Reservation for SC/ST in promotions.

[harpoon]

Govt to introduce reservation in promotions for SC/STs in Rajya Sabha tomorrow; Mulayam's party opposed

New Delhi: The government plans to introduce in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow, a bill that seeks to amend the Constitution to allow reservation in promotions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in public services. The Union Cabinet cleared that proposal today; the amendments will enable state governments to provide such reservation in jobs.

The Congress-led UPA government has reportedly requested the main opposition party, the BJP, to consider passage of the bill. The BJP has not allowed Parliament to function for the last 10 days demanding the Prime Minister's resignation in connection with a coal scandal and has made it clear that it will not relent till its demands are met. The party, however, supports this bill, and it remains to be seen if that will make it agree to let Parliament function so that it can be passed. The current monsoon session of Parliament ends on Friday. (Poll: Do you support quotas for promotion in govt jobs?)

This bill will need a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament to become law as it seeks to amend the Constitution. It entails a vote and the House has to be in order. Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, which provides outside support to the UPA government and has bailed it out of sticky positions many times, has said it will oppose this move. The SP, was the lone dissenter at an all-party meeting on the issue in August; all other political formations supported quota in reservations. The BJP had cautioned the government at the meeting that all implications should be considered before a final decision.

The SP wants all quota benefits to be extended to other backward classes (OBCs). "This stand of the cabinet is wrong. The Samajwadi Party is against this and we will continue to protest," senior SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav said today.

Amending the Constitution became necessary after the Supreme Court struck down in April this year, a decision made by Mayawati when she was Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, to provide reservation for SC/STs in promotion to higher posts in government departments.

Mayawati, who heads the Bahujan Samaj Party, is now making focused efforts to get political parties to cooperate and allow a discussion and vote on the bill. She has met BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley to seek their support. The BJP leaders told her that a decision on this will be taken only after a party meeting. Ms Mayawati said today, "We want to request for a voting on the bill in this session and request NDA to help us in this. We want UPA also to appeal to NDA to help us pass this bill."

When it quashed the Mayawati decision, the Supreme Court had questioned this criterion for promotion, saying the government needed to quantify that Dalits and backwards were insufficiently represented in the public services and therefore needed this quota. The court had said that three aspects needed to be looked into for reservations in promotions: backwardness, representation and overall administrative efficiency.

Attorney General GE Vahanvati has warned the government that any law on the reservations issue should be framed with extreme caution because it is likely to be legally challenged.

The Prime Minister has said that a legally sustainable solution will be found. To legally combat any challenge, the proposed bill seeks to amend four key articles of the Constitution. However, it might still run into rough weather in the courts. Constitutional expert PP Rao said that if the government brings in amendment without "curing the defects" pointed out by the Supreme Court then it may not stand legal scrutiny.


http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/cabinet-clears-reservation-in-promotions-for-sc-sts-mulayam-s-party-opposed-262791

 

[ajtr]

Muslims bear the brunt of faulty scholarship schemes
Nasreen Banu, 29, was elated when her daughter’s name figured in the list of the Centrally sponsored scholarships for pre-matric students for the last two years running. This would have entitled her daughter Nuzhat, now in class VII, to pay Rs. 1,000 per annum as tuition fees. However, the 13-year-old is yet to receive the money.

Nasreen herself is struggling to pursue her own Bachelor’s degree in Management Studies at a city college. Her annual fees amount to Rs. 21,000 and she has only managed to raise half that amount in the first year. She has applied for the Central government’s post-matric scholarship, but like others she is unsure of getting it. Her husband works at a sweet shop and the funds are low. She has little option but to take a loan to fund her studies.

Thus, Nasreen was forced to send her daughter to a school, a little far away from her home, where she can afford the tuition fees. “Schools are expensive and there are a lot of extra fees to be paid. The applications are online and I don’t have an internet connection. It is very difficult for us to fill out these forms without help,” she said.

