AMUSU STRUGGLE INTENSIFIES

Some students forcibly took away food from Sir Syed
Hall (North) at lunch time and placed it at the site of Dharna, in front of
Vice Chancellor’s lodge.

The AMU administration has taken a serious note of it and described it as a
gross violation of the code of conduct. According to the University
administration this shows desperation on the part of students staging Dharna
and they wanted to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere of the campus.

Prof. A. R. Fatehi, Provost, S. S. Hall (North) said that some students
snatched food though students and staff members resisted the move. The
Provost and Warden reached the Hall of residence and tried to pacify the
students but food was taken away. Food was again cooked and served and the
students did not boycott the lunch.

The senior students of the S. S. Hall (North) strongly condemned the
dastardly act and hoped the incident will be not repeated and peace will not
be disturbed at the campus.

Aliah University :Faculty Recruitment Notice

Aliah University
Salt Lake Office: DN-47, Sector-V, Salt Lake City, Kolkata-91
Ph: 033-23671434/35, Fax: 033 2706 2124/2367 1433

Advt. No.: AU/Apptt-3/2010, dated: 10th October 2010

Aliah University, an autonomous minority institution of higher education under the Dept. of Minority Affairs & Madrasah Education, Govt. of West Bengal, invites applications in the prescribed form from Indian citizens for appointment to the posts of (a) Professor, (b) Associate Professor, (c) Assistant Professor and (d) Lecturer (Temporary) in each of the following subjects : (i) Arabic, (ii) Bengali, (iii) English, (iv) Islamic Theology, (v) Islamic Studies, (vi) History, (vii) Geography, (viii) Economics, (ix) Journalism & Mass Communication, (x) Physics, (xi) Chemistry, (xii) Mathematics, (xiii) Statistics, (xiv) Civil Engineering, (xv) Computer Science & Engineering, (xvi) Electrical Engineering, (xvii) Electronics & Communication Engineering, (xviii) Mechanical Engineering, (xix) Management/ Business Administration, and (xx) Education.

Preference will be given to candidates having knowledge of Islamic Culture.

Scale of pay and other admissible allowances are as per the State Government rules. Application (in eight copies) along with an A/c Payee Demand Draft of Rs. 500/- (250/- for Physically Disabled candidates) drawn in favour of Allah University payable at Kolkata must reach the Registrar within November 15, 2010.

The Application Form and detailed information may be downloaded from www.aliah.ac.in by clicking on Vacant Positions.

Seven Seed Companies To Control Rajasthan Agriculture

Last week, you read how Monsanto had quietly entered into an agreement with the Rajasthan government virtually taking over its agricultural research and extension [http://devinder-sharma.blogspot.com/2010/10/monsanto-takes-over-agriculture-of-semi.html]. Well, we now learn that Monsanto is not alone. There are six other companies which have signed almost a similar kind of agreement with the Rajasthan government.

An indication to this came from State Agriculture Minister Harjiram Burdak. He was quoted in Dainik Bhaskar (Oct 13, 20101) as saying that several other MoUs are in the offing.

After Rajasthan government wrote a letter on June 23 inviting seed companies under public-private partnership to come to the 'rescue' of the semi-arid State, Pioneer Seeds was the first to formally sign an MoU on July 20. Monsanto was probably the last of the lot to reach an agreement on July 27. As per the invitation letter, the State government would finally devise an action plan within three months of signing the agreements. It will therefore be interesting to see what action plan the State government is secretly developing with the private seed companies.

The six companies, besides Monsanto, are:

1. Pioneer Seeds
2. Advanta Seeds
3. Krishi Dhan
4. JK Seeds
5. Sriram Bio Seeds, and
6. Kanchan Jyoti

I will not repeat what I have already said in my earlier blog post Monsanto takes over agriculture of semi-arid Rajasthan. My colleague Dr G V Ramanjaneyulu, Executive Director of the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Hyderabad, has meanwhile expressed his concerns. I would like to share his viewpoint with you:

Its really scary to see this kind of agreement between a State and all its agriculture machinery (Add. chief secretary, commissioner agril, vice chancellors, director hort, state seed corporations) to create an appropriate policy environment to encourage innovation in agriculture. this agreement raises few fundamental issues.

This is in response to a invite by Rajasthan govt dated 23rd june, 2010 and the agreement was signed on 27th July 2010. what made the state govt to issue such letter? lack of innovation (if so on what basis?), why in such a hurry and how come so quickly? who are others who responded for this letter?

