Articles by S D Kulkarni

in Maharashtra Review of a Report S D Kulkarni Though spokesmen for the Government of Maharashtra have more than once officially denied on the floor of the state assembly that the system of bonded labour does not exist in Maharashtra in any form, it is a well-known fact that the practice of bonded labour does exist in the State; and accounts of the practice, supported by unimpeachable data, have also been published. That the government itself was not quite convinced of its denials of the practice was evident in the appointment of a Committee by the state government to examine the problem of illicit money-lending in the state, hut which was also asked "to investigate whether the system of bonded labour still exists in the state.,. and to suggest ways and means to eradicate the system".

December 17, 1977 Monopoly Trade in Tribal Areas and Its Politics in Maharashtra S D Kulkarni THE Government of Maharashtra, under the directions of the Government of India, prepared a Tribal Area Sub-Plan with the two long-term objectives of narrowing down the gap between the levels of development of tribal and other areas and of improving the quality of life of the tribal communities.1 Elimination of tribals' exploitation was recorded as one of the immediate objectives. It was mentioned that "all programmes which help in minimising incidence of exploitation such as those in the fields of marketing, credit, supply of consumer goods, and even informal rationing ensuring commodities at reasonable prices should have the highest priority."2 ''Malpractices in trading like under-weighing and unreasonable prices forcing the tribals to inextricably tie up their economy to an unscrupulous trader leading them to indebtedness and impoverishment and in many cases loss of his land and movable property" were cited as some of the exploitative practices,3 The Plan provided for the formation of Adivasi Co-operative Societies as an alternate source of finance and marketing in tribal areas. These societies were to purchase the commodities produced or foregathered by the tribals and to sell to them basic agricultural inputs.

Allied Publisher, 1967). R Chandidas, 'the Fourth General Elections

Problems and Policies S D Kulkarni Report of the Commissioner for Scheduled Cartes and Scheduled Tribes, 1971-72 and 1972-73; New Delhi, Government of India, 1974, pp 410.

Many Faces of Untouchability S D Kulkarni TlLAK once publicly declared that he would denounce even God if He accepted untouchability. Gandhi was also equally emphatic and wrote "Swaraj is as unattainable without the removal of the sin of untouchability as it is without Hindu-Muslim Unity". The Constitution of India abolishes untouchability and forbids its practice in any form. The enforcement of any disability arising out of "untouchability" is made an offence punishable in accordance with law (Article 17). In pursuance of this objective, Parliament passed the Untouchability (Offences)