1) The Tamil Nadu government introduced the "Samathuvapuram" housing scheme in 1997 to establish social equality through spatial equality by creating model villages where people of different castes and religions could live together integrated and have equal access to facilities.
2) The first Samathuvapuram village was established in Madurai district, with 100 houses built for beneficiaries selected from different castes and social groups. Residents have access to shared facilities like a school, health clinic, and playground.
3) The scheme aims to overcome the traditional practice of physical separation of castes in villages, with Dalits typically living on the outskirts. Samathuvapurams instead allocate houses randomly so families of all backgrounds live
Major Landmarks in Thiruvananthapuram:
Each landmark has its own historical importance
This is a case study on the important buildings in the Trivandrum city along with its historical background. This will help to know more about the city.
Unprotected Heritage of Travancore, KeralaBinumol Tom
Unprotected Built heritage in Kerala and Tamilnadu within the political boundary of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore
Though the mother country of Travancore was the Mandala Kingdom Chera, during Kali Yuga, it was reduced to the erstwhile region of Travancore with its area of 66531/2 square miles situated between the 8th and 10th degree of North latitude. This 17th century Princely Kingdom lie in the geographical regions that extended from the present day Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) in the South, to Cochin (Kerala) in the North. (for map refer Appendix A1 ).
A warm humidity is one of the special features of the climate of Travancore. The land is protected by the Western Ghats on the eastern side and the Arabian Sea on the western side and due to this peculiar geographical position external cultural invasions and influences did not really affect this narrow stretch of land (though there was transfer of knowledge), and remained comparatively pure in its culture.
Rich in timber, religious as well as domestic buildings were in wood; with granite/ laterite stone used minimally for plinths and selected walls. The land with buildings about one to five centuries old is characterized by superior quality of building skill and meticulous craftsmanship in timber, pertaining to the southern regional style. Constructed primarily of wood, these buildings are replete with exquisite ornamentation of a very functional nature. Religion has played a major role in the erection of a house or a temple, the selection of the site, the measurement systems followed, the date of commencement of the work, the materials employed, the orientation of the structure, its layout, and other factors which were associated with the religious dogmas, beliefs which it was believed that if overlooked, will displease the Gods and bring ill luck to the people residing in the building. They were erected with relatively strict adherence to the canons which were formulated over the years of experience obtained in building construction crystallized into a number of formulae governing proportions, dimensions, orientation, location and procedures thus creating a genetic code for architecture in Timber.
Travancore bears testimony of being the rich treasury of built and unbuilt heritage. The attempt undertaken through this research project is to identify, document and prepare a data base of unprotected built heritage existing in the expanse of the princely kingdom of Travancore.
A blueprint for conserving the historic canal precinct of alappuzha townBinumol Tom
Heritage of a place be it natural or manmade, once lost is lost for ever. It cannot be recreated with its golden stains of time. Lets get together to conserve the rich heritage of our country and be dutiful citizens of India.
