New Contact Details

Please note the following change in the contacts of Youth for Equality, Mumbai.
Email: yfemumbai@gmail.com

Helpline:
9224460881
9324334359
9892757958

Feel free to contact if you have any queries or suggestions.

Grant medical college and JJ hospital
Sermin mehta 9819604523
Amit novar 98208218151

TNMC and NAIR hospital
Tushar 9892696606
Vaibhav 9324647164

GSMC and KEM hospital
Puneet Sharma 9833275804
Gunjan Sharma 9224460881

Jai Hind college
Saachi 9819142462

National college
Ankit 9892736740
Esha 9867212383

KC college
Amod Ugdsekar 9870171005

P.V.P.P
Nimish 9323232329
Ravindra Pratap Singh 9833867527

K.J. Somaya college -Vidyanagar
Rishabh Srivastava 9892757958

K.J Somaya, Sion
Amit Parhe 9819585313

Vaze Kelkar college
Viraj 9870357083

VJTI
Anil Pawar 9869303665

Vidya Alankar
Vinod 9869918462
Riddhi 9892538138

St Xaviers college
Sushant 9819603407

other YFE representative
Dr. Ravikant Singh 9324334359
Dr. Atul goyal 9869169753
Ankit 9870528153

sanjeet shukla (sion) 9821390321

YFE helpline 9833158385

Statistics Don't Lie: The truth behind OBC numbers

Around 36 per cent of the country's population is defined as belonging to the Other Backward Classes according to the National Sample Survey's 1999-2000 rounds, and not 52 per cent as defined by the Mandal Commission, a number that most politicians still use while asking for reservation.

If you exclude Muslim OBCs, the proportion falls to 32 per cent according to the NSS, 1999-2000. Indeed, Yogendra Yadav, professor at the Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Studies, agrees that there is no empirical basis to the Mandal figure: "It is a mythical construct based on reducing the number of SC/ST, Muslims and others and then arriving at a number."

The NSS data is also corroborated by the National Family Health Statistics, a survey conducted in 1998 by the DHS, which has conducted 200 such surveys in 75 countries.

The NFHS data show that the proportion of non-Muslim OBCs is 29.8 per cent, a figure quite close to the NSS' 32.1 per cent. For SC/ST, while the NSS shows this is 28.3 per cent of the population, the NFHS estimates this at 27.9 per cent. The 2001 Census estimated the SC/ST population at 24.4 per cent, though the Census did not canvass any information on OBCs.

Number of OBCs:
In 1953, the Kaka Kalelkar commission found 2399 castes and communities to be backward
In 1989, the Mandal Commission found that the number had increased to 3743
In 2005, the number was found to be 4418

Till now, NOT A SINGLE CASTE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE OBC LIST
(Source: National Commission of Backward Classes – NCBC site, and Hindustan Times article on Sunday 28 ^th May, 2006)

A study done by the IITs themselves shows that 50 per cent of the IIT seats for the SCs and STs remain vacant. And for those who get admitted, 25 per cent were forced to quit, as they could not complete a four-year course even in six years.

Report of the Parliamentary Committee on the welfare for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (a Parliamentary body)
It says, that looking at the Delhi University, between 1995 and 2000, just half the seats for under-graduates at the Scheduled Castes level and just one-third of the seats for under-graduates at the Scheduled Tribes level were filled. All the others went empty, unfilled.

The Hindustan Times
Overall in India, only 16 per cent of the places in higher education are occupied by SCs and STs. The quota is 22.5 per cent, which means that only two-thirds of the quota is occupied. One-third is going waste; it is being denied to other people

National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO)
23.5 per cent of all university seats are already with the OBCs. The government is thinking of introducing a 27% quota. In other words, it will be spending Rs. 8000 crores to increase OBC representation by 3.5%!

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's views on reservations:
Jawaharlal Nehru, on the 27th of June 1961, wrote to the Chief Ministers of the day as follows: I dislike any kind of reservations. If we go in for any kind of reservations on communal and caste basis, we will swamp the bright and able people and remain second-rate or third-rate. The moment we encourage the second-rate, we are lost. And then he adds pointedly: This way lies not only folly, but also disaster.

SS Gill (secretary, Mandal Commission) writes:
During its discussions the Commission was fully aware that reservations were only a palliative, and 27 per cent reservation in educational institutions and government jobs was only one of several recommendations. Briefly, the other important recommendations were: the radical alteration in production relations through progressive land reforms; special educational facilities to upgrade the cultural environment of the students, with special emphasis on vocational training; separate coaching facilities for students aspiring to enter technical and professional institutions; creation of adequate facilities for improving the skills of village artisans; subsidised loans for setting up small-scale industries; the setting up of a separate chain of financial and technical bodies to assist OBC entrepreneurs.

None of these measures were even casually examined by the government, and then Prime Minister V.P. Singh adopted the facile and populist route of issuing a one-para order conferring the boon of 27 per cent reservation on OBCs. To this day no serious effort has been made to lay the foundations of structures to enable the deprived classes which will compete with the non-reserved categories on an equal footing.

YFE Mumbai - How you can be a part of the campaign !

Youth For Equality – Mumbai (Plan Of Action) http://yfemumbai.blogspot.com.

