Those unwilling to reveal their religion and caste can choose the “no caste” and “no religion” options in the caste census starting next month. But such provisions in the caste census that is being conducted after a gap of 80 years have raised questions over whether its findings will be accurate. “The enumerators will move from house to house and ask every citizen their caste and religion apart from collecting information on...
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In Dalit student suicides, the death of merit by Vidya Subrahmaniam
He killed himself in his college library, unable to bear the insults and taunts. The suicide note recovered from his coat pocket charged his Head of the Department (HOD) with deliberately failing him and threatening to fail him over and over. Seven months later, a three-member group of senior professors re-evaluated his answer sheet and found that he had in fact passed the test. Medical student Jaspreet Singh, a Dalit by...
More »Not out of the woods yet by Ashish Kothari
The promise of the FRA remains largely unfulfilled, says a committee set up by the Ministries of Environment and Forests and Tribal Affairs. IT seems hard for a government used to controlling most of India's common lands to let go of them. Even though it has passed a law mandating more decentralised governance of forests, the government itself is proving to be the biggest obstacle in its implementation. Other than in...
More »Count us as tribals or don't count us at all, Jhodia tribals
Having lost faith in the government for not conferring them tribal status, the Jhodia community in Rayagada district has threatened not to share their details to the enumerators during the census. The Jhodia population stands around 50,000 who live in around 85 villages, particularly in Rayagada's Kasipur block and eke out a living by collecting forest produce and engaging themselves as daily-wage labourers. "For the past several years, we are...
More »Threats shadow activists by Pallavi Singh & Maitreyee Handique
At least 10 RTI applicants have been killed over the past two years, with many others facing threats in their bid to expose corruption On a Republic Day when India celebrated 61 years of justice, equality and liberty, Amar Nath Pandey says he encountered the darkest moment of his life. In late evening on 26 January, a lone assailant leaped from the folds of darkness in the street outside his house in...
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