Thursday 28 Mar 2024

Govt eliminates the word 'Dalit' from its vocabulary in all future correspondence

The Goan Network | OCTOBER 20, 2018, 03:02 AM IST

ABOUT CIRCULAR
>> Issued earlier this week by Director of Social Welfare Department, AV Naik
WHAT DOES IT SAY
1)
Government departments, municipal bodies and State-owned corporations should not use the word 'dalit' to refer to individuals hailing from any of the Scheduled castes
2)
It warns that violation of the direction could amount to 'contempt of court' and even lead to legal proceedings in that regard
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BY COURTS' ORDER
>> The restriction comes following two separate orders by the Madhya Pradesh High Court and the Bombay High Court, which also has jurisdiction over Goa
>> The High Court orders were passed in the context of the status of the community
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PANAJI: In a significant move, the State government has issued a circular directing all its heads of departments and sub-ordinate bureaucracy, besides civic bodies and State-owned corporations to henceforth discontinue the use of the term 'dalit' for the Scheduled Caste community in all future correspondence, both internal as well as when writing to members of the public.
The circular was issued earlier this week by Director of Social Welfare Department, A V Naik.
Naik said in the circular that government departments, municipal bodies and State-owned corporations should not use the word 'dalit' to refer to individuals hailing from any of the Scheduled castes.
The restriction on the use the word 'dalit' by the State government comes following two separate orders in this regard by the Madhya Pradesh High Court and the Bombay High Court, which also has jurisdiction over Goa. The High Court orders were passed in the context of the status of the community.
Naik's circular meanwhile warns that violation of the direction could amount to 'contempt of court' and even lead to legal proceedings in that regard.
Interestingly, the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry, had earlier in August issued an 'advisory' to media organizations, especially the television news channels, to refrain from using the "nomenclature Dalit" to refer to members of the Scheduled Castes.
The I&B Ministry had quoted the Bombay High Court order to back its advisory, which however kicked up a controversy with Dalit activists and politicians terming it as mere semantics. How could merely banning the use of 'dalit' change the community's status, they had questioned.    

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