Knowledge based advocacy

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Crime against Dalits: Civil Rights Violation and Atrocities in India: The discussion here is focus on progress of these two legal safeguards and patterns of crime against dalits since inception of these tow legal measures. In order to do this analysis, we used the data from the report on Crime in India published by the National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Government of India and National Human Rights Commission Annual Reports
delhi declaration: A national summit on employment reservations for dalits in the private sector with more than 1000 delegates representing politcal parties, civil society, religious bodies and various public institutions was held in Delhi 8-9 August 2005. The summit discussed and unanimously adopted the Delhi Declaration, which calls for national legislation on private sector reservations. The declaration was presented to the forum by Honourable Shri. K.R.Narayanan, former president of India. Read the Delhi Declaration
Equity Note No.1 9-15 October 2005: Growth with Equity: India’s Challenge to Achieve Social Justice
Equity in Health: The discussion here is focuses on equity perspective of the present health status and patterns of health care access and utilization by different social groups viz. SCs/STs and OBCs others and the religious minorities both in absolute term and relative terms. The National Family Health Survey NFHS-II (1998-99) provides recent information on aspects of health status, access to health care, and utilization of health service by different sections of population in India. The analysis shows that, there are inequality among social groups in health status and access to health care and this difference is relatively smaller among religious groups as compare between caste groups.
equity note 2
Social Composition of bounded labourers in South Asia: Poverty, Caste based discrimination forced labourers into bounded – the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and other Minorities in South Asia more vulnerable – ILO Study 2005
List of Variables for Religious and Caste Groups in India
Merits of Reservation: Here we document some of emerging evidences of merits of reservation in equally access to health care and efficient working of health care system from south part of India where the reservation policy there for longer period and while comparing the consequence of merit leads to inefficient health care system and unequal access from northern part of India where the merit argument dominant at the current debate.
Status of SCs/STs in India Today: Present UPA Government appointed an Inter-Ministry Task Group on Development of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes on selected agenda items in National Common Minimum Programme. The task group has brought out a report on Development of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes: on Selected Agenda Items of the National Common Minimum Programme Government of India, Planning Commission March 2005. The report assess the prevailing situation in respect of SCs, STs and identify the gaps vis- à-vis others for certain parameters such as poverty, land- holdings, health indicators, educational attainments, access to amenities like water supply, sanitation, electricity, pucca houses, etc
Poverty and Caste discrimination in Nepal: This paper presented in four parts - beginning with a few comments on the Banks emerging views on caste-based discrimination at the corporate level, then get closer to home and speak about what the Bank is doing in Nepal to help the government address caste-based exclusion and finally, the study outlining one of our major activities which is a policy study we are doing jointly with DFID which we call the Gender and Social Exclusion Assessment (GSEA). This study also presents the conceptual framework using for the GSEA and tells about its main content and the time table for delivery. Finally, it close with a few “data stories” based on some empirical research that have been conducting in rural Nepal about the depth of both income and non-income poverty among Nepal’s Dalits – and what works to overcome it.
Social Inequality in MDG Indicators, S. Venkatesan: The MDGs very often conceptualized at national level. But the achievement in MDGs Indictors significantly varies within countries are as stark as the variation or gap between countries. These gaps reflect inequality in opportunity – people held back because of their gender, group identity (race, caste ethnicity and religion etc.). Such inequalities are unjust (HDR 2005). This article tries to address these issues and provides some evidences continuing social inequality in development experiences of different social groups in India. We present about ten indicators related to MDGs for different social groups in India. The result shows that continuing social inequality in development experiences of the SCs and the STs in India.
Social Inequality in MDGs
Dalits - Chronically Poor: chronic poverty refers to a situation where people remain poor for much longer period of time and, many of them also pass their poverty to next generation. They may have poor access to productive capital assets, employment, and possess lower human capability in terms of education and health status and face social and political marginality that keeps them poor over long period.
Growth with equity
Social Inequality in Access to Public Health Care
SOCIAL INEQUALITY IN MDGs:: unequal progress and persisting disparity among social groups in India
Unorganised Sector Workers' Social Security Bill, 2005, Indira Hirway, EPW Commentary February 4, 2005: The National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector has recently drafted the Unorganised Sector Workers' Social Security Bill, 2005 proposing a universal coverage for the unorganised workers, which is a welcome step. There are, however, two problems with the bill. Firstly, it has not paid attention to the heterogeneous character of the unorganised sector. Secondly, by clubbing all sub-sectors of the unorganised sector together, the bill has discouraged the present struggle for social security carried out by trade unions and other organisations of unorganised workers, frequently supported by state governments
Focus on equity can hurt growth: Arvind Panagariya argued that putting equity at the centre stage of policy making in this manner is likely to undermine sustained growth and hence poverty alleviation and questioned the central thesis of the World Development Report (WDR) 2006 that the policies aimed at achieving equity over and above those targeting poverty will lead to greater poverty reduction.
World Bank’s discovery of equity: The World Bank’s advocacy in its World Development Report 2006 of bringing equity to the centre stage of policy making ignores the disastrous consequences of bad policy to promote equity in the past, says Arvind Panagariya
Why growth requires greater equity: In his recent review of the World Bank’s World Development Report 2006 — on equity and development — which was published in The Economic Times, (October 19), Arvind Panagariya levelled three criticisms which are worth addressing. However, the bank argue that by expanding the productive potential of the poor, could contribute to both equity and growth, and could make markets work for all. Poor people in countries such as India need both the incentives that markets generate, and greater opportunities to respond to them. That message is complementary — not inimical — to Prof Panagaryia’s indictment of wrong-headed, heavy-handed distortion.
