Latest news with #HAF
Scroll.in
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Why US court rejected Hindu group's claims that caste discrimination cases violate religious freedom
The decision of a US federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging California state's authority to prosecute caste discrimination cases has been welcomed by civil rights groups. US District Judge Dale Drozd of the Eastern District of California on July 18 rejected arguments from a Hindu advocacy group that enforcing such cases violates religious freedom. He said that the Hindu American Foundation, a non-profit that says it advocates for Hindus in the United States, lacked standing to challenge the California Civil Rights Department's high-profile lawsuit against the technology conglomerate Cisco Systems, which alleges workplace caste discrimination against a Dalit engineer. 'This is a historic win,' said Karthikeyan Shanmugam of the Ambedkar King Study Circle, which has collected numerous testimonies showing how caste consciousness and discrimination are manifested in the Indian diaspora. 'It affirms that caste discrimination is a civil rights violation and cannot be shielded by claims of religious freedom,' Shanmugam said. Roja Singh, President of Dalit Solidarity Forum, said that 'the decades-long campaign of caste-based oppression in the US is finally being confronted'. Singh added: 'This ruling by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California affirms that caste discrimination violates civil rights and cannot be ignored. It marks a critical step toward ensuring that caste-oppressed communities can live and work with safety, dignity, and equality.' Paradoxical position The judge rejected the HAF's claim that the state's anti-caste enforcement violated their religious freedom, noting that the foundation simultaneously argued that caste discrimination is not an integral part of Hindu beliefs. 'Plaintiffs cannot persuasively maintain that there 'exists some conflict between one of [their] religious convictions and a challenged governmental action' precisely because they contend that caste discrimination is not one of their religious convictions,' the ruling noted. The judge described it a 'standing conundrum,' asking, 'How can appellants be injured by a policy prohibiting conduct that they have no intention to engage in?' The court also questioned the HAF's claim to represent Hindu Americans across the country. While the foundation pointed to 815 donors and 5,000 subscribers to its advocacy platform as evidence of its support base, the judge stated the organisation was trying to represent 'a community significantly larger and more diffuse than those found appropriate' for bringing such a lawsuit. The HAF's legal challenge centres on California's 2020 lawsuit against Cisco Systems, when it allegedly failed to protect a Dalit employee from harassment by his Brahmin colleagues. The lawsuit claimed the engineer 'was expected to accept a caste hierarchy within the workplace where he held the lowest status within a team of higher-caste colleagues, receiving less pay, fewer opportunities, and other inferior terms and conditions of employment'. When the engineer opposed the treatment, supervisors allegedly retaliated by reducing his role, isolating him from colleagues and assigning him tasks that were 'impossible to complete under the circumstances'. The state dropped its case against the two individual Cisco supervisors, Sundar Iyer and Ramana Kompella, in 2023, but continues to pursue its lawsuit against the company. Anti-caste measures The development also comes amid a growing battle over caste discrimination in American institutions, with Hindu advocacy groups mounting organised opposition to the introduction of anti-caste measures. Since the Cisco lawsuit was filed in 2020, anti-caste groups have pushed to add caste as a protected category in anti-discrimination policies across the United States. Seattle became the first city to ban caste discrimination in February 2023, while dozens of universities including Harvard and Brown have updated their policies to explicitly prohibit caste-based discrimination. However, the HAF scored a major victory in 2023 when California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation that would have made California the first state to ban caste discrimination. The bill had passed both houses of the state legislature with overwhelming support – the Assembly voted 31-5 to approve the measure sponsored by Democratic state senator Aisha Wahab. But Newsom rejected the bill, arguing that existing anti-discrimination laws already covered caste-based discrimination. The HAF has repeatedly stated that policies against caste discrimination are unfair to Hindu Americans. On its website, the foundation states. 'California's actions blatantly violate the rights of Hindu Americans.' The organisation contended that California 'has asserted that the caste system is 'a strict Hindu social and religious hierarchy,' and therefore an integral part of Hindu teachings and practices' = a characterisation it says is false. The HAF argues this makes 'all Hindus suspect in the eyes of the general public' and 'encourages widespread discrimination against hiring or promoting of Hindus'.
