Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Status beyond faith: On SC status post conversion

Status beyond faith: On SC status post conversion

The panel on giving SC status to converts has its work cut out

The Centre has appointed a three-member Commission to examine the sensitive issue of extending Scheduled Caste (SC) status to all those who have historically suffered discrimination (भेदभाव, कट्टरता, असहिष्णुता) and untouchability (अस्पृश्यता), regardless of (despite, notwithstanding, in the face of) the religion they now profess (state, affirm, declare, avow, confess, acknowledge publicly (one’s faith/allegiance in a religion)). It is a task fraught (भरा हुआ, लदा हुआ) with difficulty for the panel (committee, council, commission, advisory group) headed (lead, chair, be the leader of) by former Chief Justice of India, K. G. Balakrishnan, as it will have to grapple with both social realities and ideological (विचारधारा) objections (आपत्ति, विरोध, प्रतिवाद) while addressing (tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out) the core question. The government itself has described it as a seminal (मौलिक, प्रभावशाली, प्रमुख) and historically complex sociological and constitutional (संवैधानिक, कानूनी) question. This is not the first time that the issue has come up (arise, present itself, occur, happen, come about) before the Supreme Court — the panel’s appointment comes in the wake of (as a result of some event, especially an unpleasant one; in the aftermath of, as a consequence of, on account of, because of, owing to) the Court asking the Centre to clarify its position on the issue — or has been examined by a commission headed by a former Chief Justice. In 1985, the Supreme Court agreed that historical discrimination may continue even after members of the SCs convert (new believer; a person who has been convinced/induced to change his/her religious faith) to other religions, but did not decide in favour of (के समर्थन में, पक्ष में) such converts being given SC status as it felt there was not enough material (सामग्री, सूचना) outlining (रूप-रेखा लगाना, दर्शाना, इंगित करना) their condition after conversion. It is to be welcomed (appreciate, accept, approve of) that the Balakrishnan Commission has been asked specifically to examine the changes that Dalits go through (undergo, be subjected to, experience, suffer, live through) after conversion in terms of (के अनुसार, के संबंध में) their social status and the discrimination they may face, along with the implications (consequence/outcome, ramification, repercussion) of according (give, provide, grant, confer) them SC status.

The National Commission for Religious and Linguistic (भाषाई, भाषा से संबंधित) Minorities, headed by retired Chief Justice Ranganath Mishra, also examined this issue. In its 2007 report, the panel made a categorical (स्पष्ट, निश्चित, विशिष्ट) recommendation in favour of giving SC status to Dalits belonging to (के संबंधित, से जुड़ा होना) all religions. It found the caste system to be “an all-pervading (comprehensive, all-inclusive) social phenomenon (circumstance, incident, event, situation) in India shared by almost all Indian communities”. It stressed (emphasize, underline, underscore, highlight, draw attention to) the constitutional need to eliminate the religion-based discrimination underlying the present policy of limiting SC status to those professing Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. While the tenets (principle, ideal, belief, conviction, aim) of a religion may not allow discrimination, the ground reality (practical condition/situation) was different, it said. The main counter-views (opposing view or opinion) are well-known (familiar, common, conventional, established): discrimination and deprivation (hardship, destitution, neediness, distress) being the consequences (result, outcome, effect, repercussion, reverberations, ramification) of the caste-based Hindu social order (it refers to a stable state of society in which the existing social structure is accepted and maintained by its members), SC status should not be extended to those who have converted to Christianity and Islam; and the benefits involved may be seen as an incentive (motivation, encouragement, impetus, boost; attraction, encouragement, temptation, inducement) to mass conversion. Another objection is that the share of the reservation (a system of affirmative action in India that provides historically disadvantaged groups representation in education, employment, and politics) pie available to Dalits among Hindus may shrink (lessen, reduce, decrease) if new sections are included. There is no ‘creamy layer (income ceiling for Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation under which children of persons having a gross annual income of Rs 8 lakh or above for a period of three consecutive years would fall under the creamy layer category and would not be entitled to the benefit of reservation available to Other Backward Classes (OBC))’ concept for SC reservation, and expanding its scope (ambit, limits, purview, bounds, range) may be to the disadvantage of the current beneficiaries (recipient, receiver). The Commission will have to come up with (produce, propose, present, put forward) a definitive (definite, specific, firm, positive, conclusive) study of these complex issues.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.faith (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आस्था, धार्मिक विश्वास
English Meaning - religion, religious belief, belief/ideology.

2.discrimination (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भेदभाव, कट्टरता, असहिष्णुता
English Meaning - prejudice, bias/bigotry, intolerance/inequity.

3.untouchability (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अस्पृश्यता
English Meaning - the practice of ostracising (excluding) a minority group by segregating them from the mainstream by social custom or legal mandate.