Economic Survey 2005-06
UPA Budget makes mockery of the Dalits, Adivasis and Other Backward Classes - NACDOR
Human Development among SCs and STs: Human Development Profile of Scheduled Castes and Tribes in Rural India: A Bench Mark Survey by Chakrabarty, G and P.K. Ghosh; National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi, 2000; pp.167, Rs. 300.
Data Source for Religious and Caste Groups in India
Does Caste Matter in God’s Own Country: Some evidence of its prevalence from HDR Kerala 2005: Review by S. Venkatesan, Oneworld South Asia, New Delhi
Why Social Equity?: Approach to Achieve Social Justice, S. Venkatesan
Social Equity in MDGs
Social Progress and Social Justice: A Case Study of India’s Affirmative Actions and Dalit Development: S. Venkatesan (OneWorld South Asia)
Suicides by Farmers
Mortality divide in India: differential contributions of gender and caste inequality
OBC quota: stirring wider issues, Swami Agnivesh & Valson Thampu: In this country of vast socio-economic disparities and inequities, it is unjust and misleading to define merit in an academic fashion. Should there not be a way by which `merit' is translated into actual relief for the millions of our people in rural and tribal areas?
The reservation impasse, A. Vaidyanathan: A way needs to be found to relate eligibility for reservation to economic status but with provision for preferential treatment for the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, and the Other Backward Classes
MERIT AND JUSTICE: AMARTYA SEN
Meeting the challenge of Mandal II: Satish Deshpande & Yogendra Yadav
Industry Unveils plans for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (28 Jul, 2006)
consulation report
Public Health, Ethics, and Equity: Edited by Sudhir Anand, Fabienne Peter and Amartya Sen (Oxford University Press March 2006)
Social Exclusion and MDGs: the challenge of durable inequalities in Asia
The World is not Flat: Inequality and Injustice in our Global Economy: By Nancy Birdsall
Unequal Treatment: caste and religious differences in health and access to health care in India: S. Venkatesan (OneWorld South Asia)
Child Malnutrition in Shining India:A X-state Empirical Analysis: Peter Svedberg*
Who Benefits SC/ST Status Facilities on Whose Struggle?: By M. Madhu Chandra December 5, 2005
No child left behind: Abusaleh Shariff (The Economic Times)
Resources on MDGs
MDGs: Targets and Indicators: Source: UN site for MDGs Indicators
Dismantling caste barriers, bit by bit
Ban on child labour- is this enough?
India Human Development Goals
Has caste gone? No!! It’s still bleeding, Prashant B. Tambe
Mortality divide in India: differential contributions of gender and caste inequality: A recent study by Subramanian S V, et al on “the mortality divide in India: differential contributions of gender, caste and standard of living across the life course" appeared in the American Journal of Public Health, May 2006, Vol.96, No.5. provides systematic evidence of gender and caste-based inequalities in mortality across the life course in India. Currently, the mortality divide in India is sharp, with the burden disproportionately falling on economically disadvantaged and lower-caste population groups. The state level variation in the relationship between mortality and socioeconomic status highlights an underlying ecology to this mortality divide the study reveals.
Knolwedge for Advocacy
The HDR 2006: Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis
Building Back Better For Our Children – UNTRS Report: This report shows how the Tsunami changed the lives of Irula communities in Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu.
Indian Muslims face multiple disadvantages: Panel: The Sachar Committee report, which explored the socio-economic and educational condition of Indian Muslims, had chilling figures to display multiple disadvantages they face, particularly in higher education.
Dalit and Minorities International Conference on "Power to the Powerless": Dalit and Minorities International Conference on "Power to the Powerless" in the Indian Socio-political and Socio-economic scenario to be held on December 27th and 28th, 2006 at G.M.C. Bal Yogi Auditorium, Parliament Library Building, New Delhi.
Dalit Women Speak Out: Indian Case Study on Violence against Dalit Women
Awakening: Empowering women through microloans: Awakening, a documentary explore how marginalized women in India and Afghanistan use microloans to empower themselves.
International Development Aid: Addressing Dalit Issues: By Leo Bashyam
Building Back Better For Our Children – UNTRS: how the Tsunami changed the lives of Irula communities in Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu.
Untouchability: Tackling the invisible By Ashok Gopal: A survey in 565 villages across 11 states reveals that in 73% of villages, dalits cannot enter non-dalit homes, and in 33% of villages non-dalit health workers will not visit dalit homes. Clearly, independent India’s efforts to eradicate untouchability have not substantially shaken core beliefs
Crisis of Minority Rights in South Asia
Conference on "Communication for Social Development: Discourse & Practice": Call for Papers
India's Report on International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination
Dalits face severe job discrimination says new ILO report
Indian documentary film festival on caste
Sachar Committee Report on Indian Muslims: Indian Prime Minister's High Level Committee under the chairmanship of Justice Rajender Sachar prepared a Report on Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community of India. It has been tabled in Parliament on 30 Nov 2006.