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while investigating any matter referred to in sub-clause(a) or inquiring into any complaint referred to in sub-clause(b) of clause(5), have all the powers of a civil court trying a suit and in particular in respect of the following matters, namely-

Summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person from any part of India and examining him on oath;

requiring the discovery and production of any document;

receiving evidence on affidavits;

requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court of office;

issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses and documents;

any other matter which the President may, by rule, determine.

The Union and every State Government shall consult the Commission on all major policy matters affecting Scheduled Tribes.

339. Control of the Union over the administration of Scheduled Areas and the welfare of Scheduled Tribes-

The President may at any time and shall, at the expiration of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution by order appoint a Commission to report on the administration of the Scheduled Areas and the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes in the States.

The executive power of the Union shall extend to the giving of directions to (a State) as to the drawing up and execution of schemes specified in the direction to be essential for the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes in the State.

340. Appointment of a Commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes-

The President may by order appoint a Commission consisting of such persons as he thinks fit to investigate the conditions of socially and educationally backward classes within the territory of India and the difficulties under which they labour and to make recommendations as to the steps that should be taken by the Union or any State to remove such difficulties and to improve their condition and as to the grants that should be made for the purpose by the Union or any State and the conditions subject to which such grants should be made, and the order appointing such commission shall define the procedure to be followed by the Commission.

A Commission so appointed shall investigate the matters referred to them and present to the President a report setting out the facts as found by them and making such recommendations as they think proper.

The President shall cause a copy of the report so presented together with a memorandum explaining the action taken thereon to be laid before each House of Parliament.

341. Scheduled Caste

The President (may with respect to any State (or Union Territory), and where it is as State, after consultation with the Governor thereof, by public notification, specify the castes, races or tribes or parts of or groups within castes, races or tribes which shall for the purposes of this Constitution be deemed to be Scheduled Castes in relation to that State (or Union Territory, as the case may be).

Parliament may by law include in or exclude from the list of Scheduled Castes specified in a notification issued under clause (1) any caste, race or tribe or part of or group within any caste, race, or tribe, but save as aforesaid a notification issued under the said clause shall not be varied by any subsequent notification.

342. Scheduled Tribes

the President (may with respect to any State (or Union Territory), and where it is a State, after consultation with the Governor thereof, by public notification, specify the tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within tribes or tribal communities which shall for the purposes of this Constitution be deemed to be Scheduled Tribes in relation to that State (or Union Territory, as the case may be).

Parliament may by law include in or exclude from the list of Scheduled Tribes specified in a notification issued under clause (1) any tribe or tribal community or part of or group within any tribe or tribal community, but save as aforesaid a notification issued under the said clause shall not be varied by any subsequent notification.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS ON BACKWARD CLASSES-

Article 15- Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth –

The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.

No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them, be subject to any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to –

access to shops, public restaurants, hotels and places of public entertainment; or

the use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads and places of public resort maintained wholly or partly out of State funds or dedicated to the use of general public.

Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any special provision for women and children.

Nothing in this article or in clause (2) of article 29 shall prevent the State from making any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.

Nothing in this article or in sub-clause (g) of clause (1) of article 19 shall prevent the State from making any special provision, by law, for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes in so far as such special provisions relate to their admission to educational institutions including private educational institutions, whether aided or unaided by the State, other than the minority educational institutions referred to in clause (1) of article 30.

Article 26- Freedom to manage religious affairs- Subject to public order, morality and health, every religious denomination or any section thereof shall have the right-

to establish and maintain institutionsfor religious and charitable purposes;

to manage its own affairs in matters of religion;

to own and acquire movable and immovable property;

to administer such property in accordance with law.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION FOR WOMEN-

Reservation of certain posts exclusively for women is valid under article 15(3), article 15 covers every sphere of State action;

Clause (3) of article 15, which permits special provision for women and children, has been widely resorted to and the courts have upheld the validity of special measures in legislation or executive orders favouring women. In particular, provisions in the criminal law, in favour of women, or in the procedural law discriminating in favour of women, have been upheld.

Similarly, provisions providing for reservation of seats for women in local bodies or in educational institutions are valid.

Sexual harassment of working women amounts to violation of the rights guaranteed by articles 14, 15 and 23 (equality and dignity), the court has issued detailed directions on the subject.

To conclude it can be mentioned that many constitutional provisions have highlighted the importance of social and economic opportunities for backward classes and women. It is very essential to uplift the status of such groups socially, economically, and so on.