final Year Projects, Final Year Projects in Chennai, Software Projects, Embedded Projects, Microcontrollers Projects, DSP Projects, VLSI Projects, Matlab Projects, Java Projects, .NET Projects, IEEE Projects, IEEE 2009 Projects, IEEE 2009 Projects, Software, IEEE 2009 Projects, Embedded, Software IEEE 2009 Projects, Embedded IEEE 2009 Projects, Final Year Project Titles, Final Year Project Reports, Final Year Project Review, Robotics Projects, Mechanical Projects, Electrical Projects, Power Electronics Projects, Power System Projects, Model Projects, Java Projects, J2EE Projects, Engineering Projects, Student Projects, Engineering College Projects, MCA Projects, BE Projects, BTech Projects, ME Projects, MTech Projects, Wireless Networks Projects, Network Security Projects, Networking Projects, final year projects, ieee projects, student projects, college projects, ieee projects in chennai, java projects, software ieee projects, embedded ieee projects, "ieee2009projects", "final year projects", "ieee projects", "Engineering Projects", "Final Year Projects in Chennai", "Final year Projects at Chennai", Java Projects, ASP.NET Projects, VB.NET Projects, C# Projects, Visual C++ Projects, Matlab Projects, NS2 Projects, C Projects, Microcontroller Projects, ATMEL Projects, PIC Projects, ARM Projects, DSP Projects, VLSI Projects, FPGA Projects, CPLD Projects, Power Electronics Projects, Electrical Projects, Robotics Projects, Solor Projects, MEMS Projects, J2EE Projects, J2ME Projects, AJAX Projects, Structs Projects, EJB Projects, Real Time Projects, Live Projects, Student Projects, Engineering Projects, MCA Projects, MBA Projects, College Projects, BE Projects, BTech Projects, ME Projects, MTech Projects, M.Sc Projects, Final Year Java Projects, Final Year ASP.NET Projects, Final Year VB.NET Projects, Final Year C# Projects, Final Year Visual C++ Projects, Final Year Matlab Projects, Final Year NS2 Projects, Final Year C Projects, Final Year Microcontroller Projects, Final Year ATMEL Projects, Final Year PIC Projects, Final Year ARM Projects, Final Year DSP Projects, Final Year VLSI Projects, Final Year FPGA Projects, Final Year CPLD Projects, Final Year Power Electronics Projects, Final Year Electrical Projects, Final Year Robotics Projects, Final Year Solor Projects, Final Year MEMS Projects, Final Year J2EE Projects, Final Year J2ME Projects, Final Year AJAX Projects, Final Year Structs Projects, Final Year EJB Projects, Final Year Real Time Projects, Final Year Live Projects, Final Year Student Projects, Final Year Engineering Projects, Final Year MCA Projects, Final Year MBA Projects, Final Year College Projects, Final Year BE Projects, Final Year BTech Projects, Final Year ME Projects, Final Year MTech Projects, Final Year M.Sc Projects, IEEE Java Projects, ASP.NET Projects, VB.NET Projects, C# Projects, Visual C++ Projects, Matlab Projects, NS2 Projects, C Projects, Microcontroller Projects, ATMEL Projects, PIC Projects, ARM Projects, DSP Projects, VLSI Projects, FPGA Projects, CPLD Projects, Power Electronics Projects, Electrical Projects, Robotics Projects, Solor Projects, MEMS Projects, J2EE Projects, J2ME Projects, AJAX Projects, Structs Projects, EJB Projects, Real Time Projects, Live Projects, Student Projects, Engineering Projects, MCA Projects, MBA Projects, College Projects, BE Projects, BTech Projects, ME Projects, MTech Projects, M.Sc Projects, IEEE 2009 Java Projects, IEEE 2009 ASP.NET Projects, IEEE 2009 VB.NET Projects, IEEE 2009 C# Projects, IEEE 2009 Visual C++ Projects, IEEE 2009 Matlab Projects, IEEE 2009 NS2 Projects, IEEE 2009 C Projects, IEEE 2009 Microcontroller Projects, IEEE 2009 ATMEL Projects, IEEE 2009 PIC Projects, IEEE 2009 ARM Projects, IEEE 2009 DSP Projects, IEEE 2009 VLSI Projects, IEEE 2009 FPGA Projects, IEEE 2009 CPLD Projects, IEEE 2009 Power Electronics Projects, IEEE 2009 Electrical Projects, IEEE 2009 Robotics Projects, IEEE 2009 Solor Projects, IEEE 2009 MEMS Projects, IEEE 2009 J2EE P
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of Humanities and Social Science. IJHSSI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Humanities and Social Science, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
26 May 2014 Narendra Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India, who acquired the general elections with a massive mandate, right earnestly started working tirelessly to correct economic slowdown, containing inflation, getting rid of corruption and introducing financial inclusion program and so on,
Yet 67 years of misrule made people numb, and were entirely disconnected with the government, were at the clemency of the politicians taking the freebies they had at the time of elections.For votes the minorities were pampered with quotas and reservations. The oppressed remained in the same posture, turned into voting machines.
Modi’s interaction with the masses is something, which the people never experienced earlier, and made them understand that they are the principal constituents of the country and the government and the political leaders are there solely to accomplish their welfare.
Modi set the government, with clear-cut instructions to the ministers, and bureaucracy to hold along the developmental programs. Modi embarked on his international expedition to strengthen ties with countries for trade facilitations and significant issues like terrorism, climate change and so on. His activities in the international arena yielded substantial results and ignited new hope for sustained partnership in the development.
