DALIT ATROCITIES IN INDIA - 2004 - Indian Social Institute

the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament. The bill is required in the wake of the Supreme Courtstriking down the categorisation of reservation for Dalits. This assumes significance in thebackdrop of the Supreme Court ruling on November 5 proclaiming that only Parliament can passa law for categorising reservation for the Dalits. The AP government had issued a governmentorde on June 6, 1997, classifyin[ the scheduled castes in A, B C and D categories. AnAssembly resolution wa: passed on April 22, 1998 and later an ordinance was promulgatedand presidential assent was obtained. Finally, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on April 1, 2000,made an act to rationalise reservations, in order to facilitate the categorisation. MrSatyanarayana said it was at the instance of Mrs Gandhi that the AP Assembly had passed anunanimous resolution on December 10, in order to pave the way for the categorisation ofreservations. (Asian Age 20.12.04)Five per cent RIICO plots for SCs/STs (2)JAIPUR, DEC. l9.The Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RI-ICO) has decided to keep five per cent reservation in industrial plots in the non saturated industrialareas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women entrepreneurs. Earlier the reservationhas been only for women entrepreneurs. The chairman and managing director of RIICO,Rakesh Hooja, said the corporation, in its board meeting recently, had also decided to provideincentives to good borrowers having a net worth above Rs.1.5 crore and a turnover of Rs.5 crore,at an interest rate of 9 per cent per annum. This rate would be 10 per cent for such borrowerswhose net worth and turn over are from Rs.50 lakh to Rs.1.5 crore and Rs.l crore to Rs.5 crores,respectively. The corporation has introduced another scheme which provides a 1 per cent rebateon interest over a period of three years to borrowers who remain in the category of standard accountat the close of the year. In order to meet the working capital requirements a scheme hasbeen introduced to grant short-term loan, repayable within 18 months, at an interest rate of 10 percent per annum. (Hindu 20.12.04)31 st DecDalits seek Governor's intervention (2)JAIPUR, DEC. 30. Accusing the Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, of being "totallyinaccessible" to Dalits ever since she assumed office, the Dalit organisations in the State haveapproached the Governor, Pratibha Patil, seeking her intervention to ensure justice to Dalits andstop caste-based discrimination. Representatives of Dalit organisations led by the chairperson ofCentre for Dalit Rights, P.L. Mimroth, met Ms. Patil here on Wednesday and charged that theadministrative machinery in the State was insensitive to the plight of Dalits who were the victimsof endless atrocities. He said Ms. Raje had shown no willingness to listen to the grievances ofDalits during the past one year. The delegation of Dalits urged the Governor to direct the StateGovernment to take steps for strict implementation of laws protecting the Scheduled Castes andTribes and ensure their access to the means of livelihood by safeguarding their share in land,water, wealth and capital. Mr. Mimroth said those belonging to so-called higher castes hadgrabbed the Dalits' lands at several places. A memorandum submitted by Dalit bodies to Ms. Patilalleged that there were serious lapses on the part of the State Government in the abolition ofuntouchability and prevention of the denial of basic human rights to Dalits in the rural areas. "Theincident in Chakwada where Dalits were .denied access to the public pond was a glaring instanceof untouchability still practised in the name of customs," it said. (The Hindu 31.12.04)