Vol.12, Issue 13
Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media, Bangalore
Minister: State funds diverted to private business Manjusha Gandham
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Niranjan P. Naik, Director of Township Karnataka Housing Board, said: “Prior to 2009 we used to work with Karnataka Slum Clearance Board and together we implemented many schemes for the development of slums. But from last year we work separately. We don’t work with the slum development anymore because these uneducated officials are using the development fund to develop their own business. “These illegal private firms by KSCB officials are creating many problems for us. Youths are not taking any interest in employment schemes, moreover they are leaving their education just to get employment in these illegal private firms but these officials are making fake promises to them,” he added.
Chief Minister pledges new irrigation projects
Big tire manufacturing units at Malleshwaram operate under the guise of small enterprises. By Reshma Tarwani
Cops harass couples at Cubbon Park
Page 6
LGBT community seeks opportunities
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timber yards and tyre manufacturing outlets. Slum-dwellers also claim that over 100 lakh R’s has gone into these private ventures and they haven’t seen a penny of investment. “In the year 2010-2011 government has allotted 300 lakhs for the development of backward slums around the state. Officials mis-used that amount for their private small scale timber industry in Jayanagar,” said Nayanshekha, a resident of Jayanagar slum. Dev Mahadesh, Finance Manager at KSCB, confirmed the small scale outlets had been funded by the state and said: “Officials are using this money for the purpose of employment. They want to increase employment for the youth who
live in the slums.” He also confirmed that officials have at least one small scale industry in the slum itself, adding “with this we are generating the various sources of employment for the weaker sections.” But an official from the housing board said: “There is no point to use allotted amount for the employment. This money should have been used for the development of the more than 2000 backward slums in Karnataka.” Ashutosh, 20, a student from Chamrajpett slum, said: “Officials are not giving Slum dwellers have not gained any us any employment, we benefits from the allocated funds
ABVP threatens winter session at Suvarna Soudha By Sumit Students staged a state-wide protest on Monday over the setting up of guidelines for private universities in Karnataka. Mr. N. Ravikumar of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad had warned that the party would stage the protest on December 3 if their demands were not met. The student group laid down a list of demands which included the reservation of 50% of the seats in private universities for students of Karnataka. They also demanded the state government to set the fees of students belonging to the backward and the poor class. Apart from demanding the state government to set up proper guidelines for these private universities, ABVP had asked the government to award private status to only those institutions who have achieved
Sumit
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A State government minister has accused the Karnataka Slum Clearance Board of embezzlement. Minority Affairs Minister and Bijapura district MP Rehman Khan claims over 100 lakh R’s allotted to developing slums has disappeared into several private businesses run by officials of the KSCB. Mr Khan said: "The Government of Karnataka allotted 100lakh Rs in 2012 for the development of backward slums but officials from the Karnataka Slum Clearance Board used the money to start their own small businesses". A housing board director also claims money allotted to improving slums in the city has been spent by officials on small
are still searching for the job. They make many promises and use our land for this small scale industry but they give their industry to the private contractors and these contractors higher their own employees”:
Manjusha Gandham
Inside
December 5,2012
Students from Karnataka protest alongside the ABVP at Udupi. excellence either as autonomous institutions or a deemed university. On Monday the ABVP went ahead with their protests in various districts of Karnataka since their demands had still not been fulfilled. Mr. Raghu Poojar, State Secretary (ABVP) said, “The demands of ABVP have not been met. So we decided to go
ahead with protests throughout the State.” The ABVP staged protests in various districts of Karnataka. These included Udupi, Chikballapur, Bellary, Haveri, Kolar, and Mangalore. Balaji S., National Executive Council Member said, “We staged protests in 41 places across the state. More than 11, 000 students participated in
these protests.” Upon being asked whether other student parties are putting up the cause, he said, “We are the first Students party in the state to bring up this cause. However, Students federation of India (SFI) is also planning to go ahead with the disrupting of the winter session at the Suvarna Soudha on 6th December.” The protests held across the state saw the turnout of thousands of students. When enquired about the success of the protest, Mr.Raghu sad, “We are fighting for the rights of students and it is obvious that the students will support us. We will requst other students to come forward and openly support us for the cause.” The party members of the SFI were not availaible for any comments on their take on this entire issue.