Major Landmarks in Thiruvananthapuram:
Each landmark has its own historical importance
This is a case study on the important buildings in the Trivandrum city along with its historical background. This will help to know more about the city.
Unprotected Heritage of Travancore, KeralaBinumol Tom
Unprotected Built heritage in Kerala and Tamilnadu within the political boundary of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore
Though the mother country of Travancore was the Mandala Kingdom Chera, during Kali Yuga, it was reduced to the erstwhile region of Travancore with its area of 66531/2 square miles situated between the 8th and 10th degree of North latitude. This 17th century Princely Kingdom lie in the geographical regions that extended from the present day Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) in the South, to Cochin (Kerala) in the North. (for map refer Appendix A1 ).
A warm humidity is one of the special features of the climate of Travancore. The land is protected by the Western Ghats on the eastern side and the Arabian Sea on the western side and due to this peculiar geographical position external cultural invasions and influences did not really affect this narrow stretch of land (though there was transfer of knowledge), and remained comparatively pure in its culture.
Rich in timber, religious as well as domestic buildings were in wood; with granite/ laterite stone used minimally for plinths and selected walls. The land with buildings about one to five centuries old is characterized by superior quality of building skill and meticulous craftsmanship in timber, pertaining to the southern regional style. Constructed primarily of wood, these buildings are replete with exquisite ornamentation of a very functional nature. Religion has played a major role in the erection of a house or a temple, the selection of the site, the measurement systems followed, the date of commencement of the work, the materials employed, the orientation of the structure, its layout, and other factors which were associated with the religious dogmas, beliefs which it was believed that if overlooked, will displease the Gods and bring ill luck to the people residing in the building. They were erected with relatively strict adherence to the canons which were formulated over the years of experience obtained in building construction crystallized into a number of formulae governing proportions, dimensions, orientation, location and procedures thus creating a genetic code for architecture in Timber.
Travancore bears testimony of being the rich treasury of built and unbuilt heritage. The attempt undertaken through this research project is to identify, document and prepare a data base of unprotected built heritage existing in the expanse of the princely kingdom of Travancore.
A blueprint for conserving the historic canal precinct of alappuzha townBinumol Tom
Heritage of a place be it natural or manmade, once lost is lost for ever. It cannot be recreated with its golden stains of time. Lets get together to conserve the rich heritage of our country and be dutiful citizens of India.
final Year Projects, Final Year Projects in Chennai, Software Projects, Embedded Projects, Microcontrollers Projects, DSP Projects, VLSI Projects, Matlab Projects, Java Projects, .NET Projects, IEEE Projects, IEEE 2009 Projects, IEEE 2009 Projects, Software, IEEE 2009 Projects, Embedded, Software IEEE 2009 Projects, Embedded IEEE 2009 Projects, Final Year Project Titles, Final Year Project Reports, Final Year Project Review, Robotics Projects, Mechanical Projects, Electrical Projects, Power Electronics Projects, Power System Projects, Model Projects, Java Projects, J2EE Projects, Engineering Projects, Student Projects, Engineering College Projects, MCA Projects, BE Projects, BTech Projects, ME Projects, MTech Projects, Wireless Networks Projects, Network Security Projects, Networking Projects, final year projects, ieee projects, student projects, college projects, ieee projects in chennai, java projects, software ieee projects, embedded ieee projects, "ieee2009projects", "final year projects", "ieee projects", "Engineering Projects", "Final Year Projects in Chennai", "Final year Projects at Chennai", Java Projects, ASP.NET Projects, VB.NET Projects, C# Projects, Visual C++ Projects, Matlab Projects, NS2 