Dr. Buta Singh

Former Union Home Minister

9, Lodhi Estate

New Delhi – 110003

Tel/Fax : 24699797

K.S.R. Murthy, IAS (Retd.)

Former Secretary to Govt. of India

Former MP (Lok Sabha)

1003, railway Officers Colony

South Lalaguda, Secunderabad – 17

Tel : 040-27003283

Thursday, July 29, 2004

Respected Sonia Ji,

We are submitting a very extensive note on the problems of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes - numbering about 16 major issues - for which we have not been able to find a useful, effective and helpful solution all these years. Though we have had a Commissioner for Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes since 1951 followed by a Non-Statutory Scheduled Castes Commission and a Statutory Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission and a Parliamentary Committee for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, consisting of Members of all parties from both the Houses, for the last several years, and all these Bodies must have made thousands of recommendations, they all remain on paper without implementation as no one in the State Governments and the Government of India has the real interest to implement these recommendations.

One of the important recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee of the 13^th Lok Sabha was to prosecute the officers in the Department of Personnel for having issued Office Memorandum against the interests of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes without even consulting the Statutory SC/ST Commission. This is a deliberate and bureaucratically offensive act calling for prosecution. Unless this is done, there would be no fear in the bureaucrats to implement the constitutional provisions to help SCs and STs.

The Judiciary has taken a stand that they are not covered by the reservation principle of the Constitution. As against 481 High Court Judges, there are hardly 15 SC and 5 ST Judges in the country as on 1.5.1998. There is not even one Supreme Court Judge as on today whereas during late Shri Rajiv Gandhi’s Premiership, there were two Judges on the Supreme Court Bench.

The Safai Karamcharis carry head loads of human excreta (night soil) on their heads every day even today in all the villages and several towns and cities, including the township of Porbunder in Gujarat, birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation. The immediate solution could be to bring out an Act of Parliament abolishing this practice and employing all these people as watchmen, peons, attendants, etc., in the public and the private sector offices and all the Government departments. Otherwise, they will not be able to leave this profession, as without that they cannot earn their livelihood. The Safai Karamcharis Commission and the Corporation set up during 1993 have not been able to address themselves to this problem every effectively and, hence, this recommendation.

Both our Manifesto and the Common Minimum Programme of the United Progressive Alliance Government have recognized the role of farmers, agricultural labourers, weavers, cobblers, etc., in the building up of our economy. Eighty per cent of our population lives in the rural villages even today. SCs/STs constitute about 30 per cent of our population. Though we have been agitating for the suicides committed by farmers for the debts incurred by them in the last couple of months, we have not given enough thought to the agricultural labourers who work under these farmers and whose problems go unnoticed both by the politicians, the Governments and the media. They lead a life of illiteracy, ignorance, ill-health and disease. Thousands of crores of rupees that we have been allocating in our Annual Plans have not reached this section in full. The percentage of people who live below the poverty line amongst these sections is about 60 per cent. They, therefore, need a very special programme from the Government in recognition of the support they gave us in the 2004 elections by supporting the Congress Party in most of the States.

The point relating to land reforms, assignment of surplus lands, purchase of private lands and the inputs needed to bring these lands under cultivation are the most important issues.

There are Acts to control atrocities, arson and rape committed on these people by the upper castes. But these Acts have not served the purpose well. The general public and the upper castes even today feel that they can commit murder, arson or rape on the SCs/STs and get away because of the loopholes in investigation and administration of criminal justice in the courts.

In the distribution of subjects among the Ministries and Departments of Government of India, criminal offences and human rights cases against women, children and members of the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes is the subject earmarked for the Ministry of Home Affairs. But unfortunately, this subject is allowed to be dealt by Ministries of Social Justice and Tribal Welfare who do not have adequate control over the State Governments. It would be very useful if the implementation of these Acts relating to criminal offences against scheduled castes and scheduled tribes is wholly implemented by the Ministry of Home as their writ has greater value in our States

The Departments of Rural Development, Human Resource Development, Agriculture and Home Ministry have several programmes under them that meet the needs of the SCs and the STs. Nearly a sum of Rs. 15,000 crore is spent by the Ministry of Rural Development alone on the programmes like housing, water supply, sanitation, etc. They were earmarking 50 per cent of these funds for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in the past. This has been given up. As such, we would appeal to you to restore 50 per cent of the funds earmarked to rural development, Elementary education, Secondary education, Women welfare, ICDS, etc., for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

The Special Component Plan and the Tribal Sub Plan, which were introduced by Smt. Indira Gandhi Ji in 1979-80, whereby all the State Governments, Union Ministries were asked to earmark the percentage of funds in proportion to the percentage of the population of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, has been a very dismal failure as none of the States and the Union Ministries have any interest in this programme. If the Ministries like Rural Development, HRD, Women Welfare, Water Resources, Rural Electrification Corporation, etc., could be made to earmark 50 per cent of their funds, it would be a great supplement to ensure the success of these two programmes.

