Anti Quota stir - Join in and support it - Page 34

MINUTES OF YFE CWC MEET-HYDERABAD

Core Working Committee Meet (Hyderabad)
8th-9th July 2006




Following are the decisions taken at the CWC meet



Total of 8 CWC members attended the meet and some others were also made part of the decision making process by teleconference.



CORE GROUP formation: Total number of Zones- 6 which also include Delhi. One member from each zone has been unanimously elected as the CORE GROUP member after consultation with the regional CWC members. Members who were not present at the meet were contacted by telephone. Delhi CWC member becomes the Core Group member by default. With the exception of west zone all the zones have elected their core group member. Following are the names of the core group members. 1) East zone- Ajay Khandal, 2) South zone- Kumar Gaurav, 3) Central zone- Chandrasekar Sharma, 4) Delhi- Binod Patro, 5) North zone- Anandiya Banerjee. A consensus will be reached shortly regarding the west zone and it will be communicated to all the CWC members. If a consensus is not reached by Delhi NCC meet the remaining core group members will choose the 6th member by vote.


Teleconference meeting of CORE GROUP and CWC members: All CORE GROUP members will have a teleconference meeting every day to review the YFE activities in the country and take appropriate decisions on a day to day basis. CORE GROUP MEMBERS will communicate with their respective regions (CWC members) on a day to day basis. The CWC members will also have a teleconference once or twice a week depending on the situation.


Structure of the YFE: YFE will have NCC, CWC AND CORE GROUP: There will be a total of 6 CORE GROUP MEMBERS who will provide leadership to YFE. The number of CWC (core working committee) members will be 16 (only one from each state). There will be no exceptions. The current NCC member strength is 54 which might be increased when needed after approval by CWC members. Committees will be decided and there will be 6 members in each committee (one from each zone). The committee members will be selected by the CORE GROUP after consultation with all the CWC members of the each zone.


Approval of the draft for corporate support: The CWC members reviewed and approved the draft prepared by an expert team for corporate funding. Please see the attached draft for corporate support.

13 SC students to go abroad for studies

July 09, 2006 18:17 IST

Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Meira Kumar said 13 meritorious Schedule Caste students have been selected to undergo higher education abroad.

Kumar told UNI that her ministry would bear the entire expenditure of imparting best possible education to these students; this is the first time such an initiative has been taken.

Giving details of the selection process, Kumar said a special committee of experts selected the candidates, who hail from the financially weaker sections of the society.

These students have been admitted to different educational institutions in Germany, France, England, Australia and United States.

"As the students would be staying over a period of four years, we will train them in a workshop prior to their departure, so that they can easily adapt to the new environment," Kumar said.

Apart from this, over hundred SC students have been selected for computer studies in Bihar, where they will recieve a monthly scholarship of Rs 500.

Industry association to hold anti-quota symposium


AHMEDABAD, JUL 10 (PTI)
The Vitthal Udyognagar Industries Association, a 600-member strong body based in Anand district of Gujarat, today criticised the UPA government's proposal to reserve jobs for backward classes in the private sector and said it will hold a symposium on July 16 to create social awareness on this issue.

"In the last 30 years of our existence, we have employed people on the basis of merit. Employees were never picked on the basis of castes and sub-castes," J A Patel, president of the association told mediapersons here.

The Centre's proposed quota policy is intended at creating social divisions within the industry, he alleged.

"Industries survive only on its ability to compete with their rivals especially those from countries like China where skilled labour is cheaply available.

"If reservations are introduced then competitiveness will be killed and small associations like us will be wiped out completely as we wont be able to stand up to the competition from countries like China," Patel claimed.

"So in order to create social awareness regarding the impact of the present reservation policy we will be holding a symposium on 'Reservation Policy and its extension in private sector' on July 16 at Vallabh Vidhyanagar town of the district," he added.

