Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
cordially invites you to a Public Lecture
in the ‘Interrogating Social Justice’ series
at 3.00 pm on Thursday, 29 August, 2013
in the Seminar Room, First Floor, Library Building
on
‘Tribal Situation in India’
by
Prof. Virginius Xaxa,
Tata Institute of Social Sciences,
Guwahati.
Abstract:
Tribes are enumerated at over 88 million constituting about 8.6 per cent of the total population of the country as per the 2001 census. Though very small in population, they are enormously diverse. They are also distributed over the length and breadth of the country. The distribution is however far from even. About 84 percent inhabit region commonly referred to as central India; 12 per cent live in North-East India, 3 per cent in South and 1 per cent in North India. Not only geographical distribution is uneven but their situation too is very uneven. Of public attention to tribal population at the national level, Northeast has remained at the forefront. This has been followed by central India especially the eastern part. The South India and North India has been subject of attention only occasionally. North-East has been plagued by demands for autonomy of various kinds. It has also been the region of endemic conflict and violence, conflict between state and people as well as between people. The state all through the post-independence decades has presented itself in the North-east in its militaristic form. Notwithstanding the features described such as above, the tribes in the north eastern region have fared remarkably well in the social development. The percentage of people living below poverty line is much lower than the national tribal average. And so has been the case with such indicators as the level of literacy, enrolment and drop outs as well as health indicators such as the infant mortality, child mortality, under-five mortality etc. Of course there are variations within the region across states. In contrast the form in which the State has presented itself in mainland India has been its developmental character. Not only is the region strongly linked with the rest of India in terms of roads, railways and other communication, but also land, labour and credit market. The region has also been witness to infrastructure projects such power, irrigation, dams etc. It has also witness to setting up of industrialization projects and mineral exploitation. However, since last one decade, the state has increasingly assumed the role of militaristic state. Despite strong presence of the developmental state, the region has hardly done well in social development sector. The people living below poverty line is highest in eastern India followed by western India. Similarly, in terms of the level of literacy and other health indicators, the region has fared extremely poor. The lecture makes an effort to understand the paradoxes.
Speaker:
Prof. Virginius Xaxa obtained M.A. in Sociology from Pune University and Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He is at present Professor and Deputy Director at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati Campus. He taught Sociology at Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi from 1990 to 2011 and North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong from 1978-1990. He held post-doctoral fellowship under Indo-French Cultural Exchange Programme at Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, Paris (1982) and had been Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellow at SOAS, University of London (1988) and Fulbright Fellow at University of California Santa Cruz, USA (1998). He held Rajiv Gandhi Chair at North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong from 2006-2008. He is the author of Economic Dualism and Structure of Class: A Study in Plantation and Peasant settings in North Bengal (1997) and State, Society and Tribes: Issues in Post- Colonial India (2008). He is also co-author of Plantation Labour in India (1996) and co-editor of Social Exclusion and Adverse Inclusion: Adivasis in India (2012). He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Asian Ethnicity, History and Sociology of South Asia, Social Change and Contribution to Indian Sociology.
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28082013
 |
| Friend –
Well, this is an interesting twist:
Congress has until September 30th to pass a budget, and — lo and behold — some extreme members of the House are threatening to force the government to shut down.
That is, unless all funding for Obamacare is removed from the budget.
As ridiculous as that plan is, that means we’ve got a fight coming — and we’re not shying away from it.
The federal budget affects every American, from veterans to federal employees to people in need. This isn’t a time for political games and gimmicks.
The President has a plan to pass a budget that grows the middle class, and it’ll require members of Congress who are serious about governing to make it happen.
OFA has been on the front lines this summer — we’ve changed the conversation and helped people raise their voices. If some members of Congress want another fight over Obamacare, we’ll do what we have to do to make sure they don’t get their way.
Add your name to say you’re ready for the fight:
Thanks,
Jon
Jon Carson
Executive Director Organizing for Action |
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28082013
When 80 members of Congress say
Naresh –
You know what’s not funny? When 80 members of Congress say they’ll refuse to do their jobs just because they don’t get their way.
