Action Alerts
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National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights N.Paul Divakar J.Vincent Manoharan Convenor General Secretary
Date: 22 June, 2005
To Mrs. Meira Kumar Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Government of India Shastri Bhawan New Delhi-110001.
Re: Memorandum on the need for a Central Legislation on Reservation in Private Sector
Honourable Madam The National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) is a secular network of Dalit Organisations, academics, social activists and others who work to promote and protect the rights of Dalits at national and international level. For NCDHR believes that Dalit Rights are Human Rights and there is a need to cast out caste.
Under the new regime of Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation as the State is withdrawing itself from social sector, it becomes the responsibility of the State to ensure that the rights of the vulnerable sections of Indian society: the Dalits and Adivasis are protected by enough safeguards in the public as well as in the private sector. That is why there is a need to extend the reservation in the private sector as well.
The pernicious hold of the caste system is such that there is hardly any sphere of life where the Dalits and Adivasis have been accorded equal status and equal treatment. The Indian Constitution that is why guaranteed various safeguards for the over all socio, educational, political and economic development of Dalits and Adivasis under the watchful eyes of the Indian State. It is also instructive in this connection to emphasise that voluntarism does not work and we are quite sure that it would not work again as far as the rights of the Dalits and Adivasis are concerned. In the absence of a Central Legislation and also a Monitoring System, any assurance or promise of welfare measures by the corporate sector would remain meaningless.
As our country is progressing fast on the road of economic prosperity, there is a need for equal access and equal share for Dalits and Adivasis in the Indian economy. We firmly believe that political democracy would remain meaningless as long as there is no social and economic democracy.
8/1, Second Floor, South Patel Nagar, New Delhi-110 008, INDIA Email: [email protected], Phone: +91-11-25842249, Tel/Fax: +91-11-25842250 Mobile: (Dr. Umakant: 9350183804), Website: www.dalits.org
The Dalits and other weaker sections of Indian society voted in large numbers the UPA to power with the hope that UPA government would take care of their pressing needs on a priority basis. The Common Minimum Programme (CMP) talks about ensuring a better deal for Dalits and other vulnerable sections of Indian society as far as their rights in public as well as private sectors are concerned. The subsequent holding of the dialogue with the corporate sector and the formation of a Group of Ministers (GOM) in this regard is certainly a positive step. But we would like the UPA government to move a step further and enact a Central Legislation for Reservation in Private Sector. It is needless to emphasise here that there should also be a provision for Monitoring System and that should be invested with broad legal and administrative powers so that it could work as an autonomous body directly responsible to the President of India.
Dalits of this country demands for a clear affirmative action policy and its proper implementation as a ‘matter of their right’, and the Dalits will not admit the philanthropic attitude or the inclination of the Corporate Sector to undertake some developmental programs for the betterment of the vulnerable sections of Indian Society. NCDHR does not believe in the ‘concept of voluntarism’ in terms of providing the ‘basic rights to Dalits’, as such kind of concept has never worked in this country for the welfare of Dalits.The existence of graded inequality in Indian society on account of strong influence of caste system has always acted against the interests of Dalits and other vulnerable sections. In the absence of a “Law” against such discrimination, these kinds of subverting attitudes and lip services are bound to be ‘failure’, as exclusion and discrimination faced by Dalits is part of societal norms which continues even in this age of information technology.
We, the undersigned would therefore, appeal to the honourable Minister to use her official position to push for a Central Legislation for Reservation in Private Sector. At the same time we would also like to draw the attention of the honourable Minister to the following points for her consideration:
Sincerely Yours
Sd/.
(J.Vincent Manoharan) General Secretary
(Vimal Thorat) National Co- Convenor
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