Projects, C Projects, Microcontroller Projects, ATMEL Projects, PIC Projects, ARM Projects, DSP Projects, VLSI Projects, FPGA Projects, CPLD Projects, Power Electronics Projects, Electrical Projects, Robotics Projects, Solor Projects, MEMS Projects, J2EE Projects, J2ME Projects, AJAX Projects, Structs Projects, EJB Projects, Real Time Projects, Live Projects, Student Projects, Engineering Projects, MCA Projects, MBA Projects, College Projects, BE Projects, BTech Projects, ME Projects, MTech Projects, M.Sc Projects, Final Year Java Projects, Final Year ASP.NET Projects, Final Year VB.NET Projects, Final Year C# Projects, Final Year Visual C++ Projects, Final Year Matlab Projects, Final Year NS2 Projects, Final Year C Projects, Final Year Microcontroller Projects, Final Year ATMEL Projects, Final Year PIC Projects, Final Year ARM Projects, Final Year DSP Projects, Final Year VLSI Projects, Final Year FPGA Projects, Final Year CPLD Projects, Final Year Power Electronics Projects, Final Year Electrical Projects, Final Year Robotics Projects, Final Year Solor Projects, Final Year MEMS Projects, Final Year J2EE Projects, Final Year J2ME Projects, Final Year AJAX Projects, Final Year Structs Projects, Final Year EJB Projects, Final Year Real Time Projects, Final Year Live Projects, Final Year Student Projects, Final Year Engineering Projects, Final Year MCA Projects, Final Year MBA Projects, Final Year College Projects, Final Year BE Projects, Final Year BTech Projects, Final Year ME Projects, Final Year MTech Projects, Final Year M.Sc Projects, IEEE Java Projects, ASP.NET Projects, VB.NET Projects, C# Projects, Visual C++ Projects, Matlab Projects, NS2 Projects, C Projects, Microcontroller Projects, ATMEL Projects, PIC Projects, ARM Projects, DSP Projects, VLSI Projects, FPGA Projects, CPLD Projects, Power Electronics Projects, Electrical Projects, Robotics Projects, Solor Projects, MEMS Projects, J2EE Projects, J2ME Projects, AJAX Projects, Structs Projects, EJB Projects, Real Time Projects, Live Projects, Student Projects, Engineering Projects, MCA Projects, MBA Projects, College Projects, BE Projects, BTech Projects, ME Projects, MTech Projects, M.Sc Projects, IEEE 2009 Java Projects, IEEE 2009 ASP.NET Projects, IEEE 2009 VB.NET Projects, IEEE 2009 C# Projects, IEEE 2009 Visual C++ Projects, IEEE 2009 Matlab Projects, IEEE 2009 NS2 Projects, IEEE 2009 C Projects, IEEE 2009 Microcontroller Projects, IEEE 2009 ATMEL Projects, IEEE 2009 PIC Projects, IEEE 2009 ARM Projects, IEEE 2009 DSP Projects, IEEE 2009 VLSI Projects, IEEE 2009 FPGA Projects, IEEE 2009 CPLD Projects, IEEE 2009 Power Electronics Projects, IEEE 2009 Electrical Projects, IEEE 2009 Robotics Projects, IEEE 2009 Solor Projects, IEEE 2009 MEMS Projects, IEEE 2009 J2EE P
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of Humanities and Social Science. IJHSSI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Humanities and Social Science, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
26 May 2014 Narendra Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India, who acquired the general elections with a massive mandate, right earnestly started working tirelessly to correct economic slowdown, containing inflation, getting rid of corruption and introducing financial inclusion program and so on,
Yet 67 years of misrule made people numb, and were entirely disconnected with the government, were at the clemency of the politicians taking the freebies they had at the time of elections.For votes the minorities were pampered with quotas and reservations. The oppressed remained in the same posture, turned into voting machines.
Modi’s interaction with the masses is something, which the people never experienced earlier, and made them understand that they are the principal constituents of the country and the government and the political leaders are there solely to accomplish their welfare.
Modi set the government, with clear-cut instructions to the ministers, and bureaucracy to hold along the developmental programs. Modi embarked on his international expedition to strengthen ties with countries for trade facilitations and significant issues like terrorism, climate change and so on. His activities in the international arena yielded substantial results and ignited new hope for sustained partnership in the development.