December 5, 2012
Journos submit memo to Chief Minister; seek Navin Soorinje’s release
Religious leaders back organ donation
Parvati Menon submitting memorandum to the CM By Krishnaprasad S Senior journalists from Bangalore, including Parvati Menon from The Hindu and Laxman Hoogar from TV9 news, submitted memoranda regarding Navin Soorinje to the Chief Minister. Navin Soorinje, Kasturi news24 reporter, was arrested by the Mangalore police last week alleging that he did not inform the police about the home-
stay attack that happened in Padil in Mangalore recently. Senior journalists from Bangalore who had gathered here for submitting a memorandum to CM Jagadeesh Shettar said that all allegations against him were false. They also said that the police were involved with the miscreants in the incident and demanded that justice be provided to Navin Soorinje. “Mr. Soorinje had done his
work sincerely. We even have the phone record that says he had made a call to the police. The police have also shown their biased view about Navin by booking him under same sections of law that were booked against the miscreants, they said. “The allegations are false. We have requested the government not to oppose the bail application from the public prosecutor. And also there have been several discussions on whether a journalist should inform the incident to the police first or react according to the situations,” they added. The incident took place within 3 kms of the nearest police station. There are many policemen around. But there are only about 50 journalists in Mangalore. People now do not trust police anymore and they inform the happening of the incident to a reporter. This is something one should think of”, said a senior journalist from a reputed media house. CM Jagadeesh Shettar in response to the memorandum submitted said: “I will personally look into the matter. We can find a solution to this. I will let you know what can be done. Even I am a lawyer. We will take appropriate action soon.” The senior journalists also demanded that a probe be conducted against the miscreants who were involved in the incident and justice “should” be provided to Navin Soorinje.
Nupur Gour
The Weekly Observer
Krishnaprasad S.
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Swami Kempo Sonaji in the event By Nupur Gour haranatha Mahaswamiji. Various religious leaders shared the stage at the BGS health and education city to share their views on organ donation and religion. The religious heads of various communities gathered on a single stage at BGS Health and Education City. The occasion was an event organized by the Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network (MOHAN) in an attempt to abolish the myth of the religious sentiments behind lack of organ donation. A Kannada movie based on organ donation was also launched on the sidelines of the event. This movie was a first of its kind. The leaders included Shri. Kempo Sonamji, a representative of the Buddhist community, Dr. Yejazuddin from the Muslim community, Father David Chiramel, representing the Christians and various leaders representing the Hindu community. One of the most eminent among the Hindu religious representatives present at the event was Sri Sri Sri. Dr. Balagangad-
These leaders were untied in voicing their concerns on the myth of religious sentiments preventing organ donations. Fr. David Chiramel shared his personal experience of donating one of his kidneys for his friend. He said, “I have donated a kidney already. I have also made a will to donate all possible organs after my death. My body will be donated to a hospital for academic purposes after my death.”All the religious leaders were of a single opinion that nowhere in any holy books of any religion it is mentioned that organ donation is a sin. A trustee of MOHAN, Dr. Sunil Shroff, said “The lack of organ donation due to hurting the religious sentiments is simply a myth.” He called the conference a holy conference. The focus entirely lay on the lack of organ donation on relgious grounds.The world will watch with open eyes to see how this conference will impact the organ donation.
By Nijhum Rudra Former Mangalore police chief Gopal Hosur has been appointed Additional Commissioner of Police to solve the pending murder cases of 200812. Gopal B Hosur, Indian Police Service, says he was handed the role of ACP to catch the culprits responsible for the 2008 Bangalore serial bomb blasts. Mr. Gopal also headed the Karnataka State Intelligence Bureau. He was chosen by a panel of IPS officers headed by chief minister of Karnataka Mr. Jagdish Shettar. Mr. B Dayananda, Joint Police Commissioner of Bangalore said: This is an important decision taken by Karnataka Police Administration Department and the Chief Minister himself. “He will be taking over the charge of Bangalore blast case in 2008. He is a proven officer who has solved some critical cases in the past.” According to the Crime Research Bureau (CCRB), Mr. Gopal recently arrested a security guard of State Bank of Mysore who killed Anusuya, another employee. On the last week of November Mr Hosur also incarcerated Sanjeev Rathi and Muhammad Faheem who
assasinated BS Anandamma a 65 year old man in MC Layout. He was awarded a gold medal by the Karnataka government for bravery and excellence recently. He commented: “I consider the arresting of Sameer Sadiq, the chief of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) as one of my major achievements. If I could bring out the culprits behind Bangalore blast case in 2008 it would be a prestigious achievement for police department of Karnataka.” I reckon there was involvement of Laskar-e-Taiba in the 2008 Bangalore blast case. Abdul Nasar Mahdani, the main accused in custody, should be interrogated again.” added Mr. Gopal. Fifty people were killed and 20 another were injured in the bomb blast series that shook Bangalore on July 25, 2008. Nine Bombs were triggered at the same time at nine different locations in Bangalore. Prime accused of Bangalore blast series, Abdul Nazr Mahdani is now in judicial custody. According to Kerala police reports Mahdani’s Sufiya is held resposible for burning case in Kalamassery in Cochin. According to police department the change of investigative authority has brought a new life to this notorious case.
Krishnaprasad S.
