{"id":16249,"date":"2013-02-09T22:58:08","date_gmt":"2013-02-10T03:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=16249"},"modified":"2013-02-09T22:58:08","modified_gmt":"2013-02-10T03:58:08","slug":"tna-protests-of-pro-muslim-bias-in-allocation-of-houses-under-indian-housing-project-are-incorrect-and-misleading-says-indian-diplomat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=16249","title":{"rendered":"TNA Protests of Pro- Muslim Bias in Allocation of Houses Under Indian Housing Project are Incorrect and Misleading says Indian Diplomat"},"content":{"rendered":"

By
\nP.K.Balachandran<\/strong><\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) had alleged a pro-Muslim bias in the selection of beneficiaries for the India-funded housing project meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the war-affected District of Vavuniya.<\/p>\n

Demonstrators led by TNA MPs did not blame India for the distortion. The accusing finger was pointed at Rishad Bathiutheen, the influential Minister of Commerce and MP for Wanni District. The charge was that he had manipulated the selection process to favour the Muslims, his core political constituency.<\/p>\n

While not ruling out Bathiutheen\u2019s influence in beneficiary selection, the charge of ethnic bias in the selection of beneficiaries for the project as such, can be challenged on several grounds.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

There is a huge difference between the statistics trotted out by the TNA MPs and the figures provided by the Indian High Commission (IHC) in Colombo. The proportion of Muslim beneficiaries in Vavuniya (and also Mannar) is large because \u2013 as compared to other districts in the Northern Province \u2013 the Muslim population is significant here. Vavuniya is an ethnically mixed district. Thirdly, the three-year project to build 43,000 houses in the North and the East is only in its fourth month now. There is a long way to go. Any \u2018distortions\u2019 which may be apparent now, may turn out to have been a transient phenomenon in the course of time as construction proceeds.<\/p>\n

There is also a plea to see the situation in Vavuniya against the larger picture of the Northern Province, in which the Tamils have got the lion\u2019s share and deservedly so, given their numerical preponderance in the province.<\/p>\n

The complaint <\/p>\n

According to the Tamil MPs, in the Venkadacheddikulam Divisional Secretariat (DS) area of Vavuniya District, out of the 2,218 Tamil families in need of housing, 304 had been put on the list of beneficiaries. But in the case of the Muslims, against the demand for 914 houses, the number of beneficiaries amounted to 1,169. <\/p>\n

In the Vavuniya District as a whole, they said, the number of Tamil families requiring houses was 5,902. Out of this, 1,096 families were chosen, representing 18.6%. In the case of the Muslims, the number of families needing a house was 569, out of which, 465 had been included in the list of beneficiaries. In other words, 82.7% of the Muslims had benefitted.<\/p>\n

It is also pointed out that as per the 2012 census, the ethnic composition of the population in the Vavuniya District is as follows: Sri Lankan Tamils 141,269; Muslims 11,700; and Sinhalese 17,191. In the Venkadacheddikulam DS Division, Sri Lankan Tamils are 22,253; Muslims 6,822 and Sinhalese 667.<\/p>\n

Incorrect and misleading <\/p>\n

But the data provided by the Indian High Commission\u2019s website reveals that the figures of beneficiaries quoted by TNA MPs in their representations to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Indian High Commissioner, are incorrect and misleading.<\/p>\n

According to the IHC information: Till January 30, in the Vavuniya District, only 435 beneficiaries had been selected. And out of these, 165 were Tamils, 131 were Muslims and 139 were Sinhalese. In Venkadacheddikulam DS Division, till January 29, only 86 beneficiaries had been identified. Out of these, 36 were Tamils and 50 were Muslims.<\/p>\n

In comparison with the ethnic proportions in the overall population, the Muslims do seem to have got more than due. However, three factors will have to be taken into account in the case of Vavuniya. Firstly, it is the only district in the Northern Province where all the three major ethnic groups are found in large numbers. In this respect, it is vastly different from Jaffna. Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, which are Tamil-dominant. Secondly, one should bear in mind that the Muslims and Sinhalese of Vavuniya have also suffered in the 30-year-long war along with the Tamils. Thirdly, the project to build 43,000 houses for the war-displaced in the North and the East is only four months old, having begun on 2 October, 2012.<\/p>\n

Seeing things in perspective <\/p>\n

Stressing the need to see the question in the proper perspective, the First Secretary (Development Cooperation), at the Indian High Commission, Justin Mohan, said that the huge US$ 270 million project was still in its infancy and that the mission was optimistic that by the time of completion in October 2015, all those who had lost their houses during the conflict would have been covered.<\/p>\n

He was hopeful that as more and more houses were constructed, any distortions that might have crept in would get corrected. At any rate, what the Muslims had got in the Vavuniya District was but a \u2018drop in the ocean,\u2019 Justin Mohan noted.<\/p>\n

Indeed it is a drop in the ocean if one looks at the overall figures for the Northern Province. <\/p>\n

\u201cOut of the total of 5,648 beneficiaries in the Northern Province, selected till 29 January this year, 4,952 were Tamils, 557 were Muslims and 139 were Sinhalese. In other words, nearly 90% were Tamils,\u201d Justin Mohan pointed out.<\/p>\n

Systematic and transparent <\/p>\n

The official said that the beneficiary selection process was \u201csystematic and transparent, as per an agreed set of criteria.\u201d The selection was done through a process involving the Government Agents, the implementing agencies (some of which are international and some local) and the IHC. The criteria for selecting the beneficiaries were clearly spelled out so that the most needy and the most disadvantaged, received the funds.<\/p>\n

All details of a potential candidate regarding his\/her marital status, family size, income, land ownership were gathered. All claims were to be backed up by documents. Marks were allotted for each attribute. The maximum that a family could get was 28 marks, but those who scored 10, got in. The IHC has a file on each and every beneficiary in which all the details backed by photocopies of documents are put.<\/p>\n

In view of the possibility of people making dubious claims, a grievance system had been put in place to correct any distortion, Justin Mohan said.COURTESY:CEYLON TODAY<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By P.K.Balachandran Earlier this month, Parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) had alleged a pro-Muslim bias in the selection of beneficiaries for the India-funded housing project meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the war-affected District of Vavuniya. Demonstrators led by TNA MPs did not blame India for the distortion. The accusing finger was …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘TNA Protests of Pro- Muslim Bias in Allocation of Houses Under Indian Housing Project are Incorrect and Misleading says Indian Diplomat’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16249"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16249"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16250,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16249\/revisions\/16250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}