That’s what happened last week when a gang of House Republicans sent Speaker John Boehner a letter informing him that they’d rather trigger a government shutdown before voting for a budget that funds Obamacare.
It’s an absolutely absurd demand — and it’s forcing John Boehner to make a decision: be a leader or cave to the extreme members of the House.
The good news is that a lot of folks across the country are sick of these games.
Add your name — tell Speaker Boehner to stand up to anti-Obamacare bullies in Congress right now:
Thanks,
Lindsay
—————–Original Message—————–
From: Jon Carson, BarackObama.com
Subject: This is nonsense:
From: Jon Carson, BarackObama.com
Subject: This is nonsense:
Friend –
In case you missed it, here’s the latest plan being pushed by some members of the House: Cut all funding for Obamacare, or shut down the government.
Congress has until September 30th to pass a budget, and these representatives think this is the best time to wage a fight against a law that is already helping millions of Americans.
It’s going to be up to Speaker John Boehner to decide if he’s going to let these folks play games over the federal budget.
The federal budget is how we determine our priorities as a country. Congress is deciding whether we give more tax breaks to corporations, or fund programs for our country’s schools, or — yes — help people get access to affordable health care.
President Obama has a budget plan to grow the economy from the middle out — not the top down. Because unless we make investments to help the middle class to grow, we’ll never do more than move from one fiscal crisis to the next.
We don’t need more obstructionism from some members of Congress. And we certainly don’t need a government shutdown.
This country deserves better — if you agree, add your name today to stand up to the extreme proposals in the House:
Thanks,
Jon
Jon Carson
Executive Director
Organizing for Action
Executive Director
Organizing for Action
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Shekhar’s Hat-trick helps Apeejay Public School, Noida advance
28082013
Airtel Rising Stars 2013 – Delhi Leg
Shekhar’s Hat-trick helps Apeejay Public School, Noida advance to next Round of Airtel Rising Stars 2013
New Delhi, 27th August: A display of skillful playing and three well-scored goals by Apeejay Public School’s Shekhar’s powered Apeejay Public School to record a 5 – 0 win over Ryan International School, Noida, in a knock-out match in the Delhi Leg of the 2nd edition of Airtel Rising Stars, played at Commonwealth Games Village in New Delhi today.
Shekhar displayed spectacular dribbling skills throughout the match and kept the defenders busy at all corners of the ground. He opened the school’s account in the 5th minute and scored another in the 12th minute. Teammate Uavand contributed by scoring one goal in the 24th minute. Proving that he is a player to watch out for, the youngster scored his third and the team’s fourth goal and completed a brilliant hat-trick. Prateek scored the fifth goal to seal a persuasive victory over the boys from Ryan.
In another match played at Ambedkar Stadium, Arjun’s brace helped Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj drub Modern School, Vasant Vihar 5-0. Arjun scored the first goal in the 19th minute, followed by Adeeb and Sanata’s goal in 26th and 28th minute respectively. Arjun scored his second goal in the 30th minute and confirmed the win for his team followed by Vatsal’s game ending goal.
In a third match, Ryan International School, Ghaziabad defeated D.A.V. Public School, Noida 4-3 after a 1-1 draw at the Commonwealth Games Village. Both teams were tied 1-1 at full time. Ryan team member Dhruv scored the first goal in the first minute of the match but D.A.V. Public School’s Karan equalised the score in the 5th minute. Both teams went on to defend well until full time. In the penalty-shootout, Abhishek, Aditya, Badal and Dhruv converted their attempts into goals for Ryan International School. Vishal, Varun and Nitish scored goals for D.A.V. Public School.