ACP vows to crack Chief Minister promises irrigation down on terrorism projects at drought afflicted regions By Krishnaprasad S. Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar in a meeting today said that the irrigation projects for Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Bangalore rural districts would be completed soon. The meeting took place at “KRISHNA”, the Chief Minister’s home office, following protests and road blocks that took place last week. Several protestors gathered and supported the call of separate irrigation projects to the affected areas. The protests were also followed by a ‘rail roko’. Ministers, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and other parties along with BJP today pressurized the Central and State governments to find solutions to water problems in the eight districts of Karnataka, including Kolar, Chikkballapur and Bangalore rural districts. State Minister in charge of Kolar district, Varthur Prakash also demanded the same for the people in his constituency. Ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises and who represents Kolar at the centre, K.H. Muniyappa, was also among the group who had joined the discussion regarding the projects. The Shettar government
Chief Minister Jagdish Shettar at his home office along with the Minister for Water for state, SR Bommai, today also said that it would provide canal facilities for the water scarce regions. It would provide around 300 TMC of water that will be supplied till Mulbagil of Kolar and Kanakpura of Bangalore. Speaking to the media, K.H Muniyappa said, “According to Dr. Parameshwaraiah reports, the foundation would be laid very soon. I have been discussing these problems with Verappa Moily and other state ministers at the center. We would also extend our support to the state government and request them to start the
work soon.” “The government has planned to execute this very soon. I thank Jagadish Shettar and SR Bommai for the interest taken towards the projects. I hope this will be started by the time the next government comes to power. At least the foundation should be laid,” he added. Dr.Parameshwaraiah, who submitted the report to the government said: “Let us hope that this helps people.” He also said that the same project would be extended to Mangalore and Udupi in the North Canara district of Karnataka by building check dams wherever possible.
The Weekly Observer
Kakoli Mukherjee
Cartoonists graduate from pencils to computers
one of the cartoons displayed at the exhibition By Kakoli Mukherjee
The inauguration of the 77th exhibition of cartoons by the Indian Institute of Cartoonists was done at the Indian Cartoon Gallery today. The chief guest for the event was Madhuri Upadhya, Associate Director of Nritarutya Dance Academy. The exhibition featured the works of 30 budding cartoonists from Bangalore who were chosen in an inter-collegiate competition called MAACCartoon 2012 held by Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) in association with Indian Institute of cartoonists.
The finalists were chosen from 28 different colleges in the city over a month-long duration. Prizes given away to the winners included certificates and Samsung phones and tablets. The central theme for the competition was 'water shortage' for which the organisers received 700 entries. After another stage of selection, 30 finalists were chosen, out of which Divya D Pai, a student of BNM Institute of Technology, was the winner. The theme for the final selection was 'garbage issue'. Shajan Samuel, Sr. Vice President, MAAC, said: "We were overwhelmed by the
response we received. Bangalore is a power house of creative talent, and nowadays, children are choosing more and more non-core streams of study." In her short speech, the Chief Guest emphasized the need of creative artists to follow their passion under tough situations. Balraj KN, cartoonist and one of the jury members, said, "Cartoonists today have several platforms to display their talent, aside from traditional cartooning. Advancement of animation and multimedia in India has opened up new fields for cartoonists. Instead of concentration on just one avenue, cartoonists should diversify and develop their talent." When asked about the future prospects of cartoonists in India, Samuel replied that with the special effects of big budget films like Life of Pi being done in India, Indian animators and cartoonists are in demand. Reflecting the same enthusiasm, V.G. Narendra, Managing Trustee, Indian Institute of Cartoonists, said that there is a huge scope for cartoonists in India today if they are able to make it a profession instead of just doing it as a hobby. The exhibition will be held at the Indian Cartoon Gallery till 20th December.
December 5, 2012
Painters exhibit their art Pushkar Banakar
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By Pushkar and Anupika An art exhibition was held at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat today by various artists. The exhibition included seven painters from Kolkata, two from Mumbai and one from Indore. The themes were varied for this art exhibition. Prakash Maji, a painter from Kolkata was exhibiting his talent with the theme human face. He said, “This has been my interest for a long time now and I am very happy with my paintings.” On being asked about the next theme he was going to start, he said that nature would be his next theme. Another painter from Kolkata had a very different theme. His theme was the political destruction of various cultural and religious sites. He said, “It pains me to see how the political scenario in the country is affecting the religious and cultural sites the most.” Another painter from
Mumbai, Sankar Shinde’s theme for the exhibition was abstract art. Another area of note about the exhibition was the usage of different types of colors and bases for each artist’s paintings. Some of the painters had canvas as their base while the others had cloth as their base. The usage of colors also differed from oil colors to acrylic paints. Most of the painters present there drew their inspiration from nature and it reflected in their work. One concern for the painters which was common was the lack of proper art galleries to showcase their paintings. They said that the government art galleries were not designed properly and the poor lighting did not do justice to their work. They were unable to showcase their work in private art galleries as they lacked funds and hence had to stick with the government art galleries.
