Job quotas squeeze Dalits out
A recent railway job circulation which requires applicants to be traditionally sweeper has left little scope for the downtrodden community due to an abundance of preserved quotas.
Bangladesh Railway (East Zone) published the advertisement in a Bangla daily on May 23, asking for applications against 518 posts of conservancy cleaners.
The advertisement, however, said 10 percent quotas were preserved for orphans and physically challenged candidates, who would be appointed in the first place.
Of the remaining vacant posts, 40 percent quotas will go to the dependants of railway officials or employees, and in the similar manner 30 percent posts will be filled with the dependants of freedom fighters.
The circulation also made mentions of more quotas, eventually leaving very little opportunity for those candidates who genuinely come from traditional sweeper families.
The Dalit community brought up the issue at a press conference, jointly organised by Self Help Association for Rural People through Education and Entrepreneurship (Sharee), Oxfam, and Bangladesh Dalit Women Movement, at Jatiya Press Club on Tuesday.
Speaking at the conference, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the social welfare ministry, Dr Mozammel Hossain, said, “Dalits numbering 70 lakh out of the country's 16 crore population cannot be left in the dark. We must ensure equal opportunities for all”.
Md Hossain Mollah, joint secretary to the ministry, said, “In the proposal of the upcoming budget, there is an allocation of Tk 10 crore for the development of three backward communities--Dalits, Harijan, and Bede (gypsy)”.
The news conference was also addressed by Sajjad Hossain, an assistant professor at Jagannath University; Pabitra Manda, an Oxfam official; and Priyo Bala Biswas, CEO of Sharee.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments