Strong laws were created to protect interest of members of Scheduled Castes communities but have not been implemented in true spirit, a member of National Commission for Scheduled Caste said today.
Speaking to mediapersons here, NCSC member Ishwar Singh claimed that number of atrocities on Dalits have increased in the country.
Casteism is still a major issue especially in rural India as the people of the commnuity are not aware of the laws put in place for their upliftment, he said.
Singh expressing deep concern over the 'Devadasi' system, which, he said, continues to be in practiced in parts of the country even today.
He said that a law should be formed to abolish the system, under which a woman is "dedicated" to worship and service of a deity or a temple for the rest of her life.
He said he has asked Kumari Selja, a member of Rajya Sabha, to raise the issue in Parliament for abolishing the 'Devadasi' system.
Over separate crematoriums for Dalits in the villages, the NCSC member said that like cities, the last rites of Dalits must be performed at the same place in rural areas.
To send a strong message among Dalits that their exploitation will be stopped, the NCSC is holding review meetings at district levels to check incidents of their exploitantion, he said.