Glitches galore

In 2008, the scholarship at pre-matric level was introduced to encourage parents from minority communities to send their children to school. However, while there has been an overwhelming response, every year students have to put up with numerous glitches. This year the pre-matric scholarship site stubbornly refused to open, the Students Islamic Organisation’s (SIO) scholarships cell coordinator, Nadeem Rasoul, pointed out to The Hindu. After several complaints the deadline for applications was extended from August 31 to September 10, which won’t solve the problem, since many schools don’t have access to the internet. Filling out forms in internet cafés, too, takes ages and is of no help to the students thronging the cafés with their parents.

Students belonging to Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsee communities, who have not scored less than 50 per cent marks in the previous final examination and whose parents-or-guardians earn not more than Rs. 1 lakh, are eligible for the benefit.

Post-matric scholarships

However, it is the backward Muslim community which is having the biggest problems. Mr. Rasoul says there are major issues with the post-matric (from standard 11 till PhD) and the merit cum means (for professional and technical courses) scholarships, as well. Mohammed Ali, an MA student from a Pune college, said: “Last year I filled the form and opened an account but I did not get the fellowship. More than 300 Economics students from the University of Pune did not make the cut. I don’t know if I should apply this year, as it is very demotivating.”

There is confusion over the website where post-matric forms should be filled and there is no space for full names. “My name has eleven letters but the form has only space for nine,” said Ali. His father, a shopkeeper in Mumbai, managed to raise Rs. 14,300 for a year’s fees plus Rs. 1,500 for room rent. “The scholarship was worth Rs. 14,300 but I didn’t get it. This year I may have to take a loan,” he added.

A second year student of air conditioning in a technical college, Abdul Aziz unsuccessfully applied for a post-matric scholarship last year. His father, a tailor, is already in debt for last year’s fees and is facing difficulties paying for his son’s education. Again, this year the website does not show the name of Aziz’s college and no one knows how to apply. Last year only two students from his college got the scholarship while 21 did not.

Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Arif Naseem Khan, besieged with complaints regarding the pre-matric website and other issues, is monitoring the matter on a daily basis. Nasreen Contractor, co-director, Women’s Action and Research Group (WRAG), who has been informally networking on the issue of scholarships, said: “It’s very piecemeal and carelessly handled and there is no internal coordination. There must be some way of ensuring accountability and transparency and at least a helpdesk.”

Technology, a hassle

Technology is a hassle for the people for whom the scholarships are meant, said Dr. Farrukh Waris, principal of Burhani College. Last year the college created a special cell for helping students with these scholarships and the result was disappointing — only one of the 31 students who applied was granted funds. This year the cell has been scrapped. “Minorities are in desperate need of education and if only this process could be simplified,” she said. Decentralising the funding process and trusting colleges to do it would be a big step in increasing administrative accountability and transparency, she pointed out.

The former vice-principal of Nirmala Niketan College of Social work, Farida Lambay, demanded more scholarships for students. Reducing the paper work and administrative hurdles, and creating a one window approach would make life easier for students, she said.

Not reflecting reality

From 58,000 students in 2008-09, the numbers of Muslims from Maharashtra who got pre-matric scholarships has swelled to 4.60 lakhs in 2011-12. Last year Rs. 54 crores was spent on this scholarship scheme.

The number of those who availed of post-matric scholarships in 2011-12 went up to 31,733 from 5,169 in 2008-09. With students complaining that they have not received the funds, these statistics may not give the real picture. While the intentions behind the scholarships are noble, the implementation is in a sorry state.

 

[Tshering22]

How about ban the General class from working at all?

I think UPA should do that.

Sick losers.

 

[cyphercide]

Nasreen Banu, 29, was elated when her daughter’s name figured in the list of the Centrally sponsored scholarships for pre-matric students for the last two years running. This would have entitled her daughter Nuzhat, now in class VII, to pay Rs. 1,000 per annum as tuition fees. However, the 13-year-old is yet to receive the money.

Nasreen herself is struggling to pursue her own Bachelor’s degree in Management Studies at a city college. Her annual fees amount to Rs. 21,000 and she has only managed to raise half that amount in the first year. She has applied for the Central government’s post-matric scholarship, but like others she is unsure of getting it. Her husband works at a sweet shop and the funds are low. She has little option but to take a loan to fund her studies.

