One of Ambedkars main gripes was that while upper caste hindus were too quick to grant reservations to muslims they bitterly opposed it for backward caste hindus

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Uproar over caste census of DU profs </b>
MEENAL Dubey
New Delhi
<b>DO SC/ST teachers in Delhi University face any “difficulties” in their colleges? Do they get “cooperation from colleagues/college authorities”?</b> The DU administration has sent a circular to all its colleges, asking SC/ST teachers to fill a form, answering the above two questions. The colleges have also been asked to keep a roster of their SC/ST staff in every department.
As caste politics enter the staff room, the move is being opposed by both general-category teachers and the SC/ST Teachers’ Association.

The circular (which is with HT) has been issued by H.H. Baa, deputy registrar (colleges). It asks college authorities “to circulate the performa… amongst the teaching faculty belonging to SC/ST categories and arrange to get it filled by them. It is also requested to provide a copy of the roster maintained by the college in each teaching department”. This roster is of the teaching and non-teaching staff who belong to the SC/ST category.

Baa was not available for comments.

Former president of the Delhi University Teachers Association, Aditya N. Mishra, says, “How can the university create a distinction between teachers on the basis of caste?

This is unfair and appalling. If a teacher has a grievance, the university should take action.” Dhani Ram, a member of the DU’s SC/ST Teachers’ Association who has written a letter to Baa protesting against the circular, says, <b>“Why are SC/ST teachers being singled out for special treatment? The circular is unconstitutional. It’s not even relevant under the university rules. So on what basis did the deputy registrar issue it?” </b>NOTE OUT A DU circular asks SC/ST teachers of all colleges to fill a form, stating if they face any difficulties <b>All departments are asked to keep a roster of the SC/ST staff Teachers say the move is discriminatory as it divides teachers on the basis of caste Principals point out that it is bound to create tension</b>
epaper.hindustantimes.com
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<!--emo&:roll--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Next time someone asks you why India doesn't make it into World cup, here's a possible explanation.
[url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1661323.cms][/url]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->BANGALORE: The Oversight Committee, preparing a roadmap to implement the 27% quota in higher education, seems to have drawn inspiration from the ongoing soccer World Cup. At least in terms of the diversity quotient of participating nations.

Committee chairman M Veerappa Moily says, "The soccer World Cup selection goes to show that when weaker sections are given equal opportunity and access as other sections of the society, hidden talent emerges. It also broadens talent base and facilitates diversity."

The committee, which has five core groups working in different streams of higher education, has not restricted its discussions to classroom and faculty.

In a note circulated during the committee’s meetings, the implementation of the proposed quota system is compared to the zonal representation practised by soccer’s governing body, FIFA.

"If one were to go by the FIFA world-ranking, the top 32 teams would have qualified for the World Cup.

However, FIFA has established a qualifying format based on reservation that enables nations from all continents to play at the highest level," Moily told TOI...

FIFA has segmented the world into six zones — Africa, Asia, Europe, North & Central America and Caribbean, South America and Oceania. For the World Cup finals, each zone can send a specific number of qualifiers.

"This qualifying format has provided African, Asian and other nations with limited soccer infrastructure and resources the opportunity to get exposure to the World Cup.

This has resulted in more and more world class players emerging from the backward soccer zones of Africa and Asia during the last 15 years.

The past few World Cups have also seen many African and Asian nations advancing into the quarter-finals and semi-finals," the note said.

The qualifying formula has provided an opportunity for players from many nations from every part of the world to display their talent on the world stage.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

Caste and creed replace necessities?
TAVLEEN SINGH,Thursday, June 15, 2006

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Bihar and UP have become increasingly backward in development terms <b>but voters here appear to believe that caste and creed are more important than drinking water and electricity</b>

By a happy coincidence I went to have coffee with Arun Shourie in his elegant Delhi home the day his new book came out. It is called Falling Over Backwards: an essay against reservations and against judicial populism and it could not have come out at a more propitious time. Had he anticipated Arjun Singhs 27% quota, I asked between sips of freshly brewed coffee, and he said he had seen the writing on the wall on account of being a Rajya Sabha MP and because of his familiarity with the mood of the political class. <b>He sensed the advent of other backward casteism even before the Supreme Court judgement last year that forbade caste quotas in private schools and colleges.</b>

