Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment (SJ&E), Dr. Virendra Kumar, and Union Minister for Tribal Affairs (TA), Shri Jual Oram, co-chaired the 29th meeting of the Committee to review the implementation of the Protection of the Civil Rights Act, 1955 and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and to devise ways and means to curb offences of Untouchability and Atrocities against SCs and STs, at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi today.

Union Minister of State, Ministry of Tribal Affairs Shri Durga Das Uikey, Shri Sudhansh Pant, Secretary Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Gudey Srinivas, Secretary NCSC and Shri Prashant Kumar Singh, Secretary, NCST, non-official members Dr. K. Muniyappa Obdenahalli and Ms. Sukeshi Oram and Shri Sanjiv Pandey, Member Secretary NALSA was also present. Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries/Secretaries of the SC/ST Development/Welfare Department, Home Department and Senior Police officials from 20 States/UTs attended the meeting.

During the meeting, detailed discussions were held on key aspects, including the rate of filing of charge sheets in courts, pendency of cases, status of establishment of Exclusive Special Courts and Special Police Stations, conduct of Vigilance and Monitoring Committee meetings, pendency of grievances registered on the National Helpline Against Atrocities, and awareness generation initiatives. The implementation of the PCR and PoA Acts was comprehensively reviewed, along with the formulation of action plans to address identified gaps and shortcomings. The Committee reaffirmed the Government’s firm resolve to ensure dignity, justice, and protection for all vulnerable sections of society.

The Union Minister, Dr. Virendra Kumar, in his concluding remarks, stressed the need for regular conduct of State-level and District-level Vigilance and Monitoring Committee meetings to effectively review the implementation of the provisions of the Act across States and Union Territories. He directed State/UT officers to undertake proactive measures to ensure that members of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are not subjected to exploitation. Additionally, he emphasized the adoption of effective preventive measures to reduce incidents of atrocities and untouchability, thereby fostering a sense of equality, dignity and social harmony across States and UTs.

He further stressed the importance of increasing the number of Special Police Stations to strengthen accountability and ensure prompt action against erring officials, in accordance with the provisions of the PoA Act, in cases of neglect of duty.

Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Shri Jual Oram, emphasized the need to organize meetings at multiple locations across the country to sensitize stakeholders and create wider public awareness about the rights of beneficiaries and the provisions of the law. He also highlighted the importance of leveraging technology, particularly through the development of an IT-based platform, to enable robust data analysis and strengthen monitoring and implementation mechanisms.

The Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Shri Durgadas Uikey, addressed the meeting and highlighted the importance of conducting regular review meetings. He drew attention to critical concerns such as non-implementation of statutory directions and the need to enhance awareness initiatives to ensure effective implementation of the relevant Acts and schemes.

The meeting concluded with a commitment from all participants to uphold the intent and spirit of these crucial Acts and to ensure timely and effective justice for victims of caste-based discrimination and atrocities.

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