In the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, there are five national Commissions for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Safai Karamcharis, Backward Classes and Minorities. These Commissions were filled up by the NDA Government with Members of the RSS. These RSS elements are misusing the funds and they are spending these resources to strengthen their shakhas and institutions attached to RSS. It is necessary that we should remove these Chairmen/Members immediately on the lines of removal of the Governors as they do not preach our ideology. If they are retained any longer, they may even cause a lot of havoc to our ideology.

There are six National Finance & Development Corporations for these communities in the Ministries of Social Justice and Tribal Welfare. Officers are running these Corporations from 1998 without constituting proper Boards. Proper Boards of Directors should be constituted immediately so that we could appoint people with commitment and devotion from our Party to run these Corporations as Chairmen and Non-official Directors.

The paid-up share capital of these Finance Corporations also needs to be enhanced, as we would be able to fulfill our CMP by bringing in a large number of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, backward classes, minorities above the poverty line.

There is no proper representation for SC/ST in the top posts like the Planning Commission, National Commission for Youth and Women, Reserve Bank of India, nationalized banks, IDBI, ICICI, UGC, NABARD, STC, MMTC, etc. We do not have any Governors or Ambassadors or even Vice-Chancellors in State and Central Universities.

There is not even a single Chief Secretary or a Secretary to Government of India from the SC/ST side. There may be a couple of Joint Secretaries who are all posted in Departments without any consequence. We would request you to kindly review this position, as they are unable to be picked up for these top posts due to a defective casteist policy of writing the Confidential Rolls, which do not help them in getting into the respective panels in Government of India.

To fulfill our commitment, we would request you to immediately post a couple of SC/ST officers in your Secretariat, PMO, Ministries of Finance, Banking, Industry, Commerce, Rural Development, etc. There are unnecessary vigilance cases brought about, where also we would request your intervention.

On the lines of the Ambedkar Foundation, we would request you to start a Foundation for Babu Jagjivan Ram and also to make both these Foundations very effective by nominating people of eminence rather than running them as Government Departments.

We are enclosing Annexure-I that would give you an idea of several subjects that relate to the welfare of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and have been given to various Departments and Ministries. There is a need to coordinate all these programmes as our CMP is very clear on the implementation of these programmes in a time-bound manner.

We, therefore, request you to appoint a Cabinet Sub-Committee on Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes and Minorities under the Chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister so that they could review these programmes from time to time.

We would also request you to name the Ministry of Social Justice as the ‘Ministries for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes’, which would be fitting in terms of our CMP. The Annual Budget of Government of India for 2004-2005 has been presented as Rs. 4,50,000 crore. As against this, the Ministries of Social Justice & Empowerment, and Tribal Welfare, which deal with Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Minorities and the Disabled, are given only Rs. 2,000 crore. Unless this is raised manifold, we would not be able to achieve our promises to these classes.

We would also request you to entrust the question of monitoring and implementation of reservations in all Departments, including Railways, Defense, scientific establishments, as the sole responsibility of the Department of Personnel as they will have a comprehensive idea about implementation of the reservation policy in various Departments.

We would be grateful if you could spare some of your very valuable time for considering immediate solutions to the problems highlighted in our Memorandum as this would send a very very correct message to the poor, unfortunate scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in our country, that you are our HOPE and the Party does care for them and you will stand as ROCK behind them as Smt. Indira Gandhiji and Shri Rajivji stood behind them all these years.

With warm regards,

Yours sincerely,

(Buta Singh) (K.S.R. Murthy)

Hon’ble Smt. Sonia Gandhi Ji, MP,

Chairperson, United Progressive Alliance &

President, All India Congress Committee,

10, Janpath,

New Delhi.

Encls : As above.

