Dalits in Himachal's Sirmauri district, forming 30% of population, are "worst off"

By A Representative
The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM)-sponsored Samvidhan Samman Yatra, on reaching Nahaan, Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh, learned from members of Dalit Vikas Sangathan and Dalit Soshan Mukti Manch that caste and patriarchy are deeply embedded in Sirmauri society, with evils like child trafficking, bonded labour, caste violence and lack of political to tackle these issues rampant in the area.
Yatra participants, who began their journey on October 2 (Gandhi Jayanti) at Dandi and will end on December 10 (human rights day) in Delhi, were also told that at the root of the district’s woes lies economic reasons. They were told, 30% of the district population belongs to the Scheduled Caste and most of them are below poverty line with no access to land. The problem of "shamlaat" land being in the control of the powerful upper castes was also discussed.
Earlier, more than 20 organizations, movements and civil society groups of Himachal Pradesh came together to organise a state level convention, Constitutional Rights, and Resources: Struggles and Challenges in Himachal Pradesh, in Shimla, to welcome the yatra on December 4. Attended by more than 150 representatives, the convention was addressed by NAPM leaders and grassroots representatives.
Slogans like "Lok Sabha Na Vidhan Sabha Sabse Upar Gram Sabha" echoed in the Kalibari hall in Shimla, carrying the message of decentralized decision making and the need to strengthen the Gram Sabhas to ensure accountability in our political system.

Ahmedabad world’s least climate resilient major city: AlphaGeo study

By Rajiv Shah A new study has ranked Ahmedabad as the least climate-resilient major city in the world , highlighting a dangerous gap between the city’s extreme physical vulnerability to climate hazards and its capacity to adapt. Cited by The New York Times , the analysis, conducted by geospatial artificial intelligence firm AlphaGeo , places the Indian city at the top of a list of global urban centres most exposed to climate risk.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

The making of a self-made woman: How eighty sheep changed everything for Kalawati Ninama

By Vikas Meshram* About forty-two kilometres from Rajasthan's Banswara district, in the tribal heartland of Ghatol block, lies the small village of Ubapana. This is where Kalawati Ninama, her husband Dhulji, and their four children make their home. Their days unfold much like those of their neighbours—bustling mornings, long hours of farm labour through the afternoon, and evenings spent tending livestock. For this family, farming and livestock were once simply a means of putting food on the table. Today, they have become the sturdy foundation of something far greater: genuine self-sufficiency.

Counterview

Search This Blog