This MoU provides for identifying suitable high yielding maize/cotton/vegetable hybrids for rainfed areas of rajasthan whereas the experience till now shows that the hybrids are not suitable for rainfed areas. the report of planning commission on vidharba farmers suicides clearly stated that the Bt cotton hybrids not being suitable for rainfed areas as they are water guzzling

Cross licensing for hybrids developed by SAUs to Monsanto will give away public germplasm to private profits. the licensing of Monsanto hybrids to state will make state to spend public money to give private profits. In fact who needs these hybrids? the state? if so what happened to all the public sector maize var/hybrids released so far by rajasthan state agriculture universities? and All India Coordinated Research Project on Maize and Directorate of Maize Research?

Fair opportunity for Partnership seems to be to capture the seed subsidies provided by the department of agriculture/horticulture/tribal development and other development department to help farmers. on what basis such assessment would be made?

Feasibility of protected varieties and honoring the Proprietary rights Monsanto holds seems to be one of the real intentions behind this MoU. We may recall that in India patents on seed are not accepted and Monsanto and its affiliate MMB are using such license agreements (in fact private agreements which have no legal validity) to control their IPRs. Given the Bt cotton royalty experience in Andhra Pradesh (royalty on bt cotton is Rs. 150/packet) and Rajasthan (royalty on bt cotton is Rs. 1200/packet) shows how crucial it is for state governments to act on behalf of farmers rather than to benefit the private companies.

State providing land and infrastructure for the company to establish their units is completely unacceptable. the state governments which are not providing any funds to the state universities and state seed corporations spending huge money to support private industry is completely unacceptable.

Monsanto will take up Feasibility assessment of activities based on its own standard processes of decision making where as state and its machinery has not put in any such conditionality.

This MoU should be immediately withdrawn. Any new proposal made under this MoU should be subjected to public scrutiny and have a public debate. State cannot decide on its own as it has large ecological and economic implications and legal implications in long run.

Rural India And Rural China: Both Battling Against Land Acquisitions

In a few days from now, the Narmada Bachao Andolan will reflect on the 25 years of struggle 'questioning displacement, assertion of land and forest rights, right to fisheries, right to food and health, livelihood security, exposure of corruption and navnirman (reconstruction) through the Jeevanshalas (life schools), micro-hydel projects, and solar projects.' The struggle that began in 1985 questions the flawed policies in the name of development and economic growth. Growth for whom and what cost?

According to the NBA, rallies and public meetings at both the places -- Dhadgaon in district Nandurbar in Maharashtra, and Badwani in district Badwani in Madhya Pradesh on Oct 22 and 23, respectively -- amidst adivasis of Nandurbar, Alirajpur and farmers from the plains of Nimad would be reinforced with presence of some of the well-wishers from outside. Some months back, after I returned from the Narmada valley, I had written an analysis: Over 200,000 Narmada Dam oustees still to be rehabilitated; a crime that goes unpunished for 25 years.

In that article I had not touched on the issue of construction of the proposed canal systems leading to destruction of irrigated lands. I don't know how the planners can justify the need for canals in an area which is already irrigated by pipes and water bodies being saturated by water from the Narmada river. The dichotomy is brought out clearly in a letter to the Minister for Environment & Forests by a group of respected citizens. You must read the letter to know how development is flawed, and how it aims at only helping usurping land from the control of poor tribal.

"The land being acquired for the canals are the best of fertile agricultural lands on the banks of the Narmada and nearby; which are already receiving pipeline irrigation supply from the river itself and hence do not require canals to feed them. it is absolutely irrational to bring in river water through a canal by destroying the best of land -- and livelihoods -- when the same water is already irrigating village land. The already irrigated land for more than 50 per cent of the proposed command area to be irrigated," the letter says. It has been signed among others by L C Jain, Upendra Baxi, and Kuldeep Nayyar.

The battle for land is not only confined to the Narmada valley. In the past few years, the government is trying to acquire agricultural land across the country under one pretext of the other. In one of my blog posts, I had written: Pitched battles are being fought across the country by the poor and deprived, who fear further marginalisation when their land is literally grabbed by the government on behalf of the industry. Over the years agriculture has been deliberately turned into a losing proposition as a result of which farmers, in most places, are keen to move out provided they get a better price for their land. [You can read the article at http://devinder-sharma.blogspot.com/2010/08/rural-india-on-boil-land-literally.html]

In Madhya Pradesh alone, in central India, as per the data released by the Home Department and tabled in the State Assembly, the number of rural protests had soared from 67 in 2005 to 252 in 2009. To dispel the public protests, police acted acted 35 times, using tear gas 17 times and firing bullets on 8 occasions. As per the official statistics, most of the rural protests were by farmers against land acquisitions.