By Udita Chaturvedi
Udita Chaturvedi
Artists are unhappy with the facilities and infrastructure at one of the state art galleries. The Karnataka Chitrakala Parishad is not really built as a conventional art gallery should be, says artist Pramod Mohanty. Mohanty said: “The walls are painted cream in colour instead of white. Paint is chipping off from some areas while there are stain marks in others.” He added: “Improper ventilators have been placed along with ill-fit exhaust fans. The multiple art galleries in this academy have been merely separated using wooden separators that don’t even cover the height of the room.” He was most disappointed with the lightning of the gallery. He said: “Lights have just been placed for the sake of
putting them up. They are so illplaced that they create shadows around the paintings which should never happen.” R. Sreedhar, Chief Administrative Officer, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishad, said: “We have got few complaints and suggestions but we don’t have too much of funds to make this place like a fancy private art gallery. If they want something like that they should go to those expensive art galleries that cost up to lakhs for even a day.” At the state art gallery, Mohanty has paid only Rs. 17,000 for a seven days long exhibition. Sreedhar said: “Still we are talking about painting the walls white and improving the lighting system. We can’t promise a date of exact implementation but it should happen soon.”
Poor lighting system in the state art gallery
Debati Roy
Art gallery in shambles Politically not in position to take decisions, says Chief Minister due to lack of funds
(From left) Chief Justice Vikramjit Sen, CM Jagdish Shettarattending advocate’s day celeberation By Debanti Roy A memorandum of understanding was signed between the government and the judiciary for better working of law and order in the state. In advocates’ day celebration today at high court, Chief Justice Vikramjit Sen and Prime Minister Jagdish Shetter talked about the importance of judiciary in the state. Vikramjit Sen said: “The duty of the judiciary is to create awareness and the duty of the lawyers is to make a good importance of Judiciary.” Law maintains peace and
harmony in the society. It plays an important role in protecting and preserving the rights of the citizens,” He added. Vikramjit Sen talked about Dr. Rajendra Prasad. “He was a man known for simplicity. He was a teacher and after practicing law, became an advocate. He understood the importance of law in India,” he said. He thanked the chief minister for the grant of 1 crore for the construction of Vakila Bhavan. But he further requested the chief minister for computers and library in the Vakila Bhavan for
the use of advocates. He emphasized on good infrastructure of the Vakila Bhavan as it will provide motivation to work and strive for perfection. He pledged “to train the structure of advocacy to achieve greater heights.” Jagdish Shetter thanked the judicial system of Karnataka for properly maintaining law and order in the state. He said: “The judiciary has played a very important role by making correct judgments and it is very important for Karnataka because politically we are not in a position to take it.”
The Weekly Observer
Cops harass couples at Cubbon park Shreya M
“This step taken by the police needs some serious thinking.” K. Hamid, a visitor said: “I came here with my friend for hang-out and I noticed that the policewas secretly clicking me and my friend’s picture. This is annoying. We were just sitting and talking, who gave them the rights to click us without our permission.” P. Laxmanan, another visitor said, “This step taken by police is serious and needs correction. Visitors cannot walk freely or move in the park.” Hunumanthappa, assistant subinspector of Cubbon Park, said: “The circular sent by the higher officials guided us to perform this activity and thus we were clicking the pictures of the visitors without their consent.” He added, “We have questioned the government regarding this and we are awaiting their response.” A police inspector on duty said: “We are doing this because of the increase in number of crimes in this park.” He added, “The cases of murder have also remarkably increased in this park. So, we had to take this step.”