It was a result of this judgement that the government went ahead with the 93rd amendment to the constitution that make caste quotas a constitutional requirement. <b>It was under the shelter of this amendment that Arjun Singh came out with his OBC quota.</b>

In Delhis political circles they say the Human Resource Development Ministers sudden concern for other backward castes was a consequence of rumours that he was about to be kicked upstairs into some governorship. <b>Now, of course, he cannot be moved because neither Sonia Gandhi nor the Prime Minister can risk being seen by OBC voters as anti-backward castes</b>. Not after the abysmal performance of the Congress Party in the recent assembly elections in Bihar and not with elections in Uttar Pradesh looming early next year. These two states have been the bastions of OBC leaders like Laloo Prasad and Mulayam Singh Yadav for nearly two decades. They have become increasingly backward in development terms but voters here appear to believe that caste and creed are more important than drinking water and electricity.

Besides, its not as if either of our two largest political parties have offered them a choice between caste and development. Quite the opposite. Both Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have competed for the caste vote despite evidence that this is a game that casteist leaders like Laloo, Mulayam and Mayawati will always play better.

Nehru opposed reservations too  Arun Shouries book begins with Jawaharlal Nehrus letter to chief ministers dated June 27, 1961 in which he opposes reservations for scheduled castes and tribes in the strongest terms. It is too long a letter to quote here but let me give you a paragraph, They deserve help but, even so I dislike any kind of reservation, more particularly in Services. <b>I react strongly against anything which leads to inefficiency and second-rate standards. I want my country to be a first class country in everything.</b> The moment we encourage the second-rate we are lost. Ah, if Panditji could see what his grand daughter-in- laws government is seeking to impose upon us by way of reservations for those castes whose backwardness is itself uncertain.

In his new book, Shourie provides the most compelling arguments against reservations pointing out that the very basis on which OBC quotas are being provided is flawed. The last caste census done in India was in 1931 in which census officers from across the country reported that caste lines were becoming blurred on account of economic and technological developments.

Arun reminds us that today, By contrast, journalists and pollsters declaim with such confidence, Our Exit Poll shows that Kurmis have deserted Congress and are flocking to…. Not just politicians, even judges talk as if India is what it was, in fact what some text collated over 700 years says it should have been twenty-five hundred years ago.

<b>In the many years I have known Arun as an editor and a friend the thing I have admired most about him is his ability to immerse himself totally in researching an issue and writing about it only when he knows everything there is to know about the subject. He has done exactly this with reservations. </b>

So, how backward are the OBCs?

He damns the Mandal Commission in its own words by pointing out that the commission itself was worried about the reliability of the information it was getting. Listen to this. In the end it may be emphasised that this survey has no pretensions to being a piece of academic research. It has been conducted by the administrative machinery of the government and used as a rough and ready tool for evolving a set of simple criteria for identifying social and educational backwardness. On this uncertain premise is based the decision to provide 27% quotas for those of backward caste, although we are not absolutely sure who these castes are and whether they remain educationally backward.

It is not just government policies that emerge from the book as being seriously flawed, it is also the judgements of many eminent judges. Based on a meticulous reading of pronouncements gathered from many courts and many cases Arun draws a worrying portrait of wooly-headed judges holding forth on history and caste without understanding either. In many cases it is because of judicial activism that governments have gone ahead with social justice schemes that are often meaningless and retrograde.

I am running out of my allotted space so cannot go into details here but I urge anyone even slightly interested in caste quotas and social justice, to go out and buy Arun Shouries new book. <b>I would urge policymakers to read it as well but know they will not because it is not social justice or education that motivates them, but votes. </b>

If this means betraying the legacy of Congress icons like Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi so be it.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

While the sh1tty politicians such as Meira, Sonia and bast@rds such as Durjun Singh are destroying India, look at how effectively Rajasthan goverment using private sector as a tool to cater to the poor.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/7250.html

<b>Boardroom in classroom: India Inc is helping script mid-day meal success story in Rajasthan</b>
Sandipan Sharma

Rajasthan, MP face-off over Chambal waterUma gears up to takeAnti-conversion Bill will go back to Governor: Raje govtVasundhara team went to Bengal for lessons in poll-winBamboo gazing: Erratic rains, calamity

JAIPUR, JUNE 24:This week’s front-page stories about India Inc getting into big-ticket infrastructure, real estate, agro-processing and information technology pushed into the sidelines another significant foray by corporate India. This time, into the mid-day meal scheme in Rajasthan.