REPORT ON ANALYZING SOCIAL ENTITLEMENTS THROUGH LOCAL GOVERNANCE AT PANCHAYAT...DEEPAK J
The main agenda of the village visit programme was to help students garner information on governance and development in villages- both from the perspective of the administrative side as well as that of the inhabitants. On interacting with the Government officials of the villages, we obtained first-hand information on schemes like the Mukhya Mantri Grameen Awas Mission, the Indira Gandhi Awas Yojana, the Nandan Phalodyan (under NREGA), the mid day meal scheme and Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan. They also gleaned insights on the challenges faced by the administration in executing these schemes.
Rubrix is a biannual newsletter with brief analytical pieces which covers recent national policies and other emerging issues affecting the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore.
Highlights:
1. Re-Conceptualising Self-Help in the Malay/Muslim Community: 3 Strategies
2. Social Cohesion for the Future
3. The M3 Partnership: Buttressing Early Learning in the Community
4. National Day Rally 2018 at a Glance
5. "What Can I Do to Help?" A Refreshed Approach to Networked Social Service
6. Post-National Day Rally 2018 Policy Forum: Planting the Seeds for the Future
03062024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdfFIRST INDIA
Find Latest India News and Breaking News these days from India on Politics, Business, Entertainment, Technology, Sports, Lifestyle and Coronavirus News in India and the world over that you can't miss. For real time update Visit our social media handle. Read First India NewsPaper in your morning replace. Visit First India.
CLICK:- https://firstindia.co.in/
#First_India_NewsPaper
‘वोटर्स विल मस्ट प्रीवेल’ (मतदाताओं को जीतना होगा) अभियान द्वारा जारी हेल्पलाइन नंबर, 4 जून को सुबह 7 बजे से दोपहर 12 बजे तक मतगणना प्रक्रिया में कहीं भी किसी भी तरह के उल्लंघन की रिपोर्ट करने के लिए खुला रहेगा।
Here is Gabe Whitley's response to my defamation lawsuit for him calling me a rapist and perjurer in court documents.
You have to read it to believe it, but after you read it, you won't believe it. And I included eight examples of defamatory statements/
01062024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdfFIRST INDIA
Find Latest India News and Breaking News these days from India on Politics, Business, Entertainment, Technology, Sports, Lifestyle and Coronavirus News in India and the world over that you can't miss. For real time update Visit our social media handle. Read First India NewsPaper in your morning replace. Visit First India.
CLICK:- https://firstindia.co.in/
#First_India_NewsPaper
An astonishing, first-of-its-kind, report by the NYT assessing damage in Ukraine. Even if the war ends tomorrow, in many places there will be nothing to go back to.
El Puerto de Algeciras continúa un año más como el más eficiente del continente europeo y vuelve a situarse en el “top ten” mundial, según el informe The Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI), elaborado por el Banco Mundial y la consultora S&P Global.
El informe CPPI utiliza dos enfoques metodológicos diferentes para calcular la clasificación del índice: uno administrativo o técnico y otro estadístico, basado en análisis factorial (FA). Según los autores, esta dualidad pretende asegurar una clasificación que refleje con precisión el rendimiento real del puerto, a la vez que sea estadísticamente sólida. En esta edición del informe CPPI 2023, se han empleado los mismos enfoques metodológicos y se ha aplicado un método de agregación de clasificaciones para combinar los resultados de ambos enfoques y obtener una clasificación agregada.
04062024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdfFIRST INDIA
Find Latest India News and Breaking News these days from India on Politics, Business, Entertainment, Technology, Sports, Lifestyle and Coronavirus News in India and the world over that you can't miss. For real time update Visit our social media handle. Read First India NewsPaper in your morning replace. Visit First India.
CLICK:- https://firstindia.co.in/
#First_India_NewsPaper
1. MPRAMunich Personal RePEc Archive
Tamil Nadu: Samathuvapuram : Towards
Spatial Equality
Jothi Sivagnanam K. and Sivaraj M.
Department of Economics, University of Madras, Chennai 600005,
Tamil Nadu
28. September 2002
Online at http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/3205/
MPRA Paper No. 3205, posted 21. May 2007
2. Economic and Political Weekly September 28, 20023990
K JOTHI SIVAGNANAM, M SIVARAJ
H
istorically,socialinequalitieshave
persisted in the caste Hindu struc-
ture and that continue to this day.
