News from the CPI(M): [Marxistindia] folders on women, dalits&tribals and disabled released today by Brinda Karat

marxistindia
news from the cpi(m)

March 30, 2009

AAM AADMI SUFFERS IN
'HIGH GROWTH' INDIA:
Highlights of
Folders on (1) Dalits &
Tribals, (2) Women (3)
Differently Abled

A. Dalits and Tribals

1.Dalits and Adivasis
together constitute 25%
of the population. Yet
governments headed by
the BJP and the Congress
have pursued neo-liberal
policies that
intensified their
problems.

Employment:

2.In its CMP, the
Congress-led Government
promised time-bound
filling up of all
reservation quotas,
through a new
Reservation Act and
reservation in the
private sector. Instead,
of the 1,70,000 posts
lying vacant in the
Railways alone, 32,600
SCs and STs posts are
not yet filled up. Over
13,000 vacancies in the
promotional quota were
denied on grounds of
'merit' and thousands of
jobs denied in direct
recruitment.

3.They buckled under
corporate pressure and
did not take forward the
assurance for
reservations in the
private sector.

4.The Government brought
a Bill to to dereserve
jobs in higher
educational
institutions, and exempt
47 institutions from
providing reservation in
scientific and technical
posts. This was stalled
by the Left and other
secular parties.

Land

5.Despite the CMP
promise no initiative
was taken for land
redistribution, and
Congress state
governments raised land
ceilings to benefit
private business and
encouraged take over of
land in Vth Schedule
areas by corporates.

Allocation

6.Despite a clear policy
mandate, 16% of the
expenditures was not
allocated for SCs,
restricted to less than
half of this in the Sub
Plan. In the Tribal Sub
Plan, the policy level
of 6% was not allocated,
remaining at just about
4% of the total plan
allocation.

Forest Rights

7.The Congress-led
Government initially
tabled a highly diluted
Bill to guarantee the
forest rights. The
CPI(M) played a central
role in strengthening
and enacting the
Schedule Tribes and
Other Traditional Forest
Dwellers (Recognition of
Forest Rights) Act,
2007. These include the
inclusion of non-tribal
traditional forest
dwellers; change in cut
off year from 1980 to
2005; increase in
ceiling on individual
land rights from 2.5 ha
to 4 ha; no relocation
without recognition of
rights in protected
areas; ensuring rights
over to MFP and women's
rights.

8.Even though the Act
has been passed the
Environment Ministry in
the Congress-led
government continues to
hand over forest land to
corporates for mining
and other projects
without consulting
tribals. In just five
years 5.73 lakh hectares
of such land was
diverted.

Atrocities

March
30, 2009

AAM
AADMI
SUFFERS
IN 'HIGH
GROWTH'
INDIA:
Highlights of
Folders
on (1)
Dalits &
Tribals,
(2)
Women
(3)
Differently Abled

A.
Dalits
and
Tribals

1.Dalits
and
Adivasis
together
constitute 25% of the population. Yet governments headed by the BJP and the Congress have pursued neo-liberal policies that intensified their problems.

Employment:

2.In its
CMP, the
Congress-led Government promised time-bound filling up of all reservation quotas, through a new Reservation Act and reservation in the private sector. Instead, of the 1,70,000 posts lying vacant in the Railways alone, 32,600 SCs and STs posts are not yet filled up. Over 13,000 vacancies in the promotional quota were denied on grounds of 'merit' and thousands of jobs denied in direct recruitment.

3.They
buckled
under
corporate pressure and did not take forward the assurance for reservations in the private sector.

4.The
Government brought a Bill to to dereserve jobs in higher educational institutions, and exempt 47 institutions from providing reservation in scientific and technical posts. This was stalled by the Left and other secular parties.

Land

5.Despite the CMP promise no initiative was taken for land redistribution, and Congress state governments raised land ceilings to benefit private business and encouraged take over of land in Vth Schedule areas by corporates.

Allocation

6.Despite a clear policy mandate, 16% of the expenditures was not allocated for SCs, restricted to less than half of this in the Sub Plan. In the Tribal Sub Plan, the policy level of 6% was not allocated, remaining at just about 4% of the total plan allocation.

Forest
Rights

7.The
Congress-led Government initially tabled a highly diluted Bill to guarantee the forest rights. The CPI(M) played a central role in strengthening and enacting the Schedule Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2007. These include the inclusion of non-tribal traditional forest dwellers; change in cut off year from 1980 to 2005; increase in ceiling on individual land rights from 2.5 ha to 4 ha; no relocation without recognition of rights in protected areas; ensuring rights over to MFP and women's rights.