MEMORANDUM

to

Hon’ble Smt Sonia Gandhi

Chairperson - United Progressive Alliance

and

President - All India Congress Committee

SCs&STs’ long pending Problems

Dr. Buta Singh, former Union Home Minister

and

K.S.R. Murthy, IAS(Retd.),

Former Secretary to Government of India,

Former MP (Lok Sabha)

1. Introduction: For quite sometime, immediately after the Independence, we had a Ministry for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the States as well as at the Centre. Though a lot of experiments have gone through in changing its name, it would be fitting that we should go back and name it as the Ministry of Scheduled Castes and the Ministry of Scheduled Tribes as these Ministries deal with about 25 crore people in our country. Though large-scale funds are spent on various schemes, poverty alleviation, discrimination, and removal of disabilities, removal of untouchability, non-establishment of equality of opportunity still continue for these communities. A proper and effective monitoring system both in the States and at the Centre is very much called for in the present circumstances. The Annexure I shows the various Ministries and Departments which deal with problems which relate to SCs/STs.

A coordination of all these Departments is necessary. A Cabinet Sub-Committee for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to be presided over by the Hon’ble Prime Minister and an Official Committee under the Chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary at the Centre and the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary in the States are urgently required. These Committees should meet and review the implementation of these programmes.

It is unfortunate to observe that in a Budget of about Rs. 4,50,000 crore in the Government of India, hardly Rs. 1,400 crore is earmarked for the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment to cover Scheduled Castes, Minorities, Other Backward Classes and the Disabled. The Tribal Ministry is given another Rs. 700 crore. This allocation should be in proportion to the SC/ST population.

2. Abolition of scavenging in a time bound manner: In the 21^st century, seeing our people carrying head loads of night soil is very unfortunate. Dry latrines should first be abolished and scavengers absorbed in Government/private departments as watchmen, peons, etc. Whoever is interested in setting up small enterprises should been encouraged with interest-free loans to the tune of Rs. 1 lakh per head and loans above Rs. 1 lakh with an interest rate of three per cent.

As against Rs. 90 crore released in 1997-98 for National Scheme for Liberation and Rehabilitation of Scavengers and their Dependants (NSLRS), the NDA Government released only Rs. 5.90 crore in 1998-99, Rs. 9.20 crore in 2001-02, and Rs. 29.78 crore in 2002-03. This needs to be raised steeply in order to abolish scavenging in the country in the next five years.

3. (a) Agricultural labourers and leather artisans do not have

employment for all the 365 days. Employment Guarantee Act promised in the CMP should be introduced at once. Vast stocks of foodgrains can be used through ‘Food for Work Programme’ without machinery and contractors. Even Sarpanches should be prevented from working as contractors. The programmes of the Finance Corporations/Banks are not adequate enough to bring them above the poverty line. The DRI loans of Rs. 6,000 and the DRDA loans of Rs. 10,000 and the DWCRA loans are unrealistic and they cannot take these people above the poverty line. The agricultural labour will have to be provided with land and supplied inputs like pair of bullocks, well/bore well, fertilizers, pesticides, improved seeds and electricity. If these are supplied at a concessional rate of interest of two to three per cent, the large extent of lands lying waste could be brought under cultivation. The amounts realistically needed should be assessed.

(b) There is rightly raised in our country a lot of concern for the suicides committed by farmers, which are about 1,000 this year, mostly due to debts. But there is not even a shedding of tears for the lakhs of agricultural labourers who are working under these farmers and who are silently suffering from hunger, disease, ignorance and humiliation every day and whose deaths are not reported by the media and the Governments.

(c) In times of drought and floods/cyclones, these people are the worst affected. If works are taken up intelligently, all these people can be looked after. Only advance preparations by the district machinery is needed.

(d) Rehabilitation of beggars and street children is needed.

(e) Hundred per cent of the agricultural labourers and leather artisans belong to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. In addition, there are weavers, potters and toddy tappers too in this category.

(f) Regulations framed by Governors for Scheduled Areas and for Tribal Areas as specified in Part ‘A’, para 20, of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution is never given any attention so far. The Governors and Chief Ministers may not even be aware of this provision. A special review of this is essential immediately.

(g) Leather artisans: Leather artisans also are in large numbers in all the villages. They take out skins from the dead animals and leather is prepared in a very unscientific and traditional manner. These persons can be helped by introducing modern methods of technology to make their livelihood happier and more remunerative. Similarly, the weavers could be made self-sufficient by supplying them inputs like yarn, designs and dyes at cheaper prices and taking up the marketing of their products. The private sector can play a very vital role in the marketing of these products.

(h) The toddy tappers need to be helped by taking them out of the excise rules and allowing them to tap the toddy trees as they wish without a licence for which they are troubled by the Excise Department. Similarly, other artisans like potters, etc., need to be provided with higher financial inputs and marketing facilities to make them self-sufficient.