Caste discrimination has existed not only
in the form of social hierarchy but also
in the location of habitations. Sheltering
patternsoftheso-calleduntouchableswere
such as to keep them separated from the
mainstream society denying them civic
amenitiesandotherservicesavailabletothe
others. In fact, the settlements itself was
evidenceoftheseinequalities.Forinstance,
the dalit settlements were/are located in-
variablyinthedownstreamofthevillages,
which is insanitary in all possible manner.
ThewidelyquotedGOoftheMadrasPresi-
dency(No1010and1010(A))onthesocio-
economic conditions of the Chingelput
pariahs (1892) describes their poor living
conditions: “...always badly nourished;
clad, if at all, in the vilest of rags; eaten
up with leprosy or other horrible diseases;
hutted like pigs; untaught; uncared for, and
unpitied”. These conditions persisted in
various parts of the Madras Presidency till
independence. Several social movements
had attempted to eradicate these inequali-
ties, without much success. Neither the
pre-colonialrulersnorthecolonialadmini-
strators initiated any constructive attempts
to eradicate these social inequalities, par-
ticularly in terms of their habitations.
Since independence, both the union and
state governments have initiated several
measurestoestablishsocialequalityamong
various social groups/communities. These
measures can be classified into two broad
categories – protective and promotional.
Protective measures include several con-
stitutionalsafeguards,actsandordinances.
TAMIL NADU
‘Samathuvapuram’:
Towards Spatial Equality
The concept of housing communities, where dalits and people of
other castes live together in mixed neighbourhoods and share all
facilities – focuses for the first time on social and cultural equality
in housing programmes. The plan itself germinated in response to
recurrent caste and communal clashes in the state and has received
considerable acceptance among the public.
-29
3. Economic and Political Weekly September 28, 2002 3991
In Tamil Nadu, cheries, ‘nagars’ and
‘agraharams’ are popular habitation areas
respectively for dalits, caste Hindus, and
brahmins.
Post-colonial government policies have
not encouraged integration of different
settlements. On the contrary, they have
encouraged segregation indirectly by pas-
sive silence about such inequalities. The
government,ofcourse,allottedlands/built
‘cluster houses’/’group houses’ under
various special schemes for the dalits and
all such efforts have changed only the
nomenclature from cheries to colonies.
However, the social and spatial distance
betweenthenagarandcolonyhasnotbeen
bridged. In other words, colonies are
nothing but government-sponsored
cheries, still at the outskirts of the village
without any free access to the nagar and
its civic amenities.
The first samathuvapuram was estab-
lished at Melakottai village of Madurai
district and 100 houses were built at a cost
of Rs 35,000 each. The houses are con-
structedon5-centplotswithabuilt-inarea
of 259 sq ft with facilities. The beneficia-
ries have been selected on the basis of
income criteria from eight adjacent vil-
lages of Melakottai. Of the 100 beneficia-
ries, 40 are adi-dravidars, 25 houses have
been allotted to backward classes, 25 to
most backward classes and 10 to people
of other communities. The allotment is
done in the name of the female member
of the household. That is, the ‘patta’ (title
deed) is given in the name of the woman
(such as the wife of the head of the house-
hold). This, in a way, promotes entitle-
ment and empowerment of women. The
samathuvapuram consists of water tanks,
community hall, primary school, library,
health centre, fair price shop, noon meal
centre, recreation centre, park and play-
ground.Thegovernmentalsoprovidesthe
deposit for electricity connection to each
house. The entire construction work was
handed over to the Tamil Nadu State
Construction Corporation, with emphasis
on the quality of construction. Expendi-
ture towards construction is met from a
special grant from the government. Ex-
penditure towards basic amenities like
roads, street lights, drainage and drinking
waterisprovidedbytherespectivedepart-
ments and local bodies through conver-
gence of ongoing programmes.
The site for the scheme is identified by
the district collector either from available
government lands or acquired from pri-
vate parties. After a proper layout, a patta
Promotional measures consist of specific
schemesandprogrammes.Broadlyspeak-
ing, the former is an indirect strategy and
the latter a direct one. However, several
studies have found that the protective and
promotional measures had not produced
expected results, by way of establishing
equality among different social groups.