Visitors get harassed at the ‘lung’
area of the city
By Debanti Roy
together and not other people. Whereas I would say that more than the couples, the other visitors who come here daily are engaged in criminal activities,” he added. Ms. Hajirao, a lawyer, said: “This is stupid and ill- logical. The police are taking pictures of a boy and a girl together and not boys together or girls together. The police, who maintain law and order in the city, should not have got involved into such stupid activities.” She added,
Visitors to Cubbon Park are harassed by police as they take couple’s picture secretly. Cubbon park police are on duty with their digital cameras, taking pictures of visitors in the park. “The police are taking pictures of the visitors without their permission for the last one week,” said Biswa, security guard of Cubbon Park. “The police are only taking pictures of boys and girls
Nikita
Magic seed to increase fodder production
Healthy cattle will be a frequent sight after the seeds come By Pushkar Banakar The Centre for Fodder Crops Research (CFCR) and the Central Seed Research Institute (CSRI), Bangalore have come out with a hybrid variety of fodder crop seeds. These institutions, in collaboration have come up with hybrid varieties of seeds to increase fodder crop production. This will help the farmers to keep their cattle healthy in times of drought.Dr. G. Krishnan, research grade scientist at
CFCR said, “We were doing this project for three years now. Finally we have come up with the seeds which can help the farmers.” The farmers are delighted at the prospect of new fodder seeds. Mallikarjun, a farmer who grows paddy said, “We had to dedicate our lands to fodder crops to take care of the cattle. Now when the new varieties of seed arrive we can dedicate more area of land for paddy and make more profits.” Dr. Siddharth Ranjan,
scientist at the CSRI believes that this will be a landmark in the field of Indian agriculture. He said, “These seeds will benefit the farmers immensely and the production of food grains can be increased in the country.” The seeds are yet to be released in the market. The scientists from both the institutes believe that the product should be out by late next year as the final tests are in progress. They also say that the landscape of Indian agriculture will change drastically for good once the seeds are released in the market. Most of the country has been reeling under drought for most part of the last decade. The farmers have complained over a period of time that because they have to dedicated large areas of land in their farms to fodder crops as they survive on their secondary income from cattle. Nagappa, a small farmer, said “If there is drought the only means of survival for us is our cattle and if such seeds are released in the market, it will benefit us immensely.” Hence, according to the scientists, this makes it all the hybrid fodder crop seed all the more important. The new seeds yield more produce on a smaller patch of land and this would benefit the farmers immensely
December 4, 2012
Human trafficking cases at an all time high in the city By Krishnaprasad S HUMAN trafficking is so prevalent in Bangalore that state officials have organised a street play to warn schoolchildren of the dangers. Last year saw 627 reported cases of human trafficking. According to figures just released by police, in the first six months of this year, the reported incidents stood at 403. Police and state legislators believe last year’s total will be eclipsed by the end of this year. In spite of stringent action being taken by the police, human trafficking cases have been rising in the city. Bangalore is now the state trafficking capital. Illiteracy, superstition and extortion are the reasons for the increase in human trafficking, says the government of Karnataka. To counteract the situation, the government of Karnataka has now come up with plans to host street plays depicting the crime so that people do not fall prey to traffickers. The government is trying to educate school children first as they are the primary victims of human trafficking. Bangalore has the highest number of registered human trafficking cases when compared with other cities in the state. The central government has now ordered all the state governments to create public awareness programs. The awareness program includes a play on how people fall prey to human traffickers, and what can be done to prevent such incidents. “If this is done, people do become aware to some extent. At least and they can know
when they are being trapped,” said Aslam Ahmed, Joint Director of Women and Child Welfare Department. Trafficked individuals are often forced into slavery, donating organs illegally, dancing in bars, drug smuggling, prostitution and begging. The victims that easily fall prey are girls, unmarried women, those separated from their family, and people suffering from HIV. “It is very important to save people from this act of inhumanity, so we are taking all steps to ensure that this does not happen in the future,” said Aslam Ahmed. Human trafficking is emerging to be the world’s fastest growing crime according to reports from National Human Trafficking Resource Center(NHTRC). Yet there is no Anti-trafficking squad that has been introduced in the government which can monitor and control the human traffic. In most of the cases the children are subjected to slavery. The recent reports state that almost 60 percent of the cases registered are of children who left their parents and came out of the family in order to get a job. The Bangalore police are still in the process of monitoring all the cases and seem to have found no improvements in the case. The Women and Child welfare department also has taken no serious steps nor pressurized the government to take some action against this. In spite of the many steps taken, the government and the police department have failed to properly tackle trafficking, risking the lives of those most vulnerable in the community.