4. Land reforms:

(a) These have not been implemented well. A series of meetings of the Chief Ministers have also expressed the same concern. But no corrective measures have been taken. Landlords with hundreds of acres of irrigated land still continue in our country and it is a fact that most of the agricultural/fertilizer/seed/pesticide subsidies are enjoyed by the rich farmers and not the poor small and marginal farmers.

(b) Large extents of wasteland were assigned to the landless poor. These are on paper only. Whoever is in possession, they have not been brought under cultivation. They need assistance as at 3(a).

(c) There are large extents of wastelands like shrubs, etc., which are declared as ‘minor forests’. These can be assigned to the landless poor to raise horticulture and enjoy the usufruct and thereby helping the afforestation.

(d) Roadside margins and tank bunds can also be given as ‘tree patta’ to the eligible landless.

(e) Surplus lands: Many cases relating to large extents of lands declared surplus, are still lying in the Courts. A special drive needs to be taken up in order to get these cases disposed of by employing competent advocates at their usual rates and not by Government advocates who are not competent.

(f) Purchase of private lands: As the Government lands are not enough for distribution to the landless poor, it is suggested that private lands should be purchased and distributed to the landless poor as possession of land is the most important criterion for abolishing poverty. This programme was taken up by several States with the help of National Scheduled Castes Finance Development Corporation, Delhi. It was a great success, but could not be continued due to shortage of funds.

(g) The temple lands are under the occupation of big landlords. These can be purchased and distributed to landless poor.

(h) A Land Commission should be set up in each and every State/UT to look into the assignment of lands to SCs and STs to ensure not only a proper allotment but also an effective utilization of lands allotted in such a manner. The lands usurped by non-SCs and non-STs should be restored to the original landholders.

5. Unsatisfactory implementation of

(a) SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989;

(b) Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955.

(c) The number of convictions is small in these cases of murders, rapes, arson, etc. The police have no involvement. The politician and the public have no sympathy.

(d) In the allocation of subjects, though the Ministry of Social Justice is the Nodal Ministry for these two Acts, criminal offences under these two Acts are the responsibility of the Ministry of Home Affairs. There is no coordination at present. The writ of the Tribal Welfare and Social Justice Ministries does not run as effectively as the writ of the MHA in the States. No serious review has taken place on the crimes committed under these two Acts.

(e) It is, therefore, recommended that these two Acts are brought under the purview of the MHA and coordination with Social Justice and Tribal Ministries could be taken up in the interest of better administration and useful help to the victims from these communities.

(f) Similarly, preservation of human rights of the SC/ST should also totally be the responsibility of MHA.

(g) In order to implement these two Acts effectively and to reduce atrocities on SCs/STs, special courts, exclusively for each offence or at least one per district, should be constituted at the place of offence so that the witnesses come freely and fearlessly to depose their evidence. This would produce better results and would send a signal to oppressors to be careful in future.

6. Programmes in Rural Development

(i) Indira Avas Yojana, rural housing, house-sites.

(ii) IRDP;

(iii) DWCRA; SGRY I and II

(iv) Jawahar Rozgar Yojana;

(v) Food for Work Programme;

(vi) Prime Minister’s Sadak Programme;

(vii) Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission;

(viii) Accelerated rural water supply; and

(ix) Twenty-point Programme of Smt. Indira Gandhi Ji.

These programmes are allotted annually Rs. 15,000 crore. In the Government of India, none of the Ministries earmark funds under Special Component Plan/Tribal Sub Plan to the tune of 22 per cent of their allocations. There used to be 50 per cent reservations for SCs/STs in all these programmes. This has since been removed or reduced. It would be desirable to restore 50 per cent allocation in all the rural development, women development (ICDS), elementary and secondary education programmes for SCs/STs.

7. Education

(a) The mid-day meal programme and public distribution system are implemented without seriousness. The food served in schools is not good. The rice/wheat supplied also through PDS is not good. These two programmes help SCs/STs a lot. The supply of an egg a day and vegetables would improve the programme and help better enrollment and reduction of the dropout rate.

(b) The ICDS is also not implemented uniformly. The dropout rate of children is very high. This is due to the children being employed to add income to their parents’ income. Unless the parents are compensated, they will not send children to schools and we can never achieve 100 per cent literacy.