(We encourage you to make copies of this document and freely distribute it)

An organized effort is the best way to send our point across. Here, we have mentioned some ways to pro-actively support the movement. These are just pointers, and will guide you to organize campaigns. Be creative and think differently. And when you come up with ‘the idea’ don’t forget to write to us about it at yfemumbai@gmail.com.

Volunteer Time

The best thing to do is be personally involved with the YFE campaign. We are a small group of people coordinating activities across India. Volunteers will help us make this effort more organized and be more efficient. We need different skill-sets such as Public relations, Research, Legal, Organizational Efforts, Creative etc.

Signature Campaigns

One of the oldest forms of protest is also the most effective. Sooner or later, a Public Interest Litigations (PIL) will have to be filed against the 93^rd Amendment Act. Public opinion strengthens the cause of a PIL. Download the format of a PIL from our website or e-mail us for a copy and print it out; request everyone signing it for their Full Name, Mobile No (Tel No), E-mail Address, Mailing Address (preferable). Once completed contact us and we will give you the address where you can send it. Online Signature campaigns can be forwarded to us at yfemumbai@gmail.com

Online Campaigns

1) E-mail people about updates in the campaign from our website http://yfemumbai.blogspot.com.
2) Post the link as your signature after all your personal and official e-mails
3) Change your Messenger nicknames to the URL or add a tag line.
4) Message your friends in networking sites such as Orkut, Myspace, Ryze, Rediff, Hi5, Friendster etc. and start communities.
5) Blog about it, link our blog from your website.

Mobile Campaigns

Take some time out and SMS all your friends and contact list about the website – http://yfemumbai.blogspot.com

Feedback

Keep sending us feedback on ways to make our campaign better. Send us your opinion on the whole issue and keep us informed about the buzz around you. Tell us about your experiences with Reservations. Be socially aware. Send us press-clips, links which might be of importance to us.

If you feel strongly about our cause, here’s how you can help;

If you are a School Student:

· Initiate Signature Campaigns in your class/school;

· Ask you parents to initiate campaigns in their workplaces and clubs they are members in;

· Get your local Parents Teachers Association (PTA) to actively garner support through campaigns;

· Circulate signature petitions among your tuition classes/coaching centres/sports clubs/staff-rooms in your schools;

· Paint, write against it and send it to us. Be creative, be heard!

If you are a College student:

· Initiate Signature Campaigns in your college;

· Ask you parents to initiate campaigns in their workplaces and clubs they are members in;

· Get your local students union body, college clubs to contact us and take up the cause in your college;

· Circulate signature petitions among your tuition classes/ coaching centres/sports clubs/staff-rooms in your schools.

· On-line campaigns

· Mobilize people you know who wont be afraid to come out on the street and protest if need be.

If you are an Alumni Association/working citizen

· Online campaigns;

· Individually start signature campaigns in your offices with your colleagues;

· Volunteer your expertise if you think it can add to the campaign;

· Contact your industry lobby and voice your thoughts;

· Mobilize people you know who wont be afraid to come out on the street and protest if need be.

If you are concerned parents

· Contact your PTA bodies and initiate signature campaigns;

· Connect with relatives in India and abroad and make them aware of the implications. Encourage them to participate and initiate campaigns in their social circles;

· Form discussion groups which can debate this and suggest alternate solution which can be forwarded to govt. authorities

If you are a Senior Citizen

· Nothing can be more valuable than your time and guidance. Help us secure our future and have a fair educational system for the coming generations;

· Initiate campaigns among your social circle/citizens clubs;

· Write to editors of magazines, newspapers and news channels and voice your concerns;

· Write to us about your experiences with reservation policies which might be helpful and will give us an insight into it;

· Help us and volunteer your time to research information available on govt. reservation policies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. I belong to SC/ST/OBC, can I still be part of the campaign and oppose the 93^rd Amendment Act?

A. YES ! Religion, Caste, Creed, Age, Sex is immaterial to us and we encourage all sections of the society to be a part of this campaign.

Q. How can I, as an individual, make a difference in this campaign?

A. This campaign was started in Delhi with one college. Now we are thousands strong. Every individual, every e-mail, every SMS counts.

Q. When can we expect action from the government/courts?

A. This can be a long drawn campaign, we have to fight it consistently and not give up. The govt. implements commission reports after 26 years, efficiency is not their forte. Let’s hope they surprise us.

Q. Is youth for equality backed by a political organization? Who are the leaders?

A. We are not backed by any political entity, and we don’t wish to be. There are no leaders in this campaign. We are college students, citizens, school children, senior citizen who do not wish to take things lying back.

Q. I am not a college student, how does it affect me? Why should I be concerned?
A. If implemented, sooner or later it will affect each one of us. Your friends, kids, relatives, employees applying to institutes of higher education or private colleges won’t be able to secure a seat even if they make it on the basis of merit.

Besides, we all want our hospitals to be equipped with the best doctors and nation to be built by the best engineers and our country to excel in every other industry. If students are trained on the basis of merit irrespective of their caste, this can be achieved.

Things you should know:

· Non-violence is the essence of this campaign.

· Educate yourself with all aspects of this issue.

· Do not believe facts thrown at you unless you have verified it for yourself.

· Keep visiting our website regularly for updates or e-mail us.