The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) raised concerns over the implementation of welfare schemes for SCs in Punjab after a two-day review meeting with senior government officials in Chandigarh.
NCSC chairperson Kishor Makwana said the situation of SCs in Punjab required “urgent corrective steps”. The commission flagged multiple issues, including irregularities in scholarship disbursements, non-implementation of central welfare schemes, rising school drop-out rates among SC students and gaps in atrocity prevention mechanisms.
“Despite making up over 30% of the state’s population, the literacy rate among SCs remains disproportionately low,” Makwana said.
The commission is carrying out review meetings at the state and institutional levels. It started with Punjab and the commission will move to Rajasthan soon.
The commission also reviewed the pending investigation into the 2023 Post-Matric Scholarship “scam”. “The vigilance probe has been delayed for too long. It must be resolved without further holdup,” Makwana added.
The NCSC report, accessed by HT, highlighted that several state departments and autonomous bodies were not adhering to reservation norms.
The commission also pointed to lapses in the handling of atrocity cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. It said many complaints were dismissed at police stations without FIRs being registered. “There’s a pattern of rejecting cases during preliminary inquiries,” an official said.
{{/usCountry}}The commission also pointed to lapses in the handling of atrocity cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. It said many complaints were dismissed at police stations without FIRs being registered. “There’s a pattern of rejecting cases during preliminary inquiries,” an official said.
{{/usCountry}}