What happened?

In the past week, two major cases of atrocities against Dalits have come to light. In a village in Maharashtra, four Dalit youths were allegedly hung upside down from a tree and beaten up over suspicion of theft.

In Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district, a Dalit youth was beaten to death with sticks and batons. When his mother tried to protect him, she was allegedly stripped and assaulted. The accused had threatened the family to withdraw a sexual harassment case filed by the murdered youth’s sister.

Why does it matter?

In 1989, the Parliament introduced the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to give special protection to Dalits from discrimination and brutality. Yet, crimes against the Dalits remain rampant throughout the country. Data suggests that less than 50% of the cases booked under the Act proceed to courts. This has led the Dalit activists and leaders to argue that the Act hasn’t been implemented effectively.

One of the states that came to the spotlight in the recent incidents–Madhya Pradesh, has the highest crime rate against Dalits in India. National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data (2021) reported that MP had a crime rate of 63.6 against the national average of 25.3. For context, the crime rate (against SCs) is the number of crimes per 100,000 (SC) population. Rajasthan, Bihar, Gujarat, and Telangana also reported higher crime rates. However, the figures could be grossly underestimated as many Dalit victims hesitate to file a complaint due to social pressure. When they do, they are threatened to withdraw the complaint, as was the case with the recent incident in MP.

The lower conviction rate in the cases filed under the Act indirectly boosts the confidence of the dominant and powerful communities to continue carrying out atrocities against the Dalits. Broadly, society’s refusal to change its attitude towards the socially marginalised is the prime culprit here. Violence is just one problem. Dalits continue to face discrimination at workplaces and education institutes. This can only be addressed if the government and law enforcement agencies resolve to carry out their duties without favouring the dominant communities.

What’s next?

The four victims of the thrashing in Maharashtra are receiving treatment in a hospital. The police have arrested six accused men. They await a trial.

In Madhya Pradesh, the police have made 8 arrests and have formed teams to nab the absconding suspects. Meanwhile, the political parties in the poll-bound state are engaged in a political row following the death of the Dalit youth.

Dose of positivity

Free breakfast for 17 lakh students

On August 25, the Tamil Nadu government extended its flagship breakfast scheme that benefits children studying at government primary schools in the state. Previously, only 3,000 government schools were covered under the scheme. With the extension, more than 17 lakh students studying in 31,000 schools will get free breakfast.

Apart from ensuring that the children get nutritional food, the scheme is expected to reduce the burden on working mothers and increase children's attendance in schools. Experts nationwide have praised it, and many have called for other states to introduce a similar scheme.

Bonus section

GTD: Getting things done

In 2001, productivity consultant David Allen created a task management system called Getting Things Done, or GTD for short. It’s an efficient method of decluttering your brain and organising your tasks to improve productivity. Try answering this question: What should I be doing right now? If you’ve got multiple answers, you should try GTD.

David starts with a simple observation: When a lot of ideas are bouncing around inside your head, it becomes harder to decide what needs your attention.

Here are five simple steps David suggests to get things done:

Step 1: Capture

Stop storing ideas in your brain. Capture everything that comes to your mind to an external system–a diary, a piece of paper, or your phone’s Notes app.

Step 2: Clarify

Ask yourself this question after capturing any idea: Is it actionable? If so, create a concrete action plan. If not, decide whether this is just a reference or a project/action that needs to be put on hold.

Step 3: Organise

Sort out everything by putting them in the right place. Is it a one-off task? Or a project? Add dates to your calendar. Prioritise tasks that need your immediate attention.

Step 4: Review

Set aside time to keep your system updated. Organise your tasks, decide whether to shift your attention to something else, determine the next actions, and reflect on your workflow. This will ensure that you’re not just doing the things but doing the ‘right’ things.

Step 5: Engage

This is where your efforts pay off. Now that your system is full of concrete, actionable items, you can immediately act. Now, at any given moment, you’ll quickly be able to answer the question we started with, i.e. what should I be doing right now? Moreover, you’ll be able to make decisions with confidence and clarity.

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