RESULTS – Ambedkar Stadium
Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj (Arjun 19th, 30th, Adeeb 26th, Sanata, 28th, Vatsal 47th) bt Modern School, Vasant Vihar 5-0
Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Vasant Vihar (Mayank, Prateek, Pushkar, Sarthak, Anurag) bt Mamta Modern School (Shaurya, Aditya Nath, Rajat, Mukul) 5-4 (0-0)
RESULTS – Commonwealth Games Village
Apeejay Public School, Noida (Shekhar 5th, 12th, 26th, Uavand 24th, Prateek 31st) bt Ryan International School, Noida 5-0
Ryan International School, Ghaziabad (Dhruv 1st; Abhishek, Aditya, Dhruv & Badal) bt D.A.V. Public School, Noida (Karan 5th; Vishal, Varun & Nitish) 4-3 (1-1)
Father Agnel School, Noida (Cuinkoi 5th; Brijesh, Kevin & Meingouleng) bt Sahodaya School, Safdarjung (Suresh 24th; Milian Singh & Rahul) 4-3 (1-1)
Father Agnel School, Noida (Brijesh 12th, Meinlouw 35th) bt Cambridge School, Noida (Rituraj 28th) 2-1
Army Public School, Noida (Satyam 19th, Anand 22nd) bt Cambridge School, Indirapuram 2-0
DAV School, Noida (Abhishek 5th) bt Public School, Mayur Vihar 1-0
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Sharad Pawar spreads falsehoods in the Parliament on GM Crops
28082013
Sharad Pawar spreads falsehoods in the Parliament on GM Crops,
Coalition For a GM Free India urges Parliamentarians to stop the Agri Minister from misleading the Parliament and Nation.
New Delhi, 27th Aug: Registering strong protest on the consistent false statements by the Union Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar, to promote GM crops, the Coalition for a GM Free India urged the Members of the Parliament to challenge Pawar for repeatedly misleading the parliament. This was in response to answers given by the Union Agri Minister in the Loksabha to questions raised by various M.Ps today on Genetically Modified (GM) crops in India.
Countering Pawar’s statements on Bt cotton, the only commercially cultivated GM crop in India, having increased yields and farmers income, Rajesh Krishnan, Co-Convenor, Coalition for a GM Free India, stated that “records of Cotton Advisory Board which is also quoted by the Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR) says that rate of increase in productivity was higher in the Pre-Bt cotton era and tanked after the introduction of Bt cotton in 2002. The rate of increase was 69% during the period of 2000-1 to 2005-06 by which Bt cotton area was only 18%. The rate of increase in yield was a moderate 17% in the following 3 years and has been showing a decreasing trend ever since when Bt cotton area has reached almost 95% [1]. Hence, Sharad Pawar’s statement in Parliament is not only a blatant lie but a dangerous propaganda for a derailed technology. it is unacceptable that the Agriculture Ministry refuses to uphold rigorous science in this case.”
The Coalition also drew attention to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, comprising of M.Ps across party lines, report on GM crops. The report tabled in the Parliament last year had reccomended a precautionary approach towards GM crops [2]. As part of its consultative process to get the views of various stakeholders on GM crops, the committee also held a public consultation at Yavatmal in Vidarbha, which is part of the cotton belt, one of the centres of agrarian distress and also known as the suicide capital of India. This was to find out the ground reality on Bt cotton’s contribution to the distress. Pointing to the continued distress in cotton belt the committee had questioned the promotion of Bt cotton by the govt.
“It is a cruel joke that the Minister makes a statement on the floor of parliament that Bt cotton cultivation has increased the incomes of cotton farmers by 2 fold and 4 fold in rainfed and irrigated regions of the country respectively. If that was true, what accounts for the thousands of farmers in the cotton belt committing suicides year after year in the same period.” asked Sridhar Radhakrishnan of Coalition for a GM Free India. Reminding Pawar that it is thanks to Bt cotton that Monsanto, the American seed giant whose proprietary material Bt cotton is, controls more than 90% of the cotton seed market in the country, he stated that “Monsanto with its royalties from Bt cotton, amounting to hundreds of crores, seems to be the only one which has benefited from this crop in India. The Agriculture Minister needs to state whether he is on the side of this American multinational or on the side of our Indian farmers.”
The coalition had earlier written a letter to Sharad Pawar urging him to take notice of the mounting scientific evidences against GM crops and stop their mindless promotion that he has been doing [3]. The letter also asked him to acknowledge the report by the Technical Expert Committee, set up by the hon’ble Supreme Court in response to a PIL against open releases of GM crops. The TEC in its main report had pointed to the various risks posed by GM crops and strongly recommended for a robust regulatory system to be put in place before even open field trials of GM crops are further permitted.
