01-20-2006, 09:16 AM
Diversity and the Dalits
Prof. K.S.Chalam
Background
The Indian subcontinent is one of the most complex societies in the world. It had experimented with several policies to achieve the ideal of equality in an inquitous society. One of the policies that attracted the attention of many scholars today is the century old communal reservation policy adopted by the Mysore Maharaja in 1856 and Sahu Maharaj in Kolhapur in 1902. In this context, Indians can boast of their historical legacity in protective discri-mination compared to the Americans. The Afro-Americans in the USA through a protracted struggle and sacrifices made by leaders like Martin Luther King achieved the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Civil Rights Act as distinguished from that of the constitutional provisions made by Baba Saheb Ambedkar is not very comprehensive to protect the overall interests of the Afro-Americans who are discriminated both in public and private spheres of life based on the colour of the person. The US government has been implementing several innovative programmes to operationalise the provisions of the 1964 Acts. It has established the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and collect information on various aspects of employment both in public and private sectors in the USA to ensure affirmative action. There are several litigations against the implementation of Civil Rights Act in the Supreme Court of the US. In the meanwhile, US has emerged as a superpower at the global level and its economic interests spread far and wide. In this process, several nationalities started participating in its global agenda. In this context a demand was put forward to 'diversify' its base in the corporations that originate in the US. This diversification agenda is extended to the US internal situation as the Blacks, Hispanics and other minorities are increasingly making claims over jobs, resources and power. That white Americans consider 'diversity'as a means to solve the federal court decisions, particularly in the area of academic freedom. Now every multinational corporartion in the OECD countries is using this to show that they are really concerned about "them."
Diversity Vs Affirmative Action
There are three related concepts which are in vogue in the literature relating to racial discrimination in the USA. Affirmative action " refer to action that is prospective designed to assure future fairness of treatment in the absence of any specific legal finding of discriminastory practices whose consequences are to be remedied." The term 'remedial action' a related term in litigation refers to out of court settlements that have specifically been crafted as remedies for pattern and practice of what is actual discrimination. The term 'diversity' came into popular use in the 1970s. This refers to giving preferences to members of a given racial or other minority over equally qualified others. This has been put in practice in hiring practices of every sector of the American society including cultural and educational projects.
The meaning of Diersity
The concept of diversity has emerged in the context of a pluralistic society like the US or some European nations emerging as global players. Some Black scholars claim that the term came in for popular usage at a time "when popular opinion, legislatures and the judiciary are signalling a hostility to equality claims by African Americans and turning away from the reality of remedies." The Blacks oppose the term for two reaons : (1) because it incubates the separate but equal doctrine rejected in brown V.Board of Education with implication for the COMPLICITY (emphasis added) of federal courts in the failure of the second reconstruction, and (2) because it displaces the need to recognize and remedy the effects of present and past discrimination. Some scholars are of the opinion that the emergence of this concept and its wide usage by the white population makes mckery of the whole civil rights movement and its transformative affect. The endorsement of the concept indicates the failure of the social movements to transform the social, political and legal institutions that perpetuate caste, race, gender and other forms of subordination. It is said that, "the preference for diversity per se, by contrast is not mandated by the constitutional principle of equal protection, nor is it a principle that could command wide spread assent in all contexts. In many ways, the debate about diversity preferences is a sideshow, diverting us from the main event, which is how best to climate the countinuing manifestation of actual discrimination against minorities." However, claims for something like diversity preference seem to be specially strong it is said on two domains, education and community service.
'Diverisity' as a voluntary action by concerned organizations and people is very much relevant to the Indian complex situation. The Indian society is already a diversified one. This needs to be reflected in all sectors of the economy. As the privatization process is fast catching up in India, the primordial social relations in the name of caste solidarity are reflected in the private industry. Similar caste or jati groups are uniting together to establish multicaste corporations (MCCs). This will further stgrengthen the caste system at the higher layers of the society that impedes innovation, creativity and diversity. The concept of diversity needs to be built into the system not only in all organizations but even within each caste conglomeration due to the geographical and cultural diversities in India. Therefore, diversity as a short term measue to reduce social cleavages appear to be relevant now. Keeping the limitation of diversity as a long run measure, some concrete action is initiated in states like Madhya Pradesh. The Bhopal declaration made the Indian states to reflect on their own social welfare programmes in achieving the goals of the constitution. The government of Madhya Pradesh has come into the centre stage now in operationalising the idea of diversity in India. The government has already constituted taskforces to recommend concrete suggestions to implement the declaration.
