Dalits Media watch
News Updates 22.05.14
Dalits flee J&K kilns, but get little help from State authorities - The Hindu
Two Bangalore kids top ICSE; state logs 99% - The Times Of India
The Hindu
Dalits flee J&K kilns, but get little help from State authorities
Anumeha Yadav
“The SDM recorded our statements, but later refused to give us the release certificates,” said a rescued worker
A month ago, over 40 labourers — landless Dalits from Chhattisgarh — working in brick kilns at Naushera in Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir made a bold attempt to fight their oppressive employers.
“After four of us were beaten by the brick kiln owner and his munshi in separate instances, we pooled together Rs.15,000 to send Ganga Ram, who had brought us to Rajouri to work and who was working as a labourer himself, back to our village so he could get police help,” recounted Kavita Satnami, a landless dalit labourer from Janjgir Champa in Chhattisgarh, at the office of Bandhua Mukti Morcha in central Delhi.
Ganga Ram reached Chhattisgarh and informed the police, as well as Bandhua Mukti Morcha activist Nirmal Gorana. But even after help arrived, the group of 63 workers, including 25 minors, recounted they reached Delhi on Tuesday night after many obstacles.
“The owners threatened us for trying to act like ‘leaders’. We wanted to leave the brick kiln, but did not know how. After Mr. Gorana reached the brick kiln, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate came with him and recorded our statements on how we were being forced to work at the kilns. But after that the Sub-Divisional Magistrate refused to give us our ‘release certificates’,” said Om Narayan, one of the workers.
The group of workers, which included two pregnant women, said they had to work everyday from 3 a.m. to 8 p.m. They said they had been promised an ‘advance’ of Rs.30,000 per couple and Rs.500 per 1,000 bricks they made, but that even after working for eight months they had not been paid the by the owners of B.B.K. brick kiln in Jangad village of Rajouri.
“We have worked in brick kilns in Haryana and Punjab, and this was the first time we had travelled to Jammu and Kashmir. At this kiln, the owners abused and threatened both men and women regularly,” Kavita added.
“The District Magistrate refused to cooperate despite knowing about the work conditions at the brick kiln, and that the workers were being kept there against their will. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate had recorded the statements, but even after that the District Magistrate refused to issue ‘release certificates’,” said Mr. Gorana, who travelled to Rajouri from Delhi after receiving the tip-off.
The workers have planned to hold a demonstration outside Jammu and Kashmir Bhavan to protest their mistreatment by the authorities.
A “release certificate” entitles workers rescued from forced labour to Rs.20,000 and State assistance to acquire land or skill-based alternate means of livelihood under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976. As per the data from the Chhattisgarh Labour Department, the District Labour Office in Janjgir-Champa received 152 complaints from workers in bonded debt at kilns and construction sites between 2010 and 2013. Only 103 of these workers — less than five per cent — possess “release certificates”, under which they can claim State assistance.
“The Chhattisgarh authorities ought to pay attention to and analyse why workers and farmers must migrate from the State in distress, and what it means for the State’s economy,” said Action Aid activist Chandan Kumar.
The Times Of India
Two Bangalore kids top ICSE; state logs 99%
TNN | May 22, 2014, 06.53 AM IST
BANGALORE: When the ICSE results for the March 2014 examination were announced on Wednesday, it was a double delight for Karnataka. The state recorded a whopping 99.83% pass percentage, and two Bangalore students were joint toppers in the country.
The highest percentage of 98.6 was shared by four students, including Shreyas Sudhaman from Sri Kumaran Children's Home and Apoorva Narayanaswamy of St Paul's English School in JP Nagar from Bangalore. The other two are Siddhartha Shankar Kahali of Little Flower School in Telco, Jamshedpur, and Rishab Roy from St Paul's School, Rourkela.
In Karnataka, 19 students failed, of whom 15 are boys.
In the state, 10,975 students from 231 schools appeared for the exam. Students from scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes recorded over 99% pass.The all-India pass percentage was 98.28. The Southern region recorded the highest at 99.59%, followed by West at 99.41%. Southern region also had the highest percentage of girls (49.20) appearing for the exam.
There were 749 dyslexic students, of whom 41 obtained over 90% marks. Of the 29 visually challenged students, 11 scored above 90%.
Bangalore schools did very well, with many students scoring above 90%. The subjects that pulled down the marks for many students were languages. "Students scored well in Maths, Science and electives. Of 81 students from our school, 46 students secured above 90%. In Maths, 48 of 72 students got more than 90%. Languages disappointed everybody. We believe it has to do with corrections. It was the first time that OMR sheets were used. The language teachers were not very comfortable with it. The evaluation had to be extended by around 10 days," said Kalpana Mohan, principal, Vidyashilp Academy.
Nooraine Fazal, managing trustee, Inventure Academy, agrees: "We had 60% of our class getting over 90%. While the class average for Computer Science is 93%, Commerce is 93.75%, English was 80% and second language 75%."
Isabella Simon, principal, the Cathedral High School, echoed their view. "The average aggregates have gone up. It was Bengali that brought down the aggregates of many children. The expectation of evaluators was high. Also, finding teachers in South India for the subject is tough."
.Arun Khote
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On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of “Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC”)
Pl visit on FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/
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