Though individual social groups have
attaineddevelopment,differences/discrimi-
nation between the groups still persist on
several grounds. A dalit settlement is one
suchwidelyprevalentdiscriminatoryprac-
ticeinmostoftheruralTamilNadu.Several
housing schemes have been initiated for
dalits but these are located far away from
the main residential area. Of course, dalits
are no longer “hutted like pigs”, and their
housing conditions have improved but the
problem of untouchability still persists.
Government programmes and policies in
general are not bold enough to address
such discrimination directly, that is, they
never attempted to built the ‘adi dravidar’
houses in the midst of other dominant
communitiesorviceversa.Intheearly1990s,
TamilDesiyaPothuvudamaiKatchi(Tamil
Nationalist Socialist Party) and its leading
functionaries, P Maniyarasan, Rajendra
Cholan and Yoganathan, opposed the
creation of ‘colonies’ and demanded
collective housing where dalits could live
among others. The government, however,
failed to respond. The ‘samathuvapuram’
(equality village) housing scheme initi-
atedbytheTamilNadugovernmentduring
the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(DMK) under chief minister Muthuvel
Karunanidhi, broke out of this mould.
Housing Policies and Missing
Social Dimension Linkages
Government housing policies and
schemes had confined themselves till re-
cently to the economic dimension ignoring
the social and cultural implications of
housing.Thespatialseparationofhousing
settlements due to social exclusion on
caste lines may cut off communication,
interaction with other communities and
sustain practices of social exclusion and
untouchability.Thus,housing,initsbroad-
est connotation, encompasses not only
shelter, economic services and facilities,
butalsoaharmonioussocialenvironment,
conducive neighbourhood and peaceful
coexistence necessary not only to build
social capital but also to develop to human
well-being. Since independence, the gov-
ernment had provided housing facilities
for the untouchables in exclusively iso-
lated places of the main village or at the
outskirts of small towns. In other words,
the government policies had not consid-
ered the integration of untouchable com-
munities with mainstream communities.
However, the DMK government initi-
atedhousingpolicieswherebyallcommu-
nities could live together in the village and
share all civic and other infrastructure
facilities. Lower castes, higher castes and
those ‘in between’ were to live together
in equal comfort, self-respect, and dignity
with mutual respect and interaction. Thus
‘social equality’, which is a fundamental
need to establish equality in a caste-ridden
society, could be attempted through the
housing schemes. Karunanidhi launched
onesuchhousingschemetoestablishsocial
equality through spatial equality by the
creation of model villages called
samathuvapuram.
A Model Village
The samathuvapuram housing scheme
was introduced in 1997 with Rs 35 crore
to establish 100 samathuvapurams in dif-
ferent parts of Tamil Nadu. The plan was
to create model villages in rural areas with
free housing and other facilities wherein
people of different castes and religions
could live together and share civic ameni-
ties and services without caste discrimi-
nation or differential treatment. This
scheme was named Periyar ‘Ninaivu
samathuvapuram’, after Periyar E V
Ramasamy Naicker, a social revolutionary
of the Dravidian movement of the early
20th century. In fact, Periyar opposed the
existence and creation of ‘cheries’ and
introducedtheconceptofsamathuvapuram.
In order to eradicate caste discrimination
and untouchability, he proposed several
actionplans,likeinter-castemarriage,inter-
dining and common dwelling. He also
suggestedthatallcommunitiesshouldlive
together to fight against exploitation.
Inruralareas,castediscriminationprac-
ticesprevailvisiblyandinvisiblyinvarious
forms. Habitation area, roads, access to
basic amenities like water, roads, temple
and burial ground are some of the areas
through which ‘pure’ and ‘impure’ are
demarcated in the name of caste. Caste in
thetraditionalvillagesdeterminesthechoice
of location for habitation. Almost invari-
ably, the habitation area of each caste is
separatedfromthatoftheotherbyagreater
or lesser distance based on the degree of
purity or otherwise of a particular caste.
4. Economic and Political Weekly September 28, 20023992
is assigned to the beneficiaries, and sites/
houses are allotted at random so that families
from different communities live together
as neighbours. A committee headed by the
district revenue officer selects the benefi-
ciaries in consultation with local bodies
from nearby areas within a radius 10 km.