Diversity Experiments in Madhya Pradesh
The government of Madhya Pradesh has started implementing the Bhopal declaration, particularly in relation to the distribution of land to SC and ST families. The government has passed an order to reduce the grazing lands in the villages from its present 7.5 per cent to 2 per cent, and the land thus obtained is distributed to SC and ST families. So far 5,20,100 acres of land was given to 2.5 lakh SC and ST families in Madhya Pradesh.
The government is the major source of employment. It is also spending huge amounts from its budget provisions on various items of expenditure through procurement and contracts. It is necessary that the government ensures that proportionate representation to SC and ST contractors, suppliers and job holders are maintained in each department. To start with, the government of Madhya Pradesh has issued an order on 7th July, 2002 reserving 30 per cent procurement in the department of Social Welfare and its social welfare hostels to be given to SC and ST contractors or suppliers. In allotting government land for petrol pumps, public sector outlets, private sector distribution units, etc., the government can ensure diversity in the allotment of land by imposing a condition that the organization should observe diversity.
It is suggested that as the dalits do not have any experience in the area of business and modern forms of organization, a training programme for the selected candidates in Entrepreneurial Development Programme (EDP) and other skills may be undrtaken for a particular level at the district head quarters. A state level HRD for diversity can be planned to provide training, guidance and advise both to the government as well as to the beneficiaries of diversity. This will act as an harbinger of dalit developlment in the short run that provides impetus for overall social development in India in general and Madhya Pradesh in particular.
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Prof. K.S.Chalam
Background
The Indian subcontinent is one of the most complex societies in the world. It had experimented with several policies to achieve the ideal of equality in an inquitous society. One of the policies that attracted the attention of many scholars today is the century old communal reservation policy adopted by the Mysore Maharaja in 1856 and Sahu Maharaj in Kolhapur in 1902. In this context, Indians can boast of their historical legacity in protective discri-mination compared to the Americans. The Afro-Americans in the USA through a protracted struggle and sacrifices made by leaders like Martin Luther King achieved the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Civil Rights Act as distinguished from that of the constitutional provisions made by Baba Saheb Ambedkar is not very comprehensive to protect the overall interests of the Afro-Americans who are discriminated both in public and private spheres of life based on the colour of the person. The US government has been implementing several innovative programmes to operationalise the provisions of the 1964 Acts. It has established the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and collect information on various aspects of employment both in public and private sectors in the USA to ensure affirmative action. There are several litigations against the implementation of Civil Rights Act in the Supreme Court of the US. In the meanwhile, US has emerged as a superpower at the global level and its economic interests spread far and wide. In this process, several nationalities started participating in its global agenda. In this context a demand was put forward to 'diversify' its base in the corporations that originate in the US. This diversification agenda is extended to the US internal situation as the Blacks, Hispanics and other minorities are increasingly making claims over jobs, resources and power. That white Americans consider 'diversity'as a means to solve the federal court decisions, particularly in the area of academic freedom. Now every multinational corporartion in the OECD countries is using this to show that they are really concerned about "them."
Diversity Vs Affirmative Action
There are three related concepts which are in vogue in the literature relating to racial discrimination in the USA. Affirmative action " refer to action that is prospective designed to assure future fairness of treatment in the absence of any specific legal finding of discriminastory practices whose consequences are to be remedied." The term 'remedial action' a related term in litigation refers to out of court settlements that have specifically been crafted as remedies for pattern and practice of what is actual discrimination. The term 'diversity' came into popular use in the 1970s. This refers to giving preferences to members of a given racial or other minority over equally qualified others. This has been put in practice in hiring practices of every sector of the American society including cultural and educational projects.