Industry association to hold anti-quota symposium


AHMEDABAD, JUL 10 (PTI)
The Vitthal Udyognagar Industries Association, a 600-member strong body based in Anand district of Gujarat, today criticised the UPA government's proposal to reserve jobs for backward classes in the private sector and said it will hold a symposium on July 16 to create social awareness on this issue.

"In the last 30 years of our existence, we have employed people on the basis of merit. Employees were never picked on the basis of castes and sub-castes," J A Patel, president of the association told mediapersons here.

The Centre's proposed quota policy is intended at creating social divisions within the industry, he alleged.

"Industries survive only on its ability to compete with their rivals especially those from countries like China where skilled labour is cheaply available.

"If reservations are introduced then competitiveness will be killed and small associations like us will be wiped out completely as we wont be able to stand up to the competition from countries like China," Patel claimed.

"So in order to create social awareness regarding the impact of the present reservation policy we will be holding a symposium on 'Reservation Policy and its extension in private sector' on July 16 at Vallabh Vidhyanagar town of the district," he added.

BJP opposes Mulayam's quota move


NEW DELHI, JULY 11 (PTI)
The BJP today opposed the Uttar Pradesh government's quota move ahead of the state assembly elections due next year and accused the ruling Samajwadi Party of carrying out religion-based reservation with an eye on polls.

"The Constitution does not validate reservation based on religion. Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has excluded minority educational institutions from the purview of the quotas which amounts to carrying out religion-based reservation that we oppose," BJP President Rajnath Singh told reporters here.

He alleged that the timing of Yadav's move sowed that the Chief Minister aimed to reap electoral benefits.

"He did nothing for the past four years and now he has come out with this quota move when elections are just months away," Singh said.

Controversy over release of salaries of striking AIIMS doctors


NEW DELHI, JUL 11 (PTI)
The controversy over the release of salaries of doctors participating in the anti-quota stir was likely to erupt again as a senior AIIMS official claimed that the order to do so was issued on the direction of Director P Venugopal.

The official said Registrar V P Gupta, who was asked to explain the reason behind the order to release the pay, did so on directions from Venugopal.

Gupta was asked to relinquish charge as Registrar by the Director on Saturday and was issued a notice to explain his conduct on the salary issue within two weeks. The order was, however, overruled by the Health Ministry.

It is learnt that Gupta had given an explanation to the Director detailing sequence of events after doctors went on strike forcing the government to invoke "no work, no pay" clause.

Authorities in the Institute had written to the Director suggesting that the matter be considered closed after an explanation from Gupta.

UP to continue with quota policy in private colleges


LUCKNOW, JUL 11 (PTI)
Uttar Pradesh government today issued a notification to continue with the reservation policy in private unaided professional colleges in the state.

Uttar Pradesh Governor T V Rajeswar promulgated the ordinance in this regard late last night, official sources said here.

The quota regime providing for 21 per cent reservation for SCs, two per cent for STs and 27 per cent for OBCs would, however, not be applicable in minority educational institutions, the sources said.

Although there had been no change in the already prevailing quota regime, a fresh notification had become necessary in view of the amendment in the constitution restoring the state quota of 85 per cent in private professional institutions after a recent supreme court order had abolished the same while deciding a case, they said.

According to the provisions of the ordinance, action could be taken against those private professional institutions which failed to implement the quota regime.

Besides, the government also issued another notification regulating admission and fixation of fee in private professional institutions, they said.

The idea behind the second notification was to bring uniformity in the fee structure, they said.

Here also the minority institutions had been kept out of the purview of the ordinance, the sources added.

Venugopal's termination move vitiated under law: HC


NEW DELHI, JUL 11 (PTI)
Holding that no evidence was produced to justify that AIIMS director P Venugopal had "failed miserably in his administrative duties," the Delhi High Court has ruled that the July 5 action of the Government to terminate his services was "vitiated".