The Coalition for GM free India demands the Union Agriculture Minister to stop his mindless promotion of GM crops and urges the hon’ble members of the Parliament to question the inaccurate and biased opinions of the minister on this regard.
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Zee announces Dance India Dance Season 4
28082013Zee announces DID Season 4 :Sanam Johar in Jaipur to announce city auditions
Posted on August 28, 2013 by sagarmedia
Jaipur, August 27th: Do you believe you were born to dance??? If yes, then the wait is finally over! The days and nights you spent rehearsing and getting every move just perfect will finally pay off. The biggest and the baap of all dance reality shows is back and this time it’s going to be crazier than ever before! Zee TV announces the return of the dance mania – The brand new season of ‘Dance India Dance’ – DID Season 4! Zee TV’s hunt for the ultimate dancers gets bigger and better as the auditions for DID 4 will be held across 19 cities and its happening in JAIPUR on Thursday, August 29th at St. Wilfred’s School, Sector- 10, Meera Marg, Madhyam Marg
Mansarover, Jaipur – 302020 Rajasthan, 9 am onwards.
Mansarover, Jaipur – 302020 Rajasthan, 9 am onwards.
With Zee TV kicking off an aggressive blitzkrieg of multi-city auditions all through August and September, it’s time for talented dancers across India to come to their nearest centre / cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Baroda, Raipur, Indore, Patna, Lucknow, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Dehradun, Chennai, Kolhapur, Imphal, Rajkot and Bangalore to gear up, put on their best dancing shoes and land up at the audition venues! Sanam Johar, the super talented heartthrob of Dance India Dance Season 3 who is, today, a successful choreographer –is in the city ofJaipur to call out to every dance enthusiast in the city to audition for DID 4.
While the first 3 seasons have unearthed some exceptional dancers like Salman, Shakti, Dharmesh, Prince, Rajasmita, Raghav, Siddhesh and Jai Kumar Nair to name a few, the upcoming season promises to showcase the ultimate dancer who will set the stage ablaze with original choreography, immaculate timing, never-before-seen passion and a universal appeal. Dance India Dance has introduced new dance forms like locking-popping, b-boying, cha cha cha, rumba, jive, contemporary, afro jazz, etc in the last four seasons and in this upcoming series, the passion, the frenzy, the camaraderie, the rehearsals, the victories, the disappointments, the hosts, the judges and above all, the spectacular talent will return with RENEWED VIGOUR!
‘Dance India Dance – Season 4’ is undoubtedly a golden opportunity coming to your city to discover hidden talent. It’s the ultimate platform to showcase the talent and personality of very gifted dancers chosen from all corners of India! Eminent jury members will arrive in the city on the audition day to identify the best talent who will then be invited to the mega-auditions in Mumbai. So, put your best foot forward and prove that you were BORN TO DANCE.
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Interactive Session on Bonded Labour issues in Brick Kiln
28082013
August 27, 2013
New Delhi
“The entire family works in the Brick Kiln for an advance, but then only one person gets a payment – the others do not –Are they all family members bonded? Or are they free to migrate?” “Are brick kiln workers entitled to maternity benefits?” “Workers in Brick Kilns work for long duration extending upto 14-16 hours in a day during peak season. Can brick kiln workers get overtime wage?” These were, among other issues raised by brick kiln workers from Punjab during an interactive session on Bonded Labourers in Brick Kilns held in India International Centre, New Delhi on August 27, 2013. The meeting was addressed by the Deputy Director General Labour Welfare Shri A K Jena, Sri Onkar Sharma Regional Labour Commissioner and former fellow at the VVGNLI, Coen Compier, International Labour Standard Specialist at the ILO, J John, Executive Director, Centre for Education and Communication and Jai Singh, Volunteers for Social Justice.