Locals blame illegal immigrants for rising tariffs By Nupur Gour The rise of illegal immigrants in CV Nagar is causing lot of trouble for the locals. The large influx of illegal immigrants is causing trouble for the locals in the area. The locals have to pay additional bills on water and electricity as the immigrants are not accounted for these services. Ramesh, a local resident said, “My water and electricity bill is shooting up every month. I am from a middle class family and I cannot afford this.” The president of the welfare association of the locality could not be contacted after repeated efforts. The immigrants say that they are not illegally staying there but have no documents as proof to prove their legality. Moina, an immigrant said, “We have been staying here since childhood and only now the locals say this is a problem. Where can we suddenly go now.” She wants the government to relocate the immigrant community or to provide documented proof of their existence in the country. Kailash, another resident of
Nupur
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Nischal, an illegal immigrant the colony believes that these immigrants should be deported back to their country. Nischal, another of the immigrants refutes the charges saying, “Why should we be deported? We have been here almost since our birth.” Strangely the immigrants refuse to confess the country from which they come from but accept they are not Indians. The authorities when contacted spoke only on condition of anonymity. They said, “We are responsible only for the people of our country and we cannot take care of illegal people now.” It remains to be seen how the authorities deal with the issue of illegal immigration and how the
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The Weekly Observer
December 5, 2012
Registrars charge extra to issue certificates
Prominent business school refuses to refund admission fees to student By Aheli Raychaudhury Preya
By Preya Dave The registrars of birth and death certificates often delay the issuance of certificates, sometimes asking for a higher fee to expedite services. According to the Registration of Birth and Deaths Act, 1969, certificates are supposed to be issued by the hospitals or the registration offices free of cost if the event has happened in the previous three days. However, a lot of Bangaloreans complain that the registrars end up asking for amounts as high as Rs. 1000 to get a certificate made, in case of emergencies. “I had applied for my son’s birth certificate in the Tyagrajnagar BBMP office. However, the sub-registrar there asked me to pay Rs. 300 if I wanted the certificate. When I questioned him, he said it’s for “faster issues,” said Sanjay Gupta, a business man in Tyagrajnagar. Ashwin Bhavsar, who had applied for his father’s death certificate in 2010, is yet to receive the document. “I regularly go to the Seva Kendra Counter on M.G Road. Every time, they ask me to come back after a week.”
Though the documents cost only Rs.10 per additional copy, officials often charge extra from citizens A.H.Mehta, a resident of Rajajinagar complains that there is no list of charges displayed in the office. “How can we know the actual price of the certificates if the price is not displayed,” he asked. However, the sub-registrar’s office at Rajajinagar claims that the first certificate itself costs Rs. 50 according to the law. “The additional certificates cost Rs. 10 each,” said Manjunath, a sub registrar in charge of Mahalaxmipuram for the last one and
a half years. When asked about the complains the residents are making against the registrars, Dr M. Praveen Kumar, the Deputy Health Officer (West), said, “Every office gets an average of 15 applications every-week, including births and deaths. This is a very minimal amount.” “ I am sure there’s no chance of delay or extra cost from these offices. There has definitely been some misunderstanding,” he added.
A prominent business school in Bangalore has allegedly extorted money from a candidate by refusing to return her documents and certificates. The Loyola Business School was involved in a messy court case when a High Court lawyer filed a petition on behalf of the student. The woes of the student began right from the time of her admission. She was admitted on a Sunday which was odd to begin with, as no admissions procedures ever occur on a Sunday. The girl hails from a remote village in Andhra Pradesh. She was asked to pay Rs 50,000 as part of her admission fees along with her original documents. After three days, her father took ill and she approached the college to withdraw from the course. The college refused to refund her admission fees and also her original documents. To add insult to injury she was asked to submit an apology letter for leaving the course. The college also wanted the candidate to pay the rest of her
admission fees of Rs 1, 25, 000 in exchange for the original documents. Her lawyer, Asha Krishna demanded that the college return at least Rs 50,000 and her documents. The Loyola Business School has agreed to return the original documents as per the court's ruling but has decided to retain the Rs. 50,000. Asha Krishna is now planning to approach fast-track courts to get the admission fee refunded. The incident occurred on August 27, 2011. Savitha was admitted to the college on August 7 2011. The case was first filed on April 3rd 2012. On contacting Loyola Business College, Admission Head, Mr. Navya Krishna said, "Soon after joining she wanted to quit and she cited disinterest and familial issues as reasons to leave. She was however asked to pay the remaining amount as her fees for the first semester as she had attended classes for a week which she objected to." On asking Mrs. Krishna what her immediate step would be she said, "I will approach the Education Tribunal."