(d) Universities both State and Central, IITs and IIMs are not following the rule of reservation. Even when students are admitted, they are made to do the course one year extra. A sympathetic attitude from these institutions will go a long way. A study on the backlog of seats is very essential.

(e) The concept of residential schools, though expensive, is the right concept with 100 per cent first classes without failures, whereas in the hostels, the percentage of first classes will be nil with 60 per cent failures, and indiscipline due to carelessness of the wardens. Girls are raped in these hostels.

(f) With privatization in schools, colleges, universities and technical colleges like Engineering, Medicine, Agriculture, Pharmacy, IITs and IIMs, the college hostel fees have become too expensive. As our manifesto has assured free education, these institutions should be asked to admit students free and claim their fees from respective State Governments/Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

(g) A large number of aided schools - convents and public schools – do not follow the principle of reservation in admissions. This must be made compulsory and the State Governments must be asked to implement the same. The backlog of seats should be arrived at and filled up through a Special Drive.

(h) Educational Institutions Bill, 1996, which was sent by the National Commission should be immediately introduced in the Parliament. De-reservation of posts should be prohibited. Wherever the educational and other qualifications need to be relaxed, they should be relaxed to fill up these posts. Training to equip these personnel with adequate specialization could be taken up after appointment.

(i) Candidates with false community certificates should be prosecuted and their admissions in schools, colleges, universities and appointments in Government and public sector should be cancelled immediately in a time-bound manner to instill fear among them not to repeat the same.

(j) Certain programmes taken up by the Congress Governments in the past, like study abroad for students, have been abolished by the NDA Government. All such programmes, which were abolished by the NDA Government, and programmes, which were renamed as per their wish, should be considered for immediate re-introduction.

8. The Special Component Plan and the Tribal Sub-Plan

(a) These two programmes were introduced in 1979-80 BY Smt. Indira Gandhi Ji with the idea that the States and the Union Ministries should allot funds for development of SCs/STs in the proportion of their population to the general population. The allocation under these Heads both in the States and the Central Ministries are far from satisfactory. In most States and Union Ministries, it is even ‘nil’. The Planning Commission, while finalizing the Annual Plans of the States and the Ministries, may be directed to ensure that 25 per cent of the Annual Plan funds of the States and the Union Ministries are earmarked for the programmes for development of SCs/STs. These programmes, though implemented by the respective departments in the States and the Union Ministries should be monitored by the Chief Secretaries in the States and the Cabinet Secretary at the Centre. We would, therefore, like to have a small Committee of MPs to verify, study the backlog position on a selective basis in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, etc., and submit a report within three months to the Chairperson, UPA and the Prime Minister.

(b) The Central Government and the State Governments issue licences/permits for transport, industrial transactions, works contract, etc. Similarly, in the private sector, dealerships, etc., are given. At least 25 per cent of these should be reserved for SCs/STs as they are the most remunerative. The finances required can be organized as was done for petrol pumps in the Ministry of Petroleum. This will help a large number of educated unemployed youth. Exemptions from depositing Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) which is already available in several States may be enhanced to works costing up to Rs. 10 lakh.

(c) The nationalized banks have a programme of non-insistence on collateral security in loans up to Rs. 50,000 to everyone. But these are not seriously implemented in the case of SC/ST entrepreneurs.

(d) The Integrated Tribal Development Agencies were run well in the early years. But now they have become dens of corruption. They need to be revamped.

(e) The forest produce should be treated as property of the tribals. The tendu leaves in Madhya Pradesh and Girijan Corporation in Andhra Pradesh are instances in this regard. The tribals have protected the forests so long. It is the crafty forest contractors in collaboration with the officials of the Forest Department who are the culprits for extinction of forests and not the tribals.

(f) While taking up irrigation/mining projects, etc., the tribals are evicted from their lands and similar age-old occupations. They should be rehabilitated first with cultivable land and then only establishment of any new enterprise should take place.

9. In the Ministry, there are the following National Commissions:

(a) National SC Commission;

(b) National ST Commission;

(d) National Backward Classes Commission;

(e) National Commission for Minorities;

The Chairmen and Members of these Commissions are all active RSS members. As in the case of removal of Governors on the score that their ideology is different from ours, it is necessary they are all removed and our people appointed as Chairmen and Members of these National Commissions immediately. Otherwise, they will certainly sabotage our programmes and bring a bad name to our UPA Government. They should be the real watchdogs.

10. Reservations:

(a) The Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes during 1951-1991 submitted about 30 Reports to the Government. The non-statutory Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, set up in 1978, and the reconstituted statutory National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, set up in 1987, have been submitting Annual Reports to the Parliament since then.