Facilitiesprovidedforthesamathuvapuram
include town bus from the city, with stop-
over facility by all buses plying on the
national highway. Post office and tele-
phone facilities are also being provided.
Additionally, a dairy farm is being set up,
with 30 inhabitants to be provided with
milch cows. A scheme to extend loan
facility to provide self-employment for
young people at the samathuvapuram is
also envisaged. The district collector has
obtained a written document/undertaking
from each family not to install statues of
religious or community leaders, not to sell
or pledge houses for 15 years, accept using
a common burial ground, not to create
separateplacesofworship,nottoconsume
liquor,nottoletthehousesonrent,maintain
hygieneandanagreementthattheproperty
will be taken over by the government if
rules are violated.
Initially the validity of the samathuva-
puram concept was challenged. However,
Karunanidhi responded by saying that it
was not the claim of the government that
caste-relatedproblemscouldbeeliminated
by this scheme. “The deep-rooted caste
andcommunaldifferencescannotbeelimi-
nated overnight. They exist despite agita-
tion by Gandhiji, Rajaji and others. How-
ever, the government realised that some
concrete steps would have to be taken to
prevent caste and communal clashes, as
the recurrence of such clashes would lead
to law and order problems, which are
detrimental to development and welfare
activities.” He also said, “My wish is that
the entire district should become a
samathuvapuram and the entire state and
above all the entire nation and the world
should become a samathuvapuram”.
However,theinitialcriticismdisappeared
gradually and the scheme has come up
withstrikingresults.Sofar,150samathuva-
purams have been created in several dis-
tricts and about 15,000 rural households
have benefited. Though it may not be
sufficient to meet the actual rural housing
requirements in Tamil Nadu, as a concept
the samathuvapuram has received the total
acceptance of the public. A field report
observed that “the concept of peaceful
coexistence, transcending caste and reli-
giouswalls,asenvisagedthroughtheTamil
Nadu government’s samathuvapuram
scheme is taking a concrete shape in the
clash-torn southern districts, despite its
shortcomingsandpost-projectbureaucratic
apathy. The spirit behind the scheme has
been well taken by the people who are
slowly coming out of their caste cocoon”
(‘Samathuvapurams: Breaking Caste
Cocoons’ by S Annamalai in The Hindu,
December10,1999).Thereportalso brought
outsomeoftheshortcomingsofthescheme
at the implementation level, like quality of
houses, misuses like subletting, and politi-
cal interference in the identification of
beneficiaries.However,theseminorshort-
comings could be rectified through a com-
plete evaluation and proper monitoring of
the scheme. The scheme has been appre-
ciated by the Mohan Commission, which
was set up to look into and suggest rem-
edies for the scourge of caste clashes in
the southern districts of Tamil Nadu.
All these developments have implica-
tionsforournationalhousingpolicy,which
has long focused exclusively on an eco-
nomic dimension. Until recently, rural
housing schemes have not paid attention
to spatial and social inequality. The prob-
lemofruralhousinghadsofarbeenaddres-
sed only through wage employment pro-
grammes like the National Rural Employ-
mentProgramme,RuralLandlessEmploy-
ment Guarantee Programme and Jawahar
Rozgar Yojana, with a small housing
component in them. The Indira Awaas
Yojana(aidedself-help)hasbeende-linked
from JRY and has been made an indepen-
dent scheme with effect from January 1,
1996. So far, housing schemes had not
attempted to establish social/spatial equal-
ity. Some of the existing schemes can also
be redesigned with minor modifications
in their guidelines to address the issue.
This requires no additional expenditure,
but only a strong political will and
commitment.
The concept of samathuvapuram is cer-
tainlyapioneeringeffort,notonlyinterms
of promoting rural housing but also in
establishing spatial equality, social har-
mony and social capital. However, it is
unfortunate that the scheme has been
relegated to the background, because of
the change of government in Tamil Nadu.
Unless there is a change in the mindset of
the political parties, attempts to eradicate
social inequality would be in vain.
[We thank V Loganathan, Tagore Professor
of Economics, University of Madras, and
V Saravanan,GiriInstituteofDevelopmentStudies,
Lucknow, for their comments and suggestions.]
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