Ensuring equitable development of all sections of society, particularly the weaker ones, is central to the government’s agenda of inclusive growth.
The success of our work will be measured in how far we are able to bring succour to our sisters and brothers of the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes, differently-abled and senior citizens. Although successive governments have made progressive laws which protect the basic rights and dignity of those of us who are disadvantaged in one way or another, the real question is how to implement and enforce these laws effectively.
It is imperative that we implement the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. We need to ensure that meetings of the vigilance-cum-monitoring committees at the state and district levels are held regularly.
One of the darkest blots on our development process is the fact that even after 64 years of independence, we still have the heinous practice of manual scavenging. Today, I would like you to pledge that this scourge will be eliminated from every corner of our country in the next six months. The Ministry of Home Affairs’ recent advisories that employing a person of scheduled caste or scheduled tribe as a manual scavenger to carry human excreta would be punishable under Section 3 of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is a strong and prohibitive instrument in your hands.
The Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for scheduled caste students was revised in July, 2010. Education, healthcare and skill development are the three important requisites of empowering disadvantaged sections of our community to rise in the development ladder. And, therefore, great importance attaches to provision of scholarships to students coming from these categories of our citizens. The state governments must, however, ensure that the benefits of the revised scheme not only reach the scheduled caste students, but do so in a transparent manner. They should be able to improve their participation in tertiary education, including technical and professional education. As a measure of transparency, the detailed schedule of payment of such scholarships to students must be placed in the public domain.
The Central government has launched a pilot centrally-sponsored scheme “Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana” in five states, namely, Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. This is for integrated development of 1,000 villages with scheduled caste majority populations. Provided the pilot warrants, and encouraging results are achieved, an expansion of this scheme is being considered in the 12th Five-Year Plan.
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Various initiatives are being taken to address concerns of persons with disabilities. But I do recognise that we have to do much more. The expert group of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment is drafting a new law in place of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995. After consulting state governments and other stakeholders, we propose to introduce the Bill in Parliament. One of the continuing traumas is obtaining disability certificates. The Central rules under the Persons with Disabilities Act have been amended on December, 2009 to enable the issue of certificates via a simple and decentralised institutional mechanism. I request that State Governments follow this template on a priority basis.
Steps have been taken to provide for the healthcare, security and well-being of our senior citizens. We have increased tax and travel concessions for senior citizens. We should use the services of Panchayats and senior citizens’ associations and other community-based groups to sensitise and re-orient the law enforcement machinery to the vulnerability and special protection needs of older persons.
In cooperation with the corporate sector, the UPA government has taken many initiatives to increase affirmative action with regard to employment of our weaker sections. Several corporate houses have voluntarily adopted a code to ensure effective affirmative action. Nearly 1,20,000 youth have been trained under entrepreneurship development and other programmes.
We are also working together to ensure an annual voluntary disclosure mechanism. The government is planning to earmark a percentage of procurement from the micro, small and medium enterprises, which are run by those who are disadvantaged.
Excerpts from the Prime Minster’s speech at the inaugural session of the Conference of State Ministers of Welfare and Social Justice, in New Delhi on June 17