(b) The Parliamentary Committee on Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes since their beginning have also been submitting their Reports to the Parliament on various ministries and departments. All these put together, the recommendations for the improvement of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to bring them into the national mainstream, must be running into thousands. The action from the departments is of a very dismal nature, sometimes very hostile too. Though as per 1991 Census, the percentage of SC population in the country has increased from 15.47 per cent to 16.33 per cent and in the case of Scheduled Tribes from 7.85 per cent to 8.08 per cent, the Government of India is still continuing to follow the old percentages of reservation in all the orders. This needs to be revised immediately at least as per the 2001 Census.

(c) The Parliamentary Committee for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes headed by Shri Kariya Munda has recommended that the Department of Personnel and Training in 1997 have misconstrued the judgement of the Supreme Court and issued five Office Memorandums on 30^th January, 22^nd July and 29^th August, 1997 without consulting the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes which is obligatory as per Article 338 of the Constitution.

(d) The Law Ministry have advised that in matters like this, there is no need to consult the National Commission for SCs/STs as no useful purpose would be served. It is necessary that the Government should clearly amend the Constitution to tell these departments that they shall consult the Commission in all such matters where their orders are going to affect the interests of the SCs/STs adversely, even though the courts rule so.

(e) In all such matters, in future, where the departments and Law Ministry differ from the Commission, it would desirable to take the advice of the Solicitor-General or Attorney General or senior and eminent Advocates of the Supreme Court, as the case may be, in order to restore confidence in the minds of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.

(f) This consultation is necessary in all cases where the existing benefits given to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes are to be taken away either by court judgements or otherwise. The consultation with Attorney General/Solicitor General or senior and eminent advocates of the Supreme Court must be made compulsory for all the Secretariat departments of the Centre and the States.

(g) The Parliamentary Committee, therefore, recommended that steps should be taken to prosecute the officers concerned, viz., Secretary, Joint Secretary, Director/Deputy Secretary under Section 4 of Chapter II of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Unfortunately, no action has been taken on this very important recommendation. The DOPT officers were found to have issued these orders for furtherance of the interests of their own clan/class/people whose interest is dearer to them rather than the interests of dalits and tribals who have been suffering for centuries.

(h) The Department of Personnel & Training have also introduced a new system of rosters which is a very complicated one abolishing the vacancy-based rosters. The old system of vacancy-based roster should be reintroduced immediately.

(i) The Supreme Court has pegged the total reservations not to exceed 50 per cent. As a result, thousands of posts, which have fallen into backlog category, are not being filled up. This should be amended immediately in order to enable the entire backlog posts to be filled up through special recruitment drives throughout the country. The Governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and North-Eastern States are already following reservations to the tune of 60 per cent and above of posts. As such, this 50 per cent restriction for the backlog posts is not justifiable.

(j) The Comptroller & Auditor General had also issued instructions to the effect that “a Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe candidate promoted on merit is not to be counted as a general candidate which is against the law laid down by the Courts as well as against the spirit of the constitutional provisions.” These instructions should also be withdrawn immediately.

(k) The Committee further recommended that “the existing machinery for contesting the court cases must be overhauled and a new effective machinery, that is, a panel of eminent advocates should be evolved for dealing with cases more effectively.”

(l) The SC/ST candidates have to work in an unconducive, casteist and discriminatory atmosphere. The Committee, therefore, “recommended that separate standards/concessions are very much necessary for their promotion as well as assessment. Very often, efficiency factor is used as a weapon to shoot them back and deny their right.” The Committee, therefore, “urged the Government to ensure proper implementation of the instructions in letter and spirit in matters of relaxing the qualifications and lesser standards while promoting these officers.”

(m) “That reservations should be provided not only up to the lowest rung of Class-I posts but to all classes of posts (up to the highest grade of posts) under the State.”

(n) “The Defence Forces constitute a Service under the Central Government. The Army Act, 1959, the Air Force Act, 1950 and the Navy Acts, 1950 and 1957 should, therefore, be amended immediately in order to provide for reservation in the Armed Forces with immediate effect.”

(o) “The recruitment to the National Defence Academy, Indian Military Academy and Officers’ Training Academy is being done by the Union Public Service Commission. It is all the more necessary that these reservations should be introduced immediately for all the posts, the recruitment to which is made by the UPSC.”

(p) Just as there are Jat and Rajput Regiments, it is also recommended that the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes should have separate Regiments for showing their excellence in addition to the Mahar Regiment.