As rural India rises in protest against land acquisitions, a section of the English media has been telling us that the nation has to draw a lesson from China where land acquisitions have transformed the country and is projecting it on the path to high economic growth. Somehow the impression being given is that it is as if the rural people in China are voluntarily giving up their land for the sake of country's economic growth. Nothing can be further from truth. Rural China too knows that the forcible land
acquisitions is aimed at snatching away from them their last hope of economic security.

This picture above is a scene of a bloody protest that took place in Longxu town in Guangxi province in China on Oct 13. According to reports, about a thousand villagers clashed with hundreds of police officials. They battled with homemade gasoline bombs, bricks and rods. They were protesting against an irrigation project. So it is not only in India that people rise against unwanted irrigation projects, China too faces the same problem.

According to GlobalVoices blog: "During the fight, one police officer's eyeball was smashed, another one had a head injury. All the police officers from Cangwu county were blocked at the intersection of Xindi Road. Two police dogs were beaten to death. Later, 8 military carriages of armed police from Wuzhou city were mobilized to the spot and later 5 other military carriages of armed police from Cenxi also joined in. The move had attracted thousands of onlookers and eventually the police had to use tear gas to clear the scene." [Read the full report at: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/10/16/china-riot-against-land-acquisition-in-guangxi/]

This is what a Chinese villager said: "At present, my village only have 9 pieces of water rice field nearby the lower stream of the river. All have been sold away… what we had got from the compensation was not even enough to buy an apartment… Have you ever tried to understand the situation?? How can we make a living in the future?? For the past 20 yeas in Cangwu county, I have witnessed how the government cheated the people… Now what we have here is all about property market. Limshui is the best example. The government did not even preserve land for relocation in Longwu, Xianglong and Guangchang. In Kan Village, all the lands were acquired in the name of public interest. The government cheated away our land and now I have little confidence but a lot of anger and resentment."

Much of China and India, the two giants, is being rendered landless. Thanks to our political leaders, the masses are being pauperised so as to fill the pockets of the rich and influential. The profits that the rich garner in the process is counted as economic growth. Whether it is a democracy or a communist regime, both follow the same flawed economic prescription. We should also remain perpetually grateful due to the mainline economists for actually laying out a faulty paradigm of economic growth that in reality widens economic disparities, and has led the world to a tripping point. Not only global warming, the economic model of development has also brought the world close to an unprecedented social unrest and chaos.

You just have to wait and watch.

Fat pocket money leading teenagers to bars: Study

In a startling revelation, a study has claimed that 45 per cent of students of Class 12th in big cities have taken to drinking, courtesy fat pocket money and peer influence.

"As many as 45 per cent of the 12th graders in metropolitan cities consume alcohol excessively, at least five to six times in a month," industry body Assocham said in a survey conducted over 2,000 boys and girls in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Chandigarh and Dehradun.

The results indicate an almost 100 per cent increase in teenagers drinking in the last 10 years. Reasons for rising liquor consumption among school students include easy money.

Easy availability of imported brands and inadequate parental watch coupled with increased spending power have led to the high consumption of liquor, it said.
It said that most of them took to drinking to be at par with their peer groups.

Higher liquor consumption was witnessed among teenagers in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai followed by Chandigarh and Hyderabad.

"Each year, students spend Rs. 3,500-4,500 on alcohol, more than they spend on soft drinks, tea, milk, juice, coffee, movie tickets or books combined," Assocham said.

About 70 per cent of the teens consume alcohol on occasions like farewell party, New Year, Christmas Valentine's Day and birthdays.

While most of the boys start drinking before college, only 40 per cent of the girls take their first drink between the age of 15 to 17.

Usage of alcohol has resulted in high-risk sexual behaviour, HIV infection and liver disease.

Assocham said parents can prevent their children from drinking by talking to them about ill-influence of alcohol, role modelling and responsible behaviour.