If the removal of the director is on account of the violation of Rule 9 of the code of conduct for allegedly speaking against the Government, then he should have been given a "reasonable notice and hearing," before taking a decision to remove him, Justice Anil Kumar said in his reasoning while staying the Governing body's resolution authorising Venugopal's termination.

"No hearing has been given to him and even before the Governing body, it seems no such material has been produced which could be the basis of forming such an opinion. In the circumstances, the petitioner (Venugopal) has been able to make out a prima facie case that termination of his tenture post is vitiated under law," the court observed.

Referring to the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Gopal Subramaniam's submission that Venugopal's removal was necessiated by "public interest," and his "miserable failure" as director, Justice Kumar maintained that when a statutory body make an order based on certain ground, its validity must be judged by the reasons considered and so mentioned in the chargesheet and cannot be supplemented by fresh reasons.

The ASG during the oral submission claimed that Venugopal was being removed from service as he has "miserably failed to act as director despite his professional brilliance and eminence.

PM promises autonomy for educational institutions


KOLKATA, JULY 11 (PTI)
Amidst the raging row over the autonomy of AIIMS and the reservation issue, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today promised to ensure the autonomy of the country's science and technology institutions while widening access to quality education for all sections of society.

"We will de-bureaucratise science and technology institutions and ensure their academic autonomy," he said at a function here to lay the foundation stone of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER).

"We will create exciting career opportunities for scientists so that we can retain our talent at home," he said. "Our government is committed both to excellence and to widening of access to education, especially higher education and research."

Singh said his government would commit adequate resources for a massive expansion of the higher education system to enable all sections of society to fulfil their aspirations.

This expansion has become more pressing because "we cannot continue to claim to be a rising knowledge power if less than eight per cent of our college-going age group is enrolled in the college system", Singh said.

Observing that the "deteriorating" health of universities over the past two decades had "hobbled" the scientific research base, the prime minister urged state governments to take steps to revitalise the university system.

"Reconstruction of our university system must be a top priority and it has to be addressed comprehensively, not in a piece-meal fashion," Singh said.

Besides rebuilding the science base in universities to create synergy between new initiatives in science and technology and the university system, the government will also promote public-private partnerships to increase funding for frontier areas of scientific and technological research.

"I believe that where there is good science, good applications follow. Therefore, it is meaningless to debate what our priority should be -- basic or applied science. I think both," Singh said.

Observing that the emerging knowledge society would require graduates with basic training in mathematics, science and engineering, he said, "We are committed to building the science base in universities to create synergy between new initiatives in science and technology and our university system."

Quoting a NCAER study that less than three per cent of schoolchildren wanted to pursue a career in science, he said steps must be taken to improve the quality of teaching and increase enrolment of students in science and mathematics at the school level.

Pointing out that the Rand Corporation has ranked India among the 24 scientifically proficient nations and not among the 22 scientifically advanced ones, Singh said, "We must ask ourselves how we can move from the proficent category to the rank of scientifically advanced nations.

PM seeks to end controversy over reservation


KOLKATA, JULY 11 (PTI)
Seeking to set at rest the controversy over an OBC quota in elite educational institutions, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said his government was committed to ensuring excellence and widening access to education for all sections of society.

"Recently, there has been some discussions in our country on our policy towards centres of excellence. I have repeatedly said that our government is committed both to excellence and to widening of access to education, especially higher education and research," the Prime Minister said.

He was speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Indian Institute of Science, Research and Education at Salt Lake.

The government, he said, would commit adequate resources for massive expansion in the higher education system to enable all sections of society to fulfil their educational aspirations.

The expansion has become more pressing because India could not have pretension about being a knowledge power if less than 8 per cent of the college-going age group was enrolled in the college system, he said.

The Prime minister said, "we cannot have pretentions about being a knowledge power if we don't substantially upgrade our scientific and technological expertise both in quality and quantity." Stating that India could position itself as a knowledge economy only through a massive expansion of education, Singh said that the UPA government was committed to this.

Defence minister Pranab Mukherjee and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee were present at the function.