(q) Articles 124 and 217 of the Constitution should be amended immediately to include Judicial Wing of the State within the ambit of reservation as the Supreme Court and the State High Courts do not follow reservation for appointing Judges in the respective Courts or even for recruitment of the secretarial staff, including peons.

(r) It is surprising to see that out of 481 High Court Judges as on 1.5.1998, only 15 SC and five ST Judges were in position. In the Supreme Court, there was no Judge from these communities as on that date.

(s) “The recruitment rules of these Courts should also be amended immediately. The State Governments should also be instructed to provide for reservation in the recruitment of the officers and staff of the various Courts and appointment of Judges of all categories within the State. Since these Courts are receiving the salaries from the Consolidated Fund of India, it is a condition that the Chief Justice and the companion Judges of the Supreme Court as well as of the High Courts should also implement reservation in recruitment and promotion of all their personnel under the prescribed percentages and also fill up the backlog vacancies through a special recruitment drive throughout the country.”

(t) The Committee felt that the intention, sincerity and zeal of the implementing authority is a deciding factor, which is absent in all the High Courts and at other levels of the Judiciary.

(u) “The Parliamentary Committee recommended that the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes should invariably be made a party in all the legal matters before the Courts in India.

(v) A National Judicial Commission, including one Member from the Scheduled Castes and another Member from the Scheduled Tribes, should be set up early to deal with appointment, transfer and placement of Judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court. It should be supplemented by constituting an All India Judicial Service.

(w) The Committee wanted the DOPT to communicate its displeasure over this very appalling state of affairs.

(x) The Committee also found that several public sector organizations like the Delhi Development Authority and the Nationalised Banks do not have a SC/ST Member on their Boards of Directors. They have a huge backlog, which needs to be filled up by a special recruitment drive.

(y) There are more than seven lakh elected representatives from SCs and STs, including women (about 2.5 lakh). They need knowledge and skill about the management of panchayat affairs. A vast programme of training for these personnel should be taken up and as they are economically poor, a sustenance allowance of Rs. 1,000 per month may be granted.

(z) A comprehensive reservation Act – Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats) Act - bringing out all these deficiencies and the assurances given to these communities should be brought forward immediately and placed in the Ninth Schedule so that the Courts, in future, do not interfere with this aspect.

11. (a) There are the following Corporations in the Ministry:

(i) National Scheduled Caste Finance Development Corporation (NSFDC);

(ii) TRIFED;

(iii) Safai Karamcharis Finance Development Corporation;

(iv) National Backward Classes Finance Development Corporation;

(v) National Minority Finance Development Corporation;

(vi) National Finance Development Corporation for the persons with disability.

(b) Most of these Corporations are managed by officers now for a long time without proper Boards of Directors. As such, the beneficiaries are not getting the desired results. It is requested that their Articles of Association provide for appointing five non-official Directors with the Chairmen from our Party. The paid-up share capital also needs to be increased and the interest rates be brought down on all loans from five per cent to three per cent as these are not profit-making bodies.

(c) In most of the States, there are SC/ST Finance Societies/Corporations. They are not properly funded. Even the funds released from this Ministry to the States are diverted for other purposes as in Andhra Pradesh/Bihar, etc. The Chief Ministers should be addressed by the hon. Prime Minister and the Chairperson of UPA not to divert these funds. Even in Zilla Parishads, the 22 per cent funds earmarked for the SCs/STs are not spent on their welfare. The Central share capital to the State SCDCs has come down from Rs. 60 crore in 1998-99 to Rs. 20.27 crore and Rs. 21 crore in 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02, respectively, due to the hostile activity of the NDA Government.

12. Minorities:

(a) The major minorities in our country – Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians – constitute 18 per cent of our population. They need special attention.

(b) The 15-point programme of Smt. Indira Gandhiji for minorities needs a special drive.

13. (a) We do not have adequate representation in the posts of Governors, Ambassadors, Vice-Chancellors, Judges of the High Courts, Tribunals, CAT, the Supreme Court, UGC, AICTE, Indian Medical Council , ICHR, ICCSR, NCERT, Planning Commission, NHRC, Law Commission, Reserve Bank of India, Nationalised Banks, Khadi and Village Industries Commission, IDBI, ICICI, NABARD, IFCI, STC, MMTC, Tea Board, Coffee Board, Rubber Board, Tobacco Board, Cardamom Board, Coir Board, HUDCO, National Commission for Youth and Women, several other All-India and State Commissions, etc.

