Parliamentary panel flags states’ lapses in tackling atrocities against Scheduled Castes

New Delhi: A Parliamentary panel has raised concerns over the failure of several states to establish the necessary mechanisms to effectively address cases of atrocities against Scheduled Castes (SCs).

Highlighting persistent systemic gaps, the Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment recommended that the Central government should actively pursue the state governments to implement and strengthen the machinery required under the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

In its report tabled in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the committee noted that despite the absence of financial constraints at the central level, many states were not utilising available funds or taking necessary actions to address these issues.

The committee underscored that tackling atrocities against SCs requires “sincere and coordinated” efforts by state governments, supported by central resources.

The report also emphasised broader challenges in the implementation of welfare schemes under the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. Significant allocations under key programmes like the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for SCs and the National Action Plan for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) remained underutilised, with bottlenecks such as incomplete documentation, errors in Aadhaar seeding and delays in states releasing their share of funds.

The panel urged more stringent monitoring mechanisms, including regular reviews by senior officials and the organisation of state-level workshops to address operational gaps.

States like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Odisha were singled out for consistently lagging in fund utilisation and achieving implementation targets.

To ensure accountability, the committee called for the central government to impose stricter conditions on non-performing states, urging them to submit accurate and timely proposals to unlock central funding.

It highlighted the importance of cooperative federalism, where states must actively contribute their share of resources for the smooth execution of centrally-sponsored schemes.