Thus, Nasreen was forced to send her daughter to a school, a little far away from her home, where she can afford the tuition fees. “Schools are expensive and there are a lot of extra fees to be paid. The applications are online and I don’t have an internet connection. It is very difficult for us to fill out these forms without help,” she said.
of education and if only this process could be simplified,” she said.

Perhaps Nasreen should've thought about all this instead of getting knocked up at 16. That's how the majority marches on, not because they are all in a financially stable position but because they never expected a handout in the first place and worked towards securing a future.

 

[David James]

That means govt. employees will be promoted on the basis of the caste instead of the merit.

If one is from lower caste he will get a promotion for sure

BTW, it will not have much impact as:

1. Govt. at present promotes on the basis of age, in India everybody gets promoted to higher rank given the older age he gets.

2. Govt. employees don't do any work

3. Govt. is already doing everything it can do to prevent India's growth

 

[David James]

That means govt. employees will be promoted on the basis of the caste instead of the merit.

If one is from lower caste he will get a promotion for sure

BTW, it will not have much impact as:

1. Govt. at present promotes on the basis of age, in India everybody gets promoted to higher rank given the older age he gets.

2. Govt. employees don't do any work

3. Govt. is already doing everything it can do to prevent India's growth

 

[harpoon]

That means govt. employees will be promoted on the basis of the caste instead of the merit.

If one is from lower caste he will get a promotion for sure

BTW, it will not have much impact as:

1. Govt. at present promotes on the basis of age, in India everybody gets promoted to higher rank given the older age he gets.

2. Govt. employees don't do any work

3. Govt. is already doing everything it can do to prevent India's growth

If this goes through, officers will have quotas in promotion.

 

[harpoon]

That means govt. employees will be promoted on the basis of the caste instead of the merit.

If one is from lower caste he will get a promotion for sure

BTW, it will not have much impact as:

1. Govt. at present promotes on the basis of age, in India everybody gets promoted to higher rank given the older age he gets.

2. Govt. employees don't do any work

3. Govt. is already doing everything it can do to prevent India's growth

If this goes through, officers will have quotas in promotion.

 

[Riteon]

MY god this Govt is shitting and puking all over !!...........After the initial push everything should be on the basis of pure merit.....and the system should be tweaked to make it so..............Instead we get this !! Pray you are born ST ...then aaramse relax and go thru promotions !!!



Somebody ,anybody please Fricking knock some sense in to Italian madam and her pet !!!

We are truly becoming Sickular..........Instead of promotin Secularism we are promoting casteism !! ...OH GOD iam gonna go out and screaaaam

 

[Dr. NooB NinjA]

Kaash main bhi SC/ST hota..!!!

Kahan general category pariwaar mein paida ho gaya..!!!!

 

[Desi Guy]

Perhaps Sonia Gandhi should go for these SC/ST doctors for treatment ...

Congress President Sonia Gandhi goes abroad for medical check-up - Economic Times

On a side note ..Situation is India is only going to get worse with time ...For the betterment of your children and your future generations ....everyone having the capacity and resources should consider migrating to western countries where you treated fairly on merit and performance not on caste and creed

 

[harpoon]

MY god this Govt is shitting and puking all over !!...........After the initial push everything should be on the basis of pure merit.....and the system should be tweaked to make it so..............Instead we get this !! Pray you are born ST ...then aaramse relax and go thru promotions !!!



Somebody ,anybody please Fricking knock some sense in to Italian madam and her pet !!!

We are truly becoming Sickular..........Instead of promotin Secularism we are promoting casteism !! ...OH GOD iam gonna go out and screaaaam

The reason being given is that the upper castes who are the higher levels are stopping the promotions of low caste officers.

 

[FRANCIS]

Sometimes i feel i made the right decision of leaving India .
Let me tell you guys if this law is passed then it can never be overruled in the years to follow according to times now .
Congress hatao mulk bachao

 

[harpoon]

Perhaps Sonia Gandhi should go for these SC/ST doctors for treatment ...

Dude there is need for this type of statement.You make it sound as if all SC/ST doctors are bad..its the reservation that should be condemned.

 

[rockstarIN]

Now, we have to ask the caste before going to a doctor or engineer. If a SC/ST/others, wont go..they might be not good enough....came coz of quotas.