The DUSU Fraud - If this is how it all starts, imagine how it will go on

Times of India - 27/8/09

The DUSU (Delhi University Student Union) elections have been announced, and it’s that time of the year again when Delhi University’s top wannabe political honchos compete for the prize of who gets to pull the strings of power on campus. DT brings you the intrigue, scheming, politics and power play from behind the scenes:

- Pretty & Pimped

Notice how all the faces on the posters are well nigh flawless? The parties look for an attractive face, preferably a female’s. Also, to rephrase Rakhi Sawant, ‘Jo bhagwan nahin deta, woh photoshop de deta hai!’ The candidates’ photos are airbrushed to look good. It’s not possible for the candidate to meet everyone in the Univ, so it’s the face that gets the votes. “I asked a senior who he’d vote for, and he replied, ‘Jo sundar ho woh.’ I think I’ll do the same!” says first year student Ranvijay Mahla. And by the way, the Lygndoh Committee’s guideline prohibiting the use of printed posters and pamphlets unless handmade, can go take a hike!

- Keep ‘em happy

It’s also important to let students know that you’ll keep them happy. So it’s free trips to Fun and Food Village, free movies, and free lunches in the college canteen. Richa Jha, a third year student of Satyawati College, says, “Students were given free trips to Fun and Food Village
and free lunches.”

At nights, crates of booze are sent to the boys’ hostels and sometimes even the candidates are present. An insider confirms, “The leader of the group is called and the booze is given to him. It’s important to have the leaders on your side.”

- What’s in a name? lots!

It’s all about where your name appears on the EVM. Buzz has it that voters who don’t know whom to vote for usually press the first button, and some candidates take this pretty seriously. An extra A or AA added before their name ensures that they enjoy the top spot on the ballot list. An insider confirms, “AA Deepak Chaudhary, AA Rohit Chaudhary, etc, are all names just for the elections!”

- Outside help

Every year, some major parties get about 2000 outsiders to help them in the elections. A veteran DUSU leader says, “One has to make the most of these ten days. The parties get people from other states. These people help cover the vast DU campus. Jeeps, cars, etc, are hired to ferry around these ‘supporters’ and the publicity material. The candidate should be followed by cars and supporters, it looks impressive.” But don’t the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines forbid the use of vehicles?

- Bring in the moolah

Contesting an election needs big bucks. A li’l birdy tells us that a candidate from a major party needs at least Rs 10 lakhs to get noticed, not to mention a few lakhs more from the party and some from supporters, to keep going. The petrol alone costs more than 10,000 bucks. The Lyngdoh Committee’s guidelines, on the other hand, limit maximum expenditure per candidate to Rs 5000.

- Power show

To get an election ticket, a candidate has to prove to the party that he enjoys campus-wide support and influence, for which a display of strength or, in DU lingo, a ‘shakti pradarshan’ is organised. The ‘supporters’ there are DU students, IP students, people from different states and professions and some who join the crowd for money. The candidates travel through the campus with their entourage, who shout slogans, throw pamphlets in the air, and wave banners; dhols and whistles complete the show.

- Campaign capers

Once the nominations have been filed, the campaigning begins. With each candidate vying for visibility, a fight for space ensues. You paste your posters, others paste theirs, so what do you do to have an edge? Tear those of the others and put yours up there. An ex-chhatra neta gives us the lowdown – “The real campaigning happens at night. The supporters of the candidate get into cars; one car carries posters, another carries the gang of students who will tear the other party’s posters, and a third has mazdoors who will paste theirs. Also, the boys who tear the posters have to have brawn. One more car carries laths (bamboo sticks) that are made to order from Chandni Chowk.” Why, you ask? “When you tear posters, the other party’s members might spot you and then there’s always the chance of a fight.” Sometimes, the palms of the police have to be greased, so that they don’t stop you from pasting posters on any but the ‘democracy’ walls. Once this tearing, pasting, retearing and re-pasting has gone on for a couple of days, the parties reach an agreement. The posters at unauthorised places can be managed later by either paying the fine or like some netas, attending the court cases filed by MCD. And thus, the dance of democracy goes on in DU!