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Calgary outpaces housing unit target, secures funding boost from feds
Dollars to doors was how Mayor Jyoti Gondek has described multiple government-funded housing projects that are ahead of schedule in Calgary. The federal government awarded the City $228.5 million through the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) in 2023, and the City of Calgary set out to incentivize 43,000 new housing units built by Oct. 2026. That goal was exceeded by the city in June, a year and a half ahead of schedule. 'In just 20 months, the city has already incentivized the delivery of more than 44,000 units, achieving 104 per cent of our goal,' said City of Calgary Chief of Housing, Reid Hendry. Hendry said that because of the city's quick action in utilizing the funds, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation provided an additional $22.8 million in March to further encourage housing supply growth in Calgary. According to Hendry, the city has achieved 103 per cent of its multi-unit target and 152 per cent of its multi-unit near transit target. The city is also on track to achieve targets related to missing middle housing—semi-detached, row, townhouse housing—and affordable non-market housing. Hendry said that $53 million from HAF has gone towards 6,000 secondary suites, $52.5 million for 700 homes created through the office-to-residential conversions and non-market land sale program, and $29 million for 400 non-market homes. The announcement of the success of the HAF funding was made at 11 Haddon Road SW, next to the Heritage LRT Station. 'In fact, this parcel of land behind me was sold to a non-profit cal led Liberty Housing, and they will be developing this site into nearly 200 units of non-market housing thanks to both the non-market land sale program and the half investment from our federal government partners,' said Hendry. Calgary Confederation MP Corey Hogan said that since its announcement in 2023, HAF funding in Calgary has been put into the right places. 'Calgary has been bold and decisive in its commitment to get housing built for those who need it, from streamlining approvals to investing in transit-oriented and downtown development, Calgary has more than answered the call,' he said. Hogan said that, admittedly, he was biased, but that cities across Canada could learn from Calgary in many ways, including the construction of housing. Addressing a long-standing claim from critics of upzoning, Mayor Gondek said that the HAF funding provided by the Government of Canada was not tied to rezoning occurring in Calgary. 'There was no stipulation that we had to pass any type of rezoning; there was none,' she said 'What we chose to do when it comes to rezoning is something that council took on on its own. So, the funding that you see with the Housing Accelerator Fund was not tied to that. The announcement that came from the federal government about that came later, after we received our funding.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Parents have just days to book free activities and meals for their children
Parents in Swindon have just days left to access free summer holiday activities and meals for their children. The Government-funded Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) is closing for bookings on Monday, July 28. The initiative is designed to support eligible families by providing activities such as football and crafts, along with a hot meal, during the summer break. All eligible parents should have received a HAF programme voucher from their child's school. Be the first to know with the Swindon Advertiser! 📱 💡 Our flash sale brings the latest local happenings directly to you. Save over 50% on an annual subscription now. 🔗 #SpecialOffer — Swindon Advertiser (@swindonadver) July 4, 2025 This voucher allows you to book 16 free activities for your child throughout the summer holidays. Caroline, a mother whose daughter attended the programme last year, said: "My husband and I are very grateful for the programme. "It is hard for me to take them out with my youngest, so it is a huge blessing for our family." Read more: Manager celebrates 'incredible milestone' at town's oldest business The HAF programme has been praised by many parents for offering more than just activities and meals, but also providing a safe and fun environment for children to enjoy during the holidays. The programme is seen as a crucial support for families during the summer break, helping to ease the burden of childcare and providing enriching experiences for children. Parents are urged not to miss out on this opportunity and to book the remaining activities before the deadline.
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Tecumseh does an about-face on fourplexes — and it means risking losing $3.2M in federal cash
After originally applying for, and being granted, $4.4 million federal housing accelerator fund (HAF) last year, the municipality is now in jeopardy of losing most of that money.
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
With federal funding, city says it will exceed its goal of 42,000 new housing units by next year
A partnership with the federal government will see new homes for 100,000 Calgarians, as the City of Calgary announced Wednesday that it has blown past housing benchmarks set with the Housing Accelerator Fund. Article content The original target set alongside the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation aimed for just under 42,000 new housing units under way by fall of 2026. That target was later revised to 42,667 new units. Article content Article content Article content Since receiving the $228.5 million investment in October 2023, the city says it has incentivized 44,276 new units — 104 per cent of the revised targets — more than a year ahead of schedule. Article content Article content 'At the time, there's a lot of people who wondered if that target was maybe too ambitious. Today, I'm proud to stand here and say not only have we met the target, we have exceeded it more than a year ahead of schedule,' said Mayor Jyoti Gondek, speaking about the targets at the site of development recently approved through the fund. Article content 'These are futures that are made possible. It's a powerful reminder of what happens when different orders of government come together, where we collaborate, great things can happen, and that when we put funding in the hands of municipalities, we take action,' Gondek said. Article content In March, Calgary was awarded an additional $22.8 million, thanks to 'high performance under the HAF program thus far.' Article content Article content That funding will feed into two new initiatives, Backyard Suites and Accessory Dwellings Program, and the Downtown Complete Community Housing Program. The former will assist homeowners in developing secondary dwellings on their property, referred to by Gondek as a 'gentle density' initiative. Article content The latter includes several goals, namely the conversion of downtown office space into housing. Article content Housing targets in the program were further broken down by housing type. Reid Hendry, chief housing officer of the City of Calgary, said 'to date we've achieved 103 per cent of our multi-unit target and 152 per cent of our multi-unit near transit target.' Article content The targets for non-market housing are lagging behind the other two success stories, although the city says that those housing types are still on track for the original goalposts. The aim of non-market units sets at 746. 'To the end of June 2025, we're now at 301,' Hendry said.
