From: M C Raj <mcraj.reds@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 6:46 PM
Subject: The Journey 2011
Rural Education for Development Society (REDS)
Tumkur, Karnataka, India
An Organization with Creative Difference
Annual Report 2010-2011
Executive Summary
It was indeed a year of success, assertions, consolidation, expansion and much socio-political transformation. New formations, national and global Alliance building and stronger Dalit resurgence marked the year with a newfound strength.
The year 2010-2011, started with a great success of capturing 498 Gram Panchayat Seats in Tumkur District by the Dalit Panchayat Movement, 205 seats in 12 other Districts of Karnataka through Booshakthi Vedike, which is the Karnataka Network of REDS. This success was due to the consolidation of the strategic efforts of REDS to convert the recovery of Dalit culture and history recourses into resurgent strength into votes resulting in greater economic entitlements.
The Gram Panchayat elected Members Convention was yet another major landmark event. 460 elected members from Tumkur district participated and a federation of the elected members was established. Mr. Thangaraj the Principal Secretary to the Government of Karnataka and Mr. Girish, the Nodal Officer of Karnataka for Gram Panchayats, were the Chief Guests. Incidentally Girish is a former staff of REDS.
Despite great difficulty in convincing our own people to participate in the process of stopping the obnoxious practice of sacrificing buffalo (Dalit ancestor Kadaraiah) during the festival of Goddess Maramma, the Dalit Panchayat leaders shouldered the responsibility of putting an end to the practice of rendering free caste labour throughout the year as a consequence of this festival. It needed extraordinary courage to even think of stopping it. But our leaders dared. They spent many days and nights in the villages to monitor the situation. The Police department extended its full support and solidarity to the Dalit Panchayts. Their presence in the villages day and night with our leaders established the constitutional Rights of the Dalit people. A new historical trajectory is set in motion.
Of course, the caste people have become furious and in some places they have started creating problems for the Dalit Panchayts. In some villages a few caste people have started setting Dalits against Dalits. However, we REDS and DPM were able to withstand the pressure without giving up and succeeded to stop the sacrifice in almost all villages except a very few ones. It was a marathon struggle that demanded a heavy sacrifice of time and energy.
This was also a year of expansion and consolidation of our strength. The Dalit Panchayt movement is successfully spread over to 11 other districts of Karnataka. The district Coordinators established 520 Dalit Panchayats within a span of one year and six months. The District Coordinators of Booshakthi Vedike managed to organize District conventions in their respective districts. With the principle of Direct Democracy, 11 district Councils were formed, the leaders were selected to the councils according to proportionate electoral system.
Similar process was initiated in Tumkur District. All the hoblis organized their hobli conventions and formed their hobli councils. The taluk conventions established taluk councils. At the end of the year 2010 all the taluk council members gathered at Booshakthi Kendra on the occasion of Ancestor's festival on 06 December and reconstituted the Dalit Parliament in Tumkur District. As a result of this process, an historic event, the 1st ever Karnataka Dalit Parliament was formed with all the District Council members participating in a convention at Karnataka level.
It was also a year of campaigns. Two major initiatives were introduced during this period as part of land and electoral reforms. CERI initiated a major signature campaign for proportionate electoral system in the country. The Dalit Panchayat leaders and Coordinators have collected 2,38,400 signatures, 1,21,400 signatures for land and 1,17,000 signatures for electoral reform. The caravan keeps moving on.
The CERI State Coordinators have brought National visibility to the campaign. Politicians, Political Parties, Academicians, Movement leaders are all joining hands in support of the campaign. We have successfully completed the 1st phase with 15 state conferences, 2 International and 1 National Conference. The signature campaign is getting intensified. Karnataka is fully into the signature campaign. With visibility in the national media and a place in the website of the National Law Ministry, CERI is now ready to move on to the second phase of the campaign with a Workshop of top electoral systems experts of the world in Berlin.
Campaign for land is growing day by day. DPM in Tumkur together with Booshakthi Vedike reclaimed 9,651.26 acres of land. The result is amazing. More and more people with land cases visit Booshakthi Kendra to register their cases. Calculated at a very minimum rate of 100,000 rupees per acre the total economy comes to 96.5 crores (965.125 million rupees). There are 32,379.35 acres of such cases still waiting for justice. Added to this is the fact of the Dalit Panchayat Movement gaining nearly 20 million rupees worth of entitlements for Dalits during the past year.
The Global alliance with other indigenous peoples has started with the historic First Round Table of the World Parliament of Indigenous Peoples that took place in Booshakthi Kendra from 7th to 10th January 2011. It was an unforgettable event with 39 delegates from 10 countries. That a Dalit Organization can do this is itself a matter of great pride.
The Finance Department of REDS has efficiently handled and managed 28 million rupees in the year. Braganza and Associates, a highly reputed auditing firm in India has been auditing the accounts of REDS on a half yearly and annual basis.
We must also acknowledge the enormous difficulties that we faced because the delay in implementing the CDM Project that REDS managed to get registered with the UNFCCC but failed to mobilize necessary forward funding for implementation. There is a strong indication that the world is far away from joining hands with the Dalits in economic enterprises. The boundaries of level playing field are thickly laid to prevent small players from entering it. The Dalit Panchayat Movement received a body blow because of this reversal of hopes into illusions. However, it is a matter of great joy that the project will soon see the light of day in 2011. While recovering the CDM solar lamp project we are also rebuilding the Movement. This rebuilding is further necessitated also by the fact that Cordaid, our donor for the past 27 years has decided to withdraw from India and ICCO has decided to substantially reduce its support. We woke up to the fact that external players do have an inevitable impact in the internal mechanisms of a Movement. REDS is shaping into a professional crisis manager of sorts.
On the whole the entire year was blessed with the spirit of celebrations and resurgence. All our meetings, trainings, conventions, exposures, discussions, cultural events, village visits, minor and major programmes, struggles, crisis and festivals synchronized into a harmonious sequence of song an dance, fun and frolic and created a sense of celebration in us. Our drums and cultural instruments swell and gel well more than our words in this report.
TEAM REDS, Tumkur
Dalit Panchayat Movement, Tumkur
Booshakthi Vedike, Karnataka
CERI, India
Jyothi and Raj, Founders of REDS
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Shanthinagar
Tumkur 572102
Karnataka, India
Phone: ++91-816-2277026
Fax: ++91-816-2272515
Mobile: ++9845144893
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Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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