The execution of a fake encounter

Tehelka

Official police version:

Sanjit’s encounter death at 10:30am on July 23, a team of MPC personnel was conducting frisking operations in Imphal’s Khwairamband Keithel market. They saw a suspicious youth coming from the direction of the Uripok locality. When asked to stop, the version goes, the youth suddenly pulled out a gun and ran away, firing at the public in a bid to evade the police.

The youth was finally cornered inside Maimu Pharmacy near Gambhir Singh Shopping Arcade. He was asked to surrender. Instead, he fired at the police. The police retaliated and the youth was killed. The account states that a 9mm Mauser pistol was “recovered”.

A govt survey says 5400 families in Delhi are headed by children, the sole breadwinners

Hindustan Times - 6/8/09

One fourth of these children do odd jobs like scavenging
Another one fourth of these children are employed in the construction sector

Gaurav (13) is an unusually pensive teenager. He weighs every word before he speaks, almost fearful of reprisal. At his age, he knows how to cope with loss. His parents are dead. His younger brother Sumit and he were abandoned by his elder brother. But at his age, he also knows how to earn a living.

The two boys work in a local sweatshop in East Delhi's Harsh Vihar and earn Rs 1,000 per month. "We manage fine," said Gaurav when asked if he felt lonely. They live in a one-room brick house with no water or power supply.

A survey carried out by the Delhi government for identifying socially and financially vulnerable groups found there are over 5,400 such families headed by children in the city. These were just the results of the first phase of the survey. Many of these children are orphans, others were abandoned by their parents.

Usha (17) was sold by her parents to an old man. When she managed to escape and return to her home in Sunder Nagri, an unauthorised colony in east Delhi, her parents abandoned her and her five siblings and disappeared overnight. Usha and her siblings lived in the shack their parents owned for a while. While the other children were eventually taken in by their relatives, she was left behind. The teenager now works as a cook with St. Stephen's Hospital's Community Outreach Programme in Sunder Nagri.

Education is now a right in India

Times of India - 5/8/09

Under the law, children in the 6-14 age group have to be in school
No student will be failed till Class 8th
No capitation fees, no screening of parents for admissions
25% reservation for ‘disadvantaged groups’ in neighbourhood schools
No pvt tuition by teachers
School management committee to have 50% women members

India on Tuesday joined a select global club with the passage of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, setting in motion an ambitious, if much-delayed, scheme of providing education to every child in the age bracket of 6-14 years.

The law is unique as while providing compulsory education, it would not fail any student till Class 8th while enjoining upon all government and private schools to provide 25% quota to “disadvantaged” children. The law provides for building neighbourhood schools in three years whose definition and location will be decided by states.

The legislation which has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha will soon be enacted after getting the assent from President Pratibha Patil.

Crucially, the bill aims to do away with the practice of schools taking capitation fees before admission and subjecting the children or parents to any screening procedure.

The RTE would empower the seven-year-old 86th Constitutional amendment that made free and compulsory education a fundamental right. The RTE Bill sets down guidelines for states and the Centre to execute and enforce this right. Earlier, education was part of the directive principles of state policy.

Both Centre and states will be responsible for the finances. The Centre will prepare the capital and recurring expenditure and provide it as grants-in-aid to each state.

A quarter of government teachers in India are missing from school on any given day

Hindustan Times - 5/8/09

For a whole year before he started school, Raman Kumar dreamed of learning to read and write. The little bov had and write. The little boy had a grand plan: Finish school, go to college, then move to a big city and get a good job.

He was thrilled when his father finally signed him up, at age seven, at the government school in his village of Pure Gosai in Rae Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. "But day after day," says the 12-year old, "Masterji wouldn't come to school." When he did come to class, he would often order one of the boys to fetch him tea and bidis (hand-rolled cigarettes), then doze off -- or leave. "When the exams came around, he would write the answers on the blackboard," says Kumar. "That's how we cleared primary school."

Like nearly half (47 per cent) of all primary government school students, Raman cannot read fluently or do complex math.

A 2004 World Bank study found teacher absenteeism rates were lower in schools with better infrastructure and proximity to a paved road. Here, the 2004 World Bank study found 25 per cent of teachers missing and another 25 to 30 per cent not teaching at the time of three unannounced inspections at 3,700 schools across 20 states in India. The only country that fared worse on the survey was Uganda, with a teacher absenteeism rate of 27 per cent.