By Vintu Augustine “The town is well-known for ‘Ilekal’ saris and our clan is identified with the production of them,” said Sridhar, a member of ‘Nekar’ clan. He spent hours behind the spinning wheel for 18 long years, but no more doing so now. “I am well off today thanks to Gajendragad’s good stead for business, not to my profession which just fed me yesteryears and did nothing more than gifting eternal joint pains,” said further Sridhar, who didn’t reveal what his business is. Gajendragad of Gadag district in Karnataka is a flourishing commercial town with favourable geographic features. The ‘Nekar’ community of Gajendragad holds 40% of the town’s population with a major number of its members, men, women and children alike, engaged in the profession of weaving clothes; let’s be specific, weaving saris; that too the famous ‘Ilekal’ saris. Sasikala, a weaver since her childhood said, “It is a pleasure to see a fully woven sari but a hell-time is spent behind wheel spinning it; and even worse is the acute joint pains and breathing trouble that come along with it.” She is a young girl of 24 years, but works double her age behind the machine. Her hands and legs move at the same time incessantly and swiftly to twirl 10 inches of a ‘sari’ in 15 minutes. “Three days’ hard work of twelve hours each; 36 hours in
total; but all that holds me back to this work is just Rs. 300,” said Sasikala, moving away from the wheel and holding the piece of her creation in hand with pride. This is the woe and despair of every minor worker in the textile industry, whether it is a handloom weaver at home or a worker at the mechanized factory. Although their work is highly health-demanding, payment is very low, not even sufficient to meet the basic necessities. Yet, in spite of all these woes and furies the workers are high on demand to meet the necessities of wholesale and retail business people in the industry. These workers contribute hugely to the advantage and heavy profit of the industries. Corruption runs massively in this industry. While the weavers are underpaid; the corporate dealers make a huge profit by selling the saris in the market. The wholesale dealer who buys it further distributes it at a net profit of 25%, which would raise the prize of the sari to Rs. 750. And when it reaches to retail shop, he adds another 40% to the prize and that would finally find the home of the purchaser at a prize of Rs. 1000. The sheer hard work and contribution of the worker at a textile factory remains unrecognized goes unseen and the sharpness and shrewdness of business people benefit from the lion’s share of the profit. The fate and struggle of every low-level worker in the textile industry is always the same; underpaid and
Vintu
In Gadag district, garment workers battle for a life of dignity and survival
Garment weavers in the district often have t o work for more than 16 hours a day overworking, they ever remain to be just bread winners for the family. The Indian Textile Industry, one of the leading industries of India and the largest in the world, has a major role in the economy of the country. It earns about 27% of its total foreign exchange through textile exports, contributing 14% of the total industrial production of the country. It also supplies around 3% to the GDP of the country and is the largest in terms of employment generation, giving employment to more than 35 million people.
Beside, foreign exchange also serves to be a source of ‘big catch’ to small scale textile businessmen by endorsing them with a good percentage of profit. The difference of price percentage from the first outlet (main company counter) to the last (small scale vendors) amounts to 40%. Shaji A., a small scale textile businessman from Pulpally in Wayanad district of Kerala, makes 30 to 40% of profit from the items sold at his store. He purchases the cloths from factory outlets in Bangalore or Calcutta.
The business has increased his annual income by 40 percent and his economical position has improved with the high rate of profit. Textile business is one of the most profitable and flourishing one in India today, given the high demand, production and consumption. The sale of cloth items has gone up significantly over the last few years. But the fact that remains unchanged and is still staggering are the condition of the workers at textile factories and handloom industries.
The Weekly Observer
December 5, 2012
Sneha Banerjee
No jobs for gender minorities
Thousands of people participated in pride march
By Sneha Banerjee & Satyajith Gender minorities in Karnataka say they face difficulty in securing government jobs. The ‘Pride March’ by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered groups in the city met at the Town Hall today to vent their frustration over lack of employment and other health issues. The event was sponsored and funded by some of Bangalore’s biggest blue chip companies but campaigners said they are regularly rejected for jobs in the private sector. They also face rejection when they try to apply for jobs with the government. One of the organizers of the march, Shaam claimed: “People participate in this event but you will find none of these firms recruiting people like us.” He also mentioned that unskilled labor also was not considered as an option as he feels private firms don’t entertain gender minorities. Education remains one of the
major factors that prohibit gender minorities from acquiring employment. Bangalore University’s initiative to reserve seats for transgenders in the 52 postgraduate programmes is a failure even after two years. All the allotted seats are still vacant as no one from the transgender community have applied for any of the programmes. Vinaychandra, a person working for the cause of the transgenders, said: “Bangalore University’s initiative was just due to the pressure from the NGOs. If they did not start it from the base level, they will never be able to implement it. “ Sources from Bangalore University said that even if there are transgender students admitted to the university, it is very difficult for them to get jobs as there are very few opportunities for them to get employment. Incredibly, the Employment Exchange Board of Karnataka
claims that they do not have any registrations from gender minorities and believes that private recruiting firms would be a better option for minority groups. Mr Thima Gowda, Service Assistant Manager at the Employment Exchange Board in Karnataka, said: “We do not have ‘such’ minorities coming in for registration. Minorities include Muslims, Buddhists, scheduled castes and tribes alone.” Meanwhile, T D Kemparaju, Registrar, Bangalore University, said, “We should start such reservations from the lower level, followed by the middle and PU level, then graduation and then finally post-graduation level. “They are a class that has been established as one of the minority sections of the society. I think, they should be given equal importance and education like any other child,” he added. The Pride March saw people from Sangama, voicing out their demand for employment and other schemes to be made compulsory for their community. Suryakant SJ, Assistant Police Officer was one of the officers present at the march. He felt that the initiative taken by the community was not being channelized properly. Approaching the government organizations directly would be more beneficial, he felt. The group also called for sex change operations to be paid for by the state and want the right to adopt children by law.