Reservation policy is very essential to the personality improvement of such classes. The present paper is an attempt to highlight the importance of reservation policies for backward classes and women.

 

ICT and Community Empowerment: Role of DEF (Digital Empowerment Foundation) with regard to Digital Panchayat

Sayam Deepathi* & Dr. J.Krishnaiah**

*Assistant Professor, Malla Reddy College of Teacher Education (M.Ed).

**Assisatnt Professor (C), Faculty of Education (IASE), Osmania University

Community empowerment is high on the current policy agenda. The Department for Communities and Local Government is leading the drive to “enable more people to play an active role in the decisions that affect their communities”. NGO’s are playing remarkable role towards community empowerment, Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) is one of the great NGOs. With the motto of ‘Inform, Communicate and Empower,’ Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) started its journey in the month of December, 2002. Based out of New Delhi and registered as not-for-profit under the “Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860, the effort at DEF has been to find sustainable Information Communication Technology (ICT) solutions including digital and new media to address digital divide in under-served and unreached regions and communities. With a non-political approach, it was founded to contribute to an enabling social and economic order in India as well as in developing societies with the need based support of ICT tools and means. Their ultimate vision is “to make the digital inclusion reach the masses, to create even opportunities and linkages between haves have-nots so that the gross roots knowledge reaches the economic prosperity and vice versa through information communication technology and Digital Media.” The founders are Osama Manzar and Shafali Cheikermane. One of the Important Projects is ‘DIGITAL PANCHAYAT’. Their Digital Panchayat project has been improving development and governance public service delivery at Panchayat level through information on policy programmes and implementation & it making the people to create a digital data house at every Panchayat level. So it is huge programme and programmes such like this should be appreciate by Government. The government should encourage researches in this area.

Key Words: Community Empowerment, Digital Empowerment Foundation(DEF), ICT & Digital Panchayat.

"Happiness is not the absence of Problems, it's the ability to deal with them”

- Steve Maraboli

INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT:

Community empowerment is high on the current policy agenda. The Department for Communities and Local Government is leading the drive to “enable more people to play an active role in the decisions that affect their communities”. It produced a Community Empowerment Action Plan in 2007 to outline its own plans, and the new Community Empowerment White Paper will set out cross-Government commitments.

Values into Action:

Community Development Values Real community empowerment is the result of putting community development values into action. These are values of:

Learning: recognizing the skills, knowledge and expertise that people contribute, building on these and what has gone before.

Equality: challenging discrimination and oppressive practices within organizations, institutions and communities.

Participation: facilitating democratic involvement by people in the issues which affect their lives based on full citizenship, autonomy and shared power, skills, knowledge and experience.

Co-operation: working together to identify and implement action, encouraging networking and connections between communities and organizations.

Social justice: enabling people to claim their human rights, meet their needs and have greater control over the decision-making processes which affect their lives.

INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL EMPOWERMENT:

With the motto of ‘Inform, Communicate and Empower,’ Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) started its journey in the month of December, 2002. Based out of New Delhi and registered as not-for-profit under the “Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860, the effort at DEF has been to find sustainable Information Communication Technology (ICT) solutions including digital and new media to address digital divide in under-served and unreached regions and communities. With a non-political approach, it was founded to contribute to an enabling social and economic order in India as well as in developing societies with the need based support of ICT tools and means. With ground work since 2003, DEF has reached over 22 States and 8 countries. The increasing and fruitful use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) is being recognized and acknowledged world over. That ICT is a great tool for development and empowerment is being realized by its various stakeholders. Countries of the world are resorting to use of ICT to better their socio-cultural and economic landscapes in ways feasible and sustainable depending on their ground level situations. Developed and under developed countries and societies are experiencing the increasing interventions of ICT in various domains of activities. The ICT components increasingly being used for development and empowerment purposes includes computer, Internet, Community Radio, audio-video, and other latest gadgets. Blogging is another new entrant in the ICT domain.

So far ICT is being increasingly used in areas like livelihood, education, employment generation, entertainment, health, environment, sustainable development, ICT literacy, business, commerce, and in other fields. Instances have been reported in large numbers of how ICT has helped and assisted in community empowerment and development, trade and business, education and health and so on. In this entire gamut of ICT exercises credit goes to governments, CSOs, NGOs, individuals and others whose valuable contributions have bore fruit so far and the efforts still continues. So far so good. It is not roses all the way in case of ICT and its role in