Shri. A. K. Jena while addressing the Interactive session pointed out the responsibility of the contractors who bring the migrant workers to the brick kilns as well as the employers in ensuring the wellbeing of the workers. Sri Omkar Sharma stressed that all brick kilns should get registered under the Factories Act. He pointed that while there are gaps in enforcement; Indian labour laws equip trade unions to take up several issues. He stressed on the need to organize. Coen Kompier, while addressing the issue of wages said that some labourers get piece rate, whereas some get time rate. According to him, the Time-Motion study proposed by ILO would help in addressing the issue of wages appropriately. Addressing the press J John highlighted that advance continues to be the medium through which labour market in the brick kiln is regulated.
A field study conducted by CEC and VSJ indicates that in Amritsar, Ferozpur and Taran Taran, 94 per cent of all workers (Pathers, Jalais, Bharais and Nikasis) took advance and among Pathers (moulders), everyone took advance. More than 35 per cent took an amount higher than Rs.50000. Most of them said that they cannot repay the advance at the end of the season. This debt bondage is justified by the following reasons: (1) it is compulsory to take advance; (2) advance is repaid against wages; substantial amount is deducted; (3) there is no clear documentation of advance taken, work done and the loan repayment; (4) workers get only a weekly payment, so low that they cannot manage daily requirements without taking loan again; (5) workers do not get minimum wages; (6) workers cannot leave the job in a particular kiln and take in another till the advances are paid off; (7) workers are compelled to go as dictated by the Jamadar from whom they have taken advance, in the next season.
The interactive meeting was attended by representatives of International justice Mission, Actionaid, ILO, human rights activist, academicians, print and electronic media persons and brick kiln labourers. It concluded with the suggestion of conducting training workshops for trade unions, non-governmental organizations on various aspects related to labour laws. Emphasis has been laid on organizing workers.
The meeting was organized by Centre for education and Communication in collaboration with Volunteers for Social Justice, supported by Anti-Slavery International as part of the project “Eradicating Bonded Labour from Brick Kilns”.
Bhupali Magare
Centre for Education and Communication
07503482191/ bhupalimagare@gmail.com
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National Forum on Tuberculosis: First Meeting
28082013
The National Forum on TB,launched on May 8 2013, conducted its first meeting to discuss the critical need for accurate TB diagnostics and challenges of drug-resistant TB in India. TB kills 300,000 people every year in India.
August 27 2013, New Delhi: The National Forum on Tuberculosis held its first meeting in the capital today. The members of the Forum deliberated upon the increased need to introduce new and more accurate diagnostics for TB to ensure timely and appropriate diagnosis. The members also discussed the rise and challenges of drug-resistant TB in India. The Chief Guest at this meeting was Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for Human Resource Development and the Guest of Honour was Smt. Santosh Chowdhary, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. Dr.Soumya Swaminathan, Director, National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT) made a presentation at the meeting on the emergence of drug-resistant TB as well as the challenges of the Indian TB diagnostic landscape.
The Forum was launched on May 8, 2013 with the vision to discuss and highlight critical challenges in TB prevention and control.The launch also saw the release of a Handbook on TB in India.The National Forum on TB will work to raise awareness on the need for improved TB control. The members of the Forum will meet several times in a year to discuss critical challenges in TB control. Based on these discussions, the members will formulate key recommendations to address these challenges which will then be presented to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) for further action.
The Forum consists of an advisory board comprising leading Members of the parliament (MPs). This meeting brought together parliamentarians, policymakers, technical experts, civil society representatives as well as government officials.
Mr. Dalbir Singh, Convener of the Forum commented, 㔨e Forum is dedicated to fight TB and as a first vital step, this meeting has brought together key stakeholders including parliamentarians, policymakers, civil society organizations and technical experts, who are committed to the cause. We are resolved to achieve enhanced TB prevention and control in India.伯b>
TB kills 1 Indian every 2 minutes. India bears the highest burden of TB in the world- 2.3 million annually. This accounts for one-fifth of the global disease burden. TB is the cause of extensive economic losses leading to individual, family and community suffering.TB is also associated with a deep-seated stigma that often leads to discrimination within the workplace and the community.
As representatives of the worldⳠlargest democracy, policy makers, parliamentarians and the civil society play a pivotal role in influencing policy decisions. The Forum will aim to leverage this power to make an impact on the TB landscape in India.
Also please find attached event pictures and both Hindi and English press release.
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