Stadium turning into a dumpyard Pushkar Banakar
6
No play, just a dumpyard
By Pushkar Banakar The BBMP stadium at Jogupaliya is being used as a centre for garbage disposal. The stadium is a venue for national football and hockey matches. Now, it is being used as a dump yard for the city’s garbage. The seating arrangements of the stadium are also not adequate for the audience. The manager of the stadium, Mr. Divyadeep Narayan, said: “The BBMP is at fault, we are not responsible for it.” He added: “We have requested them to stop burning garbage here but our pleas fall on deaf ears.” Even players are being affected by garbage disposal in the stadium. The training space is being used to burn garbage, and so the players are being deprived of their practice space. Rajesh Sharma, a regular at the ground, said: “I am very
By Sidharth Shekhar An NGO, set up by two Bangaloreans is funding government schools who are in dire need of funds and better infrastructure. This organization adopts the schools and work for there upliftment.So what now? A non-profit organization which provides infrastructure and educational tools to schools around Bangalore. They fund-raise by selling tshirts and other products. It entails the duo's vision to provide a platform for creative young minds. In a telephonic interview to The Daily Observer, Savita Vijaykumar shared her ideas candidly. Sidharth- So what now? Why did this name come to your mind? Savita- “So, What now?” is a question that addresses the apathy which exists in our society. We all know that there are many problems we face on day to day basis, but the question we always ask is, So what now? What are we going to do about it? What can be done to bring a change? This is the philosophy we follow and live with and luckily people have supported our cause. Sidharth- Talking about changes, as an organization what are your main focus areas?
Savita- Our organization provides infrastructure including toilets, water tanks, and vocational training equipments through our project IN (FRA) SPIRE to unaided schools in and around Bangalore. We have also partnered with Dhanalaxmi Bank which has kindly decided to support us. We get donations and beside that our products like t-shirts and greeting cards are sold under 'Care to Consume' project. The t-shirts are priced at Rs 300 to Rs 1000 and we are planning to start our store in the city for which we are in talk with Karle Group of Companies (a garment manufacturing company) to launch an affordable clothing line for rural India. SidharthHow many schools have received your support till date? And how do you select schools? Savita- We have provided support and facilities to 14 government schools till date. The first school was Indira Gandhi International Academy, run by a charitable trust called Bright Society, in Jakkur. We have also started providing basic computer education to the school children. We select schools that are “in dire need of funds and infrastructure". We then conduct a small research about the basic
Sidharth
Next generation takes responsibility of resurrecting the lives of hapless school kids
Savita Vijayakumar, a young entrepreneur requirements that schools need and we provide for the same as per the requirements. Sidharth- How do you market your products? SavitaMost of the marketing is done online, through word of mouth and through Facebook. We also have a dedicated page on Facebook. Sidharth- How has the journey been so far and what makes this organization different from the rest? Savita- It has been very good and challenging too. There was a time when we had no financial support and we had to pool in our own money which we had saved while working. Our parents stood rock steady
behind us. Things gradually started changing with time and now we have partners and institutions which are backing us. Our organization is different because we don’t believe in selling the "cause". It's not a charity for us. We are not here to forcefully shove our cause down anyone's throat. We have artists, documentary makers, and photographers, designers who have worked and collaborated with us. We want to speak through the talents of the people who work with us and to empower the society in a progressive way. Sidharth- Which has been one of your most favorite and challenging project? Savita- ‘Story Rooms' project has been one of the most challenging ones till now. It was something big at that point of time and required lots of planning and effort thankfully we worked very hard alongside our volunteers to make it successful and it happened. This project has been set up to encourage reading and enhance language skills among school children to build self-confidence. This project also involves book drives at various academic and corporate campuses to collect books depending on the number of the volunteers we get.
disappointed. I do not get space to practice. I have my selections coming up and it’s affecting my performance.” The BBMP officials had a different story to tell. They refused to accept the charge. Ashish Balaswami, Engineer, BBMP, said: “All these allegations are falso. Why will we burn garbage in a stadium? They just want to malign our image.” He added: “We are working towards the seating arrangements. We are on the way to place more seats in the stadium.” The official in the stadium said: “There is no construction work happening anywhere in the stadium for the past three months.” The blame game between the stadium and the BBMP officials is hurting the sportspersons as well as the image of the stadium.
The Observer Team IIJNM Publications Printed by: Lotus Printers Email: editor@iijnm.org Website:http://www.iijnm.org/ media_uploads/observer/ 2012_13/
For private circulation only Editor Amrita Ray Chief Sub Editor Sumit Photo Editor Kriti Khandelwal Page Editors Nikita Malusare Priyanka Roy Pyusha Chatterjee Shreya Mukherjee Vintu Augustine
Proof Readers Rohan Urmi Sidharth Deepu Aby Verghese