Responding to an aggressive campaign by the state government to attract the private sector to ramp up its mid-day meal scheme, the biggest corporate names in India and abroad and industry-backed NGOs are adopting district after district in the state to ensure that children coming to schools get high-quality meals during their lunch breaks.

The Birla group, Mahindra and Mahindra, Infosys, DCM Sriram and Sterlite groups are already part of the scheme in Rajasthan. The Tatas, Oberois, Nevatias (Gujarat Ambuja), and even steel king L N Mittal have also expressed their interest to join.

Confirming this, the state’s mid-day meal scheme director Sudhansh Pant said: “More than 4.5 lakh children in Rajasthan are getting extremely nutritious food prepared by some of the big industrial houses in the country.”

Rajasthan is arguably the only state in India which has been able to attract so much support from the private sector for this scheme. The involvement of the private sector in the scheme, launched in July under the directives of the Supreme Court, is a result of a well-devised public-private partnership.

There are more than 73 lakh students in various primary schools of Rajasthan. And though the state and the Centre set aside a provisional budget of nearly Rs 580 crore, the average amount that the state could spend on a student, including the transportation cost, was just Rs 3.20 per meal.

Besides this finance crunch, the quality of meals was constrained by the lack of organized infrastructure and cooking facilities. Aware of these constraints, a few months ago the state Government, led by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, launched a campaign to enlist the support of the private sector, sending individual letters to industrial houses. The state government is also constructing more than 25,000 mid-day meal kitchens and stores as part of the ongoing drought relief works.

The Bangalore-based Akshay Patra Foundation (supported by Infosys) was the first to take up the cause, triggering a trend. Today, nine corporate houses and NGOs like the Naandi Foundation—backed by several Hyderabad corporates— run the scheme in 11 towns of Rajasthan. Eleven others have signed up MoUs for supporting the scheme in several districts.

The Rajasthan Government provides the food grain and conversion cost of Rs 2 per child (the highest in the country) to these organizations. With inputs from the organizations that enhance the quality and nutrition value, the meals are then cooked in centralized kitchens set up by these organizations and served in hot cases to the children.

Apart from preparing meals, the private sector is also contributing generously to create the mid-day meal infrastructure in the state. “We have received donations (and proposals) in excess of Rs 4.5 crore for setting up the infrastructure from industrial houses,” Pant told The Sunday Express.

Infosys, Tata, Birla, Mittal, M&M, Oberois...

Already Functioning

• Naandi Foundation (supported by Reddy Labs, Satyam and several other Hyderabad-based corporates): Udaipur (70,000 students), Bhilwara (15000)

• Akshay Patra (Infosys): Jaipur (53,200), Baran (10,600), Rajsamand (10,000)
• QRG Foundation (Havell’s): Alwar (10,000)

Proposals Received

• Hindustan Zinc Ltd: Kapasan, Gangrar, Nimbahera (80,000)
• DCM Sriram & R K Marbles: Kishangarh (20000)
• Tatas, Oberoi, L N Mittal (have responded to state’s request, details being worked out)

Financial Assistance

• AV Birla Group (Chittorgarh): Rs 1.12 crore
• Mahindra and Mahindra (Udaipur): Rs 1 crore
• DCM Sriram Group (Jhalawar): Rs 50 lakh<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<b>Caste-based reservation is ‘Operation Destroy India’ </b>

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Jun 25 2006, 09:16 PM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Jun 25 2006, 09:16 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Caste-based reservation is ‘Operation Destroy India’ </b>
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><i>Both Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi are very busy persons and may not have much time to read old documents and hence this respectful attempt to help them out.</i>
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Don't know about MMS. He is acting as a dummy idiot. But this ITALIAN mafia QUEEN has read them all. It is her intention to DESTROY the fabric of Indian society. This b1tch was unable to watch how India is progressing and how western nations are going down while India is going up...

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><i>An angry Rajiv Gandhi shot out: "Does the government subscribe to the Mandal Commission view that political constituencies should be carved out on a caste basis? Are we going back to the Round Table Conference for having separate electorates? That was designed to break our country, Sir".</i>
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This exactly what the ITLIAN MAFIA wants... What an opportunity for this woman as bast@ards such as Durjan Singh are out to destroy India

[Guest]

<b>'Poor must be helped but quota is not the way'</b>

Excellent interview.