India is the new big destination on Asia's travel map

Trident Gurgaon, Taj Palace and Radisson NH-8 - were rated the best in Asia in their categories, and India bagged the distinction of being the continent's top destination, at the World Travel Awards Asia and Australasia on Thursday evening.

The Awards, universally regarded as the Oscars of the travel and tourism business, are determined by secret ballot in which more than 1,83,000 travellers and industry professionals participate in over 160 countries. Of the 47 awards handed over to Asian destinations, hotels and resorts, India bagged 11, including the best hotel brand award to The Oberoi Hotels and Resorts.

A clear sign of the country's growing positive presence in the international tourism sector was the competition that India was up against for Asia's best destination award. It pipped Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Phuket, Tokyo and Sri Lanka to win the coveted honour.

Likewise, Trident was the first past the post in a field of 21 contenders for the double honour of Asia's leading hotel and luxury hotel. Taj Palace got the award for the continent's best meetings and conference hotel, and Radisson NH- 8 for the best airport hotel.

"It is a big achievement to win this award second time in a row," said Taj Palace general manager Taljinder Singh. " Next year we'll try to win the 'best in the world' title."

The Awards also brought littleknown hotels and resorts into the spotlight. One of them is the Raj Palace, Jaipur, whose Maharaja Pavilion was adjudged Asia's leading suite.

"It is an honour to win an award at the Oscars of the travel and tourism industry," said Ankur Rara, the Jaipur hotel's general manger.

And though her hotel was not among the Asian award winners, Monisha Dewan, general manager, Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon, was quick to point to the significance of the Indian ascendance.

"The Indian travel and hospitality industries are experiencing a boom, especially in the luxury travel and hotels segment, which is now attracting travellers from all over the world," Dewan said.

The surprise winner in the leading luxury train category was the Indian Maharaja, which has been in the news for its financial woes. Its general manager, Kuldeep Singh, though, was quite upbeat.

The Commonwealth Games had infused a new energy into India's travel and tourism industry, unlike what people are led to believe.

Not surprisingly, the industry's been quick to recover from last year's meltdown blues, he said.

Our Census, Our Future

After lots of struggle within and without parliament the union cabinet on 09 September, 2010 decided that Census, 2011 would be casteless, that Census would take place as per the schedule in February-March, that a separate caste-only headcount would take place in June-September, that data collected during separate caste enumeration would be handed over to a group of experts to analyze the same and derive conclusions.

While we welcome the willingness of the union government to reconsider its age old policy of holding casteless census, at the same time, we also protest the government’s decision to delink the Census, 2011 from caste details. In independent India it is nothing but casteless censuses, while, in subjugated India censuses were never delinked from caste details.

To conduct caste delinked census is a violation of Article 340 of Constitution of our country. Article 340 directs the government to investigate the difficulties under which socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs) labor so that methods to remove such difficulties and to improve their conditions may evolve and grants should be made. Mandal Commission was mandated under this very article. However, the Mandal commission report has suffered from the absence of data relating to socio-economic-educational status of the SEBCs due to no caste linked census having taken place after 1931. Sachar Committee, formed by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to investigate into socio-economic-educational backwardness of Indian Muslims, has also complained about non-availability of socio-economic-educational details regarding Indian Muslims due to the same reason as already reported by Mandal Commission. Sachar Committee has recommended for formation of ‘National Data Bank’ which is impossible without caste linked census. The Hon’ble Supreme Court has many a times asked the government to provide different kinds of data about the OBCs but the central government has failed to provide the desired report due to caste delinked censuses.

The government is going to incur two thousand crore of rupees on separate caste headcount. In a jointly signed memorandum to the government eminent sociologists have urged the government to include caste column in the census forms in order to save two thousand crore of rupees from going into the drain. They have also drawn government’s attention to the practical difficulties in conducting separate caste headcount. After census enumeration is over in March it will be hugely difficult to send again those lacs of census enumerators for caste headcount that too within two months of the completion of census operation. As most of the census enumerators are primary and secondary school teachers school education too will suffer.

It has also been underlined that there is electoral political vested interest in conducting separate caste only headcount as this will help in knowing exact number of voters of different castes in a given constituency. This will facilitate in choosing candidate of correct caste. Separate caste-only headcount will further pollute our already casteist environment and polity as against caste linked census which will make the socio-economic-educational backwardness of backward classes and their solution the central issue.

