Govt reconstitutes SC/ST welfare board, Gautam to head body
5 May 2018 4:50 AM IST
NEW DELHI: In a bid to restructure the welfare scheme for the SC/STs, the Delhi government has reconstituted the 'Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes Welfare Board', an advisory body which will suggest the city administration on various aspects pertaining to the welfare of weaker sections. The department for the welfare of SC/ST/OBC has issued a notification, reconstituting the board which will be headed by Social Welfare Minister Rajender Pal Gautam. The board will have 145 members.
The notification was issued on Thursday after the approval of Lt Governor Anil Baijal. According to the notification, the board will advise the government after considering the matters referred to it from time to time, relating to economic and social development programmes being run for the welfare of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe in the national capital.
"Board will also advise the government in matters relating to the exploitation of the SCs...it will advise the government in the implementation of schemes for the welfare of SCs and STs," the notification stated.
On Friday, the Delhi high court directed the Delhi government's department of welfare (SC/ST/OBC) to compile data from all local bodies on the number of manual scavengers in each district, the cleaning equipment provided to them and prosecutions carried out for employing people for manually cleaning drains. Sources in the government said that most of these manual scavengers are from the SC/STs. The formation of the committee will help the government to gather such data.
The matter assumes significance as two men died after inhaling toxic gases when they were trapped inside a sewage treatment plant of Taj Vivanta Ambassador hotel in Lutyens' Delhi on April 29. According to the police, five men were trapped inside the plant and they were not wearing any safety gear.
The direction by a bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and A K Chawla was issued to the Secretary, Department of Welfare (SC/ST/OBC) of the Delhi government, who has been given three weeks time to get the information sought by the court which has also asked for details of the facilities such as health security and insurance cover being provided to the workers.
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