'Anganwadis meant for children misused in villages'

Use RTI to expose child rights violation in schools: Justice Sadashiva

Narayanaswamy, at a public grievances meet organised by the NGO’s district unit in Chikkaballapur on Tuesday.

The organisation had organised the event to discuss infant mortality, poor quality of food supplied in anganwadis, schools and hostels and various other instances of violation of children’s rights.

He elaborated on the findings of a study on rights of children across the State, conducted in the past three years.

He said the study also revealed that innocent children’s rights have been grossly violated in these centres which sans sanitation. Besides, children are fed the worm-eater groceries, he added.

Justice A J Sadashiva, after inaugurating the programme, said various social organisations need to utilise Right To Information (RTI) Act to obtain information on maladministration, misuse of money, poor quality of food served to students in scheduled caste students’ hostels. Dalita Sangharsha Samiti and many other organisations concerned should submit such information about the gross violation of human rights in the hostels to the Human Rights Commission.

He also took a dig at privatisation of education which is ambitiously pursued by none but the government itself. He said the privitisation of education sector will certainly deprive the economically backward section of their access to the education. Only a mass movement will thwart the government’s such efforts, he said citing the case of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular diseases and other government hospitals which the government wanted to privatise. However, the drive against the privatisation by the mass prevented the government from going ahead with its plan, he recalled.

Justice Sadashiva said investment on the education sector by the government is marginal when compared to other countries. Apart from reforming the education sector, the disparity in wages of teachers and lecturers should also be addressed, he added.

He also said the Centre, which let foodgrains worth crores of rupees rot in the godown, could have supplied them to the residential schools across the country. But the Centre not only neglected the Supreme Court’s directions on the distribution of the foodgrains but also showed apathy towards proper supply of quality food displaying lack of social concern, he quipped.

He also asked the State government to substantiate its claim that Karnataka has stood second in the country in terms of development, with relevant statistics and documents.
Justice Sadashiva also said “because of such non-verified statements made callously, the words of the elected representatives today don’t carry any weight.”

He told the citizens to gather courage to question lack of ethics and accountability among their elected representatives.

K V Rajanna, State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Nutritionist Dr Veda Jakarius, retired joint director of the Education Department  K Narayanaswamy, Raita Sangha district unit president B H Narasimhappa, district Health and Family Welfare Officer Dr Bhairareddy, Persons with Disability welfare officer Parista, Women and Child Development Department Officer Gopalakrishna, poet Gollahalli Shivaprasad, Prameela and V Srinivas of the Samajika Parivartana Janandolana were present on the occasion.

Census to be completed by Dec

The caste-based census report would be submitted to the government by next year Deepavali, said Justice A J Sadashiva of Sadashiva Commission.

Already 90 per cent of the census is completed except for the the survey work in Bangalore City limits. For, the enumerators were working for the general census.
However, the caste-based census will be completed by December 31, he told Deccan Herald.

As many as 22 lakh scheduled caste families are in the State and data with regard to their economical and social aspects are being gathered.