From: Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC <pmarc2008@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 2, 2010 at 6:17 PM
Subject: [PMARC] Dalits Media Watch - News Updates 02.03.10
To: Dalits Media Watch <PMARC@dgroups.org>
Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 02.03.10
JNU faculty is sharply divided over quota - The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/02/stories/2010030257520200.htm
Dalits seek removal of encroachment - The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/02/stories/2010030251840300.htm
The Hindu
JNU faculty is sharply divided over quota
http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/02/stories/2010030257520200.htm
Urvashi Sarkar
'The new move is not legally binding on JNU'
Some former V-Cs also against the proposal
NEW DELHI: After Jawaharlal Nehru University here advertised 149 faculty positions in mid-2009, reserving large number of positions at the level of Associate Professor and Professor for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Physically Handicapped candidates and at the Associate Professor level for the Other Backward Classes, opinion has been divided on the campus.
Professor Aditya Mukherjee of the JNU Centre for Historical Studies says: "JNU usually reserves faculty positions for SC, ST and PH candidates only at the entry point at the Assistant Professor level. There was no reservation for (Other Backward Classes) faculty at any level."
"The new move aims to introduce reservations at the level of Associate Professor and Professor for SC and ST and at Assistant Professor level for OBC," he adds.
The new step was not legally binding on JNU and was taken by the Executive Council (EX) without consulting the Academic Council (AC), Dr. Mukherjee claims.
The EC approved of the new move in 2007. After the advertisements appeared in 2009, the AC demanded in November that the EC reconsider its decision and the matter be thoroughly discussed at the centre and school levels and the AC.
On January 12, the EC is believed to have admitted to a procedural lapse and said the matter would be referred back to the AC following which it would be reverted to the EC.
Says Dr. Mukherjee: "The new move was based on University Grants Commission guidelines which are not binding on JNU. There is no law which necessitates the proposed reservations."
A 2005 HRD Ministry directive to the UGC states: "…in exercise of the powers vested under Section 20(1) of the UGC Act, 1956 the Government hereby directs the UGC to ensure effective implementation the reservation policy in the central universities and those of (sic) institutions Deemed to be universities receiving aid from the public funds except in minority institutions under Article 30(1) of the Constitution."
It has been alleged that UGC added a section on "Coverage and Applicability" which states "Reservation is applicable to all teaching posts such as the posts of Lecturers, Readers and Professors…and to all posts of non-teaching staff …" and is believed to have passed it off as a MHRD directive.
Dr. Mukherjee says: "Of the positions at the IITs, 30 per cent are vacant in the general category. The Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore has half its positions vacant in the general category. If in the general category qualified people are not available, it will be difficult to find people if choice is reserved to the reserved categories. We are restricting our criteria in the search for the best talent. JNU was founded on the pillars of excellence and equity. It has been providing quality education to people from socio-economically unprivileged backgrounds."Also because the roster system was followed, certain posts became automatically reserved for SC, ST or PH and are not interchangeable. Thus there was often a mismatch between the job profile and the category of person it was reserved for.
Some former vice-chancellors and Emeritus professors have also spoken out against the proposed reservations.
On the issue of supporting reservations, Assistant Professor Kaushal Kumar from the Centre of Japanese, Korean and North East Asian studies says: "Constitutional rights and social justice which is due should be given to unprivileged individuals for overall development of India."
Prof. Vivek Kumar of the JNU Centre for Study of Social Systems says: "Reservation for Professor and Associate Professor is an entry point in JNU and not for promotion. JNU should be more open in order to inclusive. Just a few who have the benefit of cultural capital and pedigree should not benefit."
Supporters of reservations say the January 12 EC meeting minutes had not been approved and don't have the consent of all the members.
Also, JNU is not the only institute to implements reservations at the Professor and Associate Professor level.
The Hindu
Dalits seek removal of encroachment
http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/02/stories/2010030251840300.htm
Staff Reporter
TIRUNELVELI: A group of Dalits from Chiththaarchathram village under Gangaikondan police station limits submitted a petition to District Collector M. Jayaraman on Monday seeking action against a family which has allegedly encroached upon their cremation ground.
The petitioners, led by P. Ananthan, alleged that a caste Hindu couple of Paruththikulam were preventing them from removing the thorny bushes grown abundantly on the cremation ground even after a complaint was registered at Gangaikondan police station in this connection.
"The police which initially allowed us to cut the bushes are now preventing us from removing the roots following a false complaint made by the encroacher, who did not even allow the government officials to carry out development works in the cremation ground under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme," Mr. Ananthan alleged.
--
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")
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Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC has been initiated with the support from group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and facilitate Dalits issues in the mainstream media. To create proper & adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/ International on Dalit issues is primary objective of the PMARC.
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