However, it appears that the government is not even interested in doing so. The data collected in caste-only separate headcount exercise will be handed over to a group of experts who will analyse those data and deduce results. There is already a list of castes on both central and state levels. No doubt castes are many but not infinite. Basing upon the two lists of castes the census authorities can easily figure out the number of different caste people. The way the committee or commission functions in this country it is very natural to apprehend that the decision to hand over the data to a group of experts is nothing but a delaying tactics. The English conducted caste linked census when there was no computer. In this age of software the caste linked census can be easily done.

Census is conducted under the Census Act, 1948. What will be the legal standing of the separate caste- only headcount? The government says that it will prepare legal back up of the separate caste-only headcount. How will government prepare legal back up of something which is logically and fundamentally flawed? Why does government want to create a new legislation when there is already Census Act, 1948?

The million dollar question is-Why is government not in favor of caste linked census?

Census does not count heads only; it also collects data on socio-economic-educational-living standards-health-average age etc. From census report we are able to know district wise, state wise and on the country basis the number of people who are educated and who are uneducated, among the educated how many are matriculate, graduate, post graduate and highly educated. We come to know the ratio of urban and rural people. We come to know the number of people living below and above poverty line, the size of lower, middle and upper middle class people, engaged in agriculture, government jobs, self-employment, trade and commerce-big or small, having access to modern health care, the number of landless agricultural workers, small, middle and big farmers, living in pucca and kacha houses. the average age of different sections of populations, etc.?

The caste linked census will make it clear which caste or caste group [SC/ST/OBC (BC&MBC)/Upper caste] lies where in development graphs. The casteist elements feel that caste linked census will make it clear that caste character of socio-political-economic-administrative system of this country has rendered vast multitude of SC/ST/OBC people illiterate, poor, destitute, harassed, devoid of all basic amenities and facilities of life etc., that the upper caste people are socially-educationally-economically the most contented, that ten to fifteen percent population of the upper caste middle class have major share over the nation’s material and human resource and, conversely, eighty five to ninety percent of people belonging to SC/ST/OBC have only a minor share of the same. The caste chauvinists apprehend that figures of caste linked census will once again make the old slogan of “Sao Me Nabbe Shosit Hai, Nabbe Bhag Hamara Hai” i.e. “We the Exploited Are Ninety, Our Share Is Ninety” reverberate in the air again. It appears very much plausible that under pressure of the caste chauvinists the government decided against caste linked census otherwise how come the Prime Minister announced on the floor of Parliament to conduct the same.

The censuses do not collect data relating to the OBC and the Upper caste but they collect data relating to SCs and STs. But even here caste specific data are not produced. Thus we have no knowledge of, after so many years of the Republic of India having come into existence, how many Dhobis are still washing linens in the rivers and ponds and how many have laundries, how many Pasis are still climbing up the toddy trees to tap toddy, how many Chamars are still stripping off skin of the dead animals, how many Mehtars are still scavenging night soil, how many Musahars are still eating rats and how many Dusadhs are still doing the rounds in night vigil, and so on.

The caste chauvinists are hell bent on not letting caste linked census take place. They apprehend that results of caste linked census will galvanize SC-ST-OBC against the caste system. They desire us to observe centenary year of last complete census (i.e. caste linked census) in the year 2031.

Everybody knew that the earth attracted everything towards itself. But when Newton calculated and discovered the process of gravitational pull, a revolution in natural science came. Similarly, we know we are backwards but have no idea of the extent of our backwardness. When the caste linked census will bring out the extent of our backwardness that will pave the path of social change and revolution. We need correct assessment of our backwardness through caste linked census.

We are miles behind China in developmental indexes. India cannot hope to catch China in growth and development mere on the strength of its ‘great Indian middle class’ that are overwhelmingly upper caste people. If India desires to cruise on the highway of economic development and growth it will first of all have to rescue SC/ST/OBC people from the quagmire of illiteracy and poverty. Otherwise, howsoever, they try to propel India on the path of development and growth, it will meet roadblocks. We fervently appeal to the destiny makers of India to shed hesitations and start off with conducting first ever caste-linked census in independent India. That will be a small step but a great leap forward to redeem the pledge that India took in the midnight of 14th -15th August, 1947.

The government of India adopted the slogan-Our Census, Our Future-for Census, 2011. We too adopt this slogan and proclaim: Our Census, Our Future.

O’ Brothers and Sisters belonging to the underprivileged castes of India, Come and join and contribute mind-body-money, in the struggle for making first ever complete census (i.e. caste linked census) a reality.