Children - Terre des Hommes

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and educational development.
Panchayat Raj (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act 1996:
Progressive legislation passed through the 73 Amendment
of the Indian Constitution that paved the way for a separate
and progressive legal and administrative regime for genuine
adivasi self-rule in Scheduled Areas.
Panchayat: Literally means assembly (yat) of five (panch)
wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the village
community. Traditionally, these assemblies settled disputes
between individuals and villages.
Parateacher: Covers a wide range of recruitment for teaching
in schools and alternative learning centres. In a broad sense,
any appointment, that is a deviation from the past practice
in any particular state, is referred to as a parateacher. This
broadly refers to large number of teachers recruited by the
community (though not always), at less than the regular
teacher pay scale, for the formal as well as alternative schools,
to meet the demand for basic education within the limited
financial resource available, in the shortest possible time.
Pattas: Title deeds for lands or houses in India
Primary Health Centre (PHC): These are the cornerstone of
rural healthcare in India that supposed to meet the health care
needs of rural populations. Each PHC covers a population
of 100,000 and is spread over about 100 villages. A Medical
Officer, Block Extension Educator, one female Health
Assistant, a compounder, a driver and laboratory technician
are assigned to look after each PHC. It is equipped with a jeep
and necessary facilities to carry out small surgeries. The PHCs
are established and maintained by the state governments.
Public Distribution System (PDS): Facilitates the supply of
food grains to the poor at a subsidised price.
Public Information Officer (PIO): Under the RTI Act all
government departments must appoint a PIO to whom the
applications requesting information are sent. It is the PIO's
obligation to provide information to citizens of India who
request information under the Act.
Pucca: Refers to permanent and strong structures
Rat hole mining: Mining done in the form of a long narrow
tunnel.
Ration cards: An important part of the PDS in India. On the
basis of their economic condition, people can buy goods like
food grains, sugar, kerosene, etc. at varying prices, with the
help of their ration cards.
Right to Information Act 2005 (RTI): Act that mandates
timely response to citizen requests for government
information.
Rotis: Unleavened flat bread made from flour.
Rupees (Rs.): Official unit of currency in India
Sahayak: assistant or helper
Salwa Judum: Meaning ‘peace march’ in the Gondi language
this is the controversial state supported anti-Maoist movement
in the state of Chhattisgarh, India.
Samatha Judgement: The judgment given by the Supreme
Court of India was the result of Samata’s, a grassroots
organisation’s, decade long struggle against mining and
protection of adivasis land rights.
Sarpanch: The Sarpanch or Chairperson is the head of the
Gram panchayat.
Sarva Siksha Abhiyan: Or the 'Education for All' movement,
is a flagship programme of the Government of India for
achievement of universalisation of elementary education in a
time bound manner.
Scheduled Area: Those regions with a predominantly adivasi
population. Scheduled Areas are spread across nine states in
India
Scheduled Caste (SC): Any of the historically disadvantaged
Indian castes of low rank, now under government protection.
Some Scheduled Castes are also known as dalits.
Scheduled Tribe (ST): Specific indigenous peoples whose
status is acknowledged to some formal degree by national
legislation in India.
Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers
(Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006: This Act is a key
legislation passed in India and is concerned with the rights
of forest-dwelling communities to land and other resources,
denied to them over decades.
Sex ratio: Defined as the number of females per 1,000 males
in the population. It is expressed as 'number of females per
1000 males'.
Special Economic Zone (SEZ): A geographical region that
has economic laws that are more liberal than a country's
typical economic laws.
State Domestic Product (SDP): Aggregate of the economic
value of all goods and services produced within the geographical
boundaries of the state, counted without duplication during a
specified period of time, usually a year.
Taluka: see mandal
Under five mortality: This is the probability of a child born in
a specific year or period dying before reaching the age of five, if
subject to age specific mortality rates of that period.
Vimukta Jati: Nomadic tribes in India who due to wandering
traditions of over hundreds of years without any good means
of life under the influence of caste system, were forced to live
under sub-human conditions.