The meaning of Diersity
The concept of diversity has emerged in the context of a pluralistic society like the US or some European nations emerging as global players. Some Black scholars claim that the term came in for popular usage at a time "when popular opinion, legislatures and the judiciary are signalling a hostility to equality claims by African Americans and turning away from the reality of remedies." The Blacks oppose the term for two reaons : (1) because it incubates the separate but equal doctrine rejected in brown V.Board of Education with implication for the COMPLICITY (emphasis added) of federal courts in the failure of the second reconstruction, and (2) because it displaces the need to recognize and remedy the effects of present and past discrimination. Some scholars are of the opinion that the emergence of this concept and its wide usage by the white population makes mckery of the whole civil rights movement and its transformative affect. The endorsement of the concept indicates the failure of the social movements to transform the social, political and legal institutions that perpetuate caste, race, gender and other forms of subordination. It is said that, "the preference for diversity per se, by contrast is not mandated by the constitutional principle of equal protection, nor is it a principle that could command wide spread assent in all contexts. In many ways, the debate about diversity preferences is a sideshow, diverting us from the main event, which is how best to climate the countinuing manifestation of actual discrimination against minorities." However, claims for something like diversity preference seem to be specially strong it is said on two domains, education and community service.
'Diverisity' as a voluntary action by concerned organizations and people is very much relevant to the Indian complex situation. The Indian society is already a diversified one. This needs to be reflected in all sectors of the economy. As the privatization process is fast catching up in India, the primordial social relations in the name of caste solidarity are reflected in the private industry. Similar caste or jati groups are uniting together to establish multicaste corporations (MCCs). This will further stgrengthen the caste system at the higher layers of the society that impedes innovation, creativity and diversity. The concept of diversity needs to be built into the system not only in all organizations but even within each caste conglomeration due to the geographical and cultural diversities in India. Therefore, diversity as a short term measue to reduce social cleavages appear to be relevant now. Keeping the limitation of diversity as a long run measure, some concrete action is initiated in states like Madhya Pradesh. The Bhopal declaration made the Indian states to reflect on their own social welfare programmes in achieving the goals of the constitution. The government of Madhya Pradesh has come into the centre stage now in operationalising the idea of diversity in India. The government has already constituted taskforces to recommend concrete suggestions to implement the declaration.
Diversity Experiments in Madhya Pradesh
The government of Madhya Pradesh has started implementing the Bhopal declaration, particularly in relation to the distribution of land to SC and ST families. The government has passed an order to reduce the grazing lands in the villages from its present 7.5 per cent to 2 per cent, and the land thus obtained is distributed to SC and ST families. So far 5,20,100 acres of land was given to 2.5 lakh SC and ST families in Madhya Pradesh.
The government is the major source of employment. It is also spending huge amounts from its budget provisions on various items of expenditure through procurement and contracts. It is necessary that the government ensures that proportionate representation to SC and ST contractors, suppliers and job holders are maintained in each department. To start with, the government of Madhya Pradesh has issued an order on 7th July, 2002 reserving 30 per cent procurement in the department of Social Welfare and its social welfare hostels to be given to SC and ST contractors or suppliers. In allotting government land for petrol pumps, public sector outlets, private sector distribution units, etc., the government can ensure diversity in the allotment of land by imposing a condition that the organization should observe diversity.
It is suggested that as the dalits do not have any experience in the area of business and modern forms of organization, a training programme for the selected candidates in Entrepreneurial Development Programme (EDP) and other skills may be undrtaken for a particular level at the district head quarters. A state level HRD for diversity can be planned to provide training, guidance and advise both to the government as well as to the beneficiaries of diversity. This will act as an harbinger of dalit developlment in the short run that provides impetus for overall social development in India in general and Madhya Pradesh in particular.
þ¨¾ ÀüÈ¢ §Àº¢ ±ýÉ ¸¡Í À¡÷ì¸ÓÊÔõ ¸ñ½¡ ! ¯í¸Ç¢¼õ ²¾¡ÅÐ ³Ê¡ þÕó¾¡ø ¸üÚ¾Ã×õ ¿¡Ûõ¾¡ý ÓÏ À¢û¨Ç¸§Ç¡Î ¸‰¼ Àθ¢§Èý :wink: :wink: :wink:
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