4.fraught (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - भरा हुआ, लदा हुआ
English Meaning - full of, filled with, fraught (with), charged with, loaded with, rife with.

5.ideological (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - विचारधारा
English Meaning - relating to a system of ideas (ideology).

6.objection (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आपत्ति, विरोध, प्रतिवाद
English Meaning - protest, opposition, counter-argument, disapproval, disagreement, grievance, complaint.

7.seminal (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - मौलिक, प्रभावशाली, प्रमुख
English Meaning - influential, major, important.

8.constitutional (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संवैधानिक, कानूनी
English Meaning - relating to something as per the Constitution; legal, lawful, legitimate.

9.in favour of (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के समर्थन में, पक्ष में
English Meaning - in support of, to the advantage of, approving of.

10.material (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सामग्री, सूचना
English Meaning - information, data.

11.outline (verb)

Hindi Meaning - रूप-रेखा लगाना, दर्शाना, इंगित करना
English Meaning - define, indicate, summarize.

12.in terms of (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के अनुसार, के संबंध में
English Meaning - with regard to, regarding, concerning, as to, in respect of, with reference to, in the matter of, in connection with.

13.linguistic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - भाषाई, भाषा से संबंधित
English Meaning - relating to language; lingual.

14.categorical (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - स्पष्ट, निश्चित, विशिष्ट
English Meaning - clear, straightforward, definite, specific.

15.belong to (verb)

Hindi Meaning - के संबंधित, से जुड़ा होना
English Meaning - be associated with, be connected to, be linked to.

16.panel (noun)

English Meaning - committee, council, commission, advisory group.

17.convert (noun)

English Meaning - new believer; a person who has been convinced/induced to change his/her religious faith

18.have one’s work cut out (phrase)

English Meaning - be faced with a tough task/work.

19.regardless of (phrase)

English Meaning - despite, notwithstanding, in the face of.

20.profess (verb)

English Meaning - state, affirm, declare, avow, confess, acknowledge publicly (one’s faith/allegiance in a religion).

21.head (verb)

English Meaning - lead, chair, be the leader of.

22.grapple with (verb)

English Meaning - face, confront, withstand, stand firm against, stand up to.

23.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.

24.come up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - arise, present itself, occur, happen, come about.

25.in the wake of (phrase)

English Meaning - as a result of some event, especially an unpleasant one; in the aftermath of, as a consequence of, on account of, because of, owing to.

26.welcome (verb)

English Meaning - appreciate, accept, approve of.

27.go through (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - undergo, be subjected to, experience, suffer, live through.

28.implications (noun)

English Meaning - consequence/outcome, ramification, repercussion.

29.accord (verb)

English Meaning - give, provide, grant, confer.

30.National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities (noun)

English Meaning - also called Ranganath Misra Commission. It was constituted by Government of India on 29 October 2004 to look into various issues related to Linguistic and Religious minorities in India. It was headed by former Chief Justice of India Justice Ranganath Misra.

31.all-pervading (adjective)

English Meaning - comprehensive, all-inclusive.

32.phenomenon (noun)

English Meaning - circumstance, incident, event, situation.

33.stress (verb)

English Meaning - emphasize, underline, underscore, highlight, draw attention to.

34.underlie (verb)

English Meaning - be the cause of, be the basis of, be the fundamental of.

35.tenet (noun)

English Meaning - principle, ideal, belief, conviction, aim.

36.ground reality (noun)

English Meaning - practical condition/situation.

37.counter-view (noun)

English Meaning - opposing view or opinion.

38.well-known (adjective)

English Meaning - familiar, common, conventional, established.

39.deprivation (noun)

English Meaning - hardship, destitution, neediness, distress.

40.consequence (noun)

English Meaning - result, outcome, effect, repercussion, reverberations, ramification.

41.social order (noun)

English Meaning - it refers to a stable state of society in which the existing social structure is accepted and maintained by its members.

42.incentive (noun)

English Meaning - motivation, encouragement, impetus, boost; attraction, encouragement, temptation, inducement.

43.reservation (noun)

English Meaning - a system of affirmative action in India that provides historically disadvantaged groups representation in education, employment, and politics.

44.pie (noun)

English Meaning - a share of something.

45.shrink (verb)

English Meaning - lessen, reduce, decrease.

46.creamy layer (noun)

English Meaning - income ceiling for Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation under which children of persons having a gross annual income of Rs 8 lakh or above for a period of three consecutive years would fall under the creamy layer category and would not be entitled to the benefit of reservation available to Other Backward Classes (OBC).

47.scope (noun)

English Meaning - ambit, limits, purview, bounds, range.

48.beneficiary (noun)

English Meaning - recipient, receiver.

49.come up with (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - produce, propose, present, put forward.

50.definitive (adjective)

English Meaning - definite, specific, firm, positive, conclusive.