8.Even
though
the Act
has been
passed
the
Environment Ministry in the Congress-led government continues to hand over forest land to corporates for mining and other projects without consulting tribals. In just five years 5.73 lakh hectares of such land was diverted.

Atrocities

9.Atrocities against adivasis and dalits went unchecked by the government. It was during the tenure of the UPA that the worst atrocities were committed against Dalits, like that of Khairlanji when a dalit woman and her three children were brutally killed.

B.
Women:
Litany
of
Broken
Promises

Legislation

1.The
Common
Minimum
Programme of the Congress led UPA Government proclaimed "to fully empower women politically, educationally, economically and legally"

2.Shamefully, the Women's Reservation Bill, pending for 12 years, introduced after four years in the Rajya Sabha, has not been passed.

3.The
government refused to enact comprehensive legislation on sexual assault covering minors as well in spite of the recommendations of the Law Commission and the National Commission of Women. Despite a 12-year old Supreme Court order, the Government did not enact a comprehensive Act to deal with sexual harassment at the workplace. Another long-pending legislation that was not enacted covers trafficking in women and minors.

Recession

4.Neo-liberal policies have hit women hard. The impact of the current global crisis will make thousands of women jobless. Already in some export-oriented industries like garments, thousands of women have been retrenched. However, the current stimulus and bailout packages completely by pass women workers.

SHGs

5.Despite more than 3 crore Self Help Groups in the country, the government refused to treat the credit needs of the SHGs as a priority sector and did not even lower interest rates to 4%.

C.
Differently Abled: Right to Live with Dignity

1.The
Congress-led government's slogan of "inclusive growth" rings hollow when seen in relation to the rights, needs and requirements of the disabled or differently abled population in India, even though constitute at least 6% of the population.

2.The
PWD Act
provisions 3% reservation in jobs in all government and public sector units for the disabled. The share of the disabled against the total strength in actual terms is barely 0.44% as against their estimated population of 5-6%.

3.With
much
fanfare,
the
Union
Finance
Minister, P. Chidambaram, announced a scheme of providing one lakh jobs per annum to persons with disabilities, with a proposed outlay of Rs. 1800 crore, during the Eleventh Plan, in the Union Budget 2006-07. However, Chidambaram himself admitted some time later that "not a single recruitment has been made six months after the Scheme was announced".

http://vote.cpim.org/sites/default/files/Women.pdf

http://vote.cpim.org/sites/default/files/dalits_tribals.pdf

http://vote.cpim.org/sites/default/files/Disabled.pdf

9.Atrocities against
adivasis and dalits went
unchecked by the
government. It was
during the tenure of the
UPA that the worst
atrocities were
committed against
Dalits, like that of
Khairlanji when a dalit
woman and her three
children were brutally
killed.

B. Women: Litany of
Broken Promises

Legislation

1.The Common Minimum
Programme of the
Congress led UPA
Government proclaimed
"to fully empower women
politically,
educationally,
economically and
legally"

2.Shamefully, the
Women's Reservation
Bill, pending for 12
years, introduced after
four years in the Rajya
Sabha, has not been
passed.

3.The government refused
to enact comprehensive
legislation on sexual
assault covering minors
as well in spite of the
recommendations of the
Law Commission and the
National Commission of
Women. Despite a 12-year
old Supreme Court order,
the Government did not
enact a comprehensive
Act to deal with sexual
harassment at the
workplace. Another
long-pending legislation
that was not enacted
covers trafficking in
women and minors.

Recession

4.Neo-liberal policies
have hit women hard. The
impact of the current
global crisis will make
thousands of women
jobless. Already in some
export-oriented
industries like
garments, thousands of
women have been
retrenched. However, the
current stimulus and
bailout packages
completely by pass women
workers.

SHGs

5.Despite more than 3
crore Self Help Groups
in the country, the
government refused to
treat the credit needs
of the SHGs as a
priority sector and did
not even lower interest
rates to 4%.

C. Differently Abled:
Right to Live with
Dignity

1.The Congress-led
government's slogan of
"inclusive growth" rings
hollow when seen in
relation to the rights,
needs and requirements
of the disabled or
differently abled
population in India,
even though constitute
at least 6% of the
population.

2.The PWD Act provisions
3% reservation in jobs
in all government and
public sector units for
the disabled. The share
of the disabled against
the total strength in
actual terms is barely
0.44% as against their
estimated population of
5-6%.

3.With much fanfare, the
Union Finance Minister,
P. Chidambaram,
announced a scheme of
providing one lakh jobs
per annum to persons
with disabilities, with
a proposed outlay of Rs.
1800 crore, during the
Eleventh Plan, in the
Union Budget 2006-07.
However, Chidambaram
himself admitted some
time later that "not a
single recruitment has
been made six months
after the Scheme was
announced".