(b) Higher posts in Civil Services: There are no Chief Secretaries to State Governments and no Secretaries, Additional Secretaries in Government of India. Joint Secretaries in the Government of India may be a few. This is largely due to the biased system of Annual Confidential Reports, which does not allow these officers to come up. This needs an immediate review. We would request you, Madam, to immediately pick up officers from these communities and post them in your Secretariat, PMO, Ministries of Finance, Banking, Industry, Human Resource Development, Rural Development, Commerce, etc., as it would give us a great sense of satisfaction.

(c) Similar is the case of DGPs, Heads of other para-military organizations like CISF, BSF, etc. In the case of Central Board of Direct Taxes, Railway Board, UGC, AICTE, etc., SC/STs have yet to see their place though they are eligible. A high level UPSC Board with a predominant SC/ST representation should be asked to review this system and set it right. Even in the recruitment of Constables, there is a huge backlog.

14. Vigilance Cases: Just before the SC/ST officers are due for promotion, anonymous petitions are sent out and their promotion stopped. At least 80 per cent of the vigilance cases are against these officers. Here also, a committee of SC/ST senior officers should be constituted to review these cases and do justice along with the Chief Vigilance Commissioner.

15. Ambedkar Foundation: The Centenary Celebrations Committee of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar made several recommendations in 1992-93 for spreading his ideology and message. Some of its important recommendations yet to be implemented are:

(a) Setting up of Dr. Ambedkar National Public Library and Ambedkar Bhavan at Bungalows 13, 15, 17, 19 and 21 of Janpath. Only bungalows 15 and 21 were handed over. The rest are yet to be handed over. An architect may be selected immediately to draw up the plans and designs for this Bhavan and Library. The offices of the Ministry are spread over in all parts of Delhi and huge rentals are being paid every year. They can all be accommodated in one building. The funds required can be obtained from HUDCO/banks, etc., without troubling the Government.

(b) The construction of National Memorial at 26, Alipur Road is also going very slow. Though Rs. 8.34 crore have been deposited with the Delhi State, we should request the hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi to finalise the plans for construction of this memorial. Here also a good architect to reflect the philosophy and ambitions of Dr. Ambedkar needs to be urgently selected.

(c) Though 12 years have passed since the translation of Dr. Ambedkar’s works into regional languages was taken up, it is yet to be completed. This needs to be speeded up and completed before 2005-2006.

(d) At present, the Ambedkar Foundation is working like a department of the Government. It should be reconstituted with eminent men to spread the message of Dr. Ambedkar and adequate funds provided too.

(e) Adequate and immediate help should be extended to Dr. Ambedkar University in Lucknow, which was established as a Central University, but is yet to take off.

(f) Adequate and timely financial aid should be extended to the existing universities where Ambedkar Chairs are functioning and more Chairs should be set up.

(g) Scholarships for study abroad for SC/ST students discontinued by the NDA Government should be revived immediately.

(h) Babu Jagjivan Ram Foundation: A number of leaders belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have contributed their mite for development of these communities and also for development of the country as a whole. In addition to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, some of the other luminaries from this community are: Babu Jagjivan Ram, Shri Damodaram Sanjeeviah both of whom were Union Ministers and Presidents of the AICC. Since we have a Foundation in the name of Dr. Ambedkar, it would be fitting to have a similar Foundation in the name of Babu Jagjivan Ram with a fund of Rs. 500 crore so that the Foundation can add to the activities of the Central and the State Governments in different fields for ameliorating the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. Smt. Meira Kumar, the Hon’ble Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment could be the life-time Chairperson of the Foundation.

16. Old age pensions are restricted in many States. They may cover all those old persons who are destitute with a monthly pension of Rs. 300.

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ANNEXURE-I

The distribution of subjects among the Ministries and Departments of Government of India having a direct bearing on the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes is briefly indicated below:

1. Department of Agriculture

(a) Insurance (Crop);

(b) Agriculture and horticulture;

(d) National Land Use and Conservation Board;

(e) Settlement of landless agricultural labourers;

(f) Development of village and cottage industries and tiny/micro enterprises in both urban and rural areas;

(g) Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana (PMRY);

(h) Khadi and Village Industries Commission.

2. Ministry of Commerce

(a) Tea Board;

(b) Coffee Board;

(d) Cardamom Board;

(e) Tobacco Board.

3. Department of Food and Public Distribution

Public Distribution System.

4. Ministry of Disinvestment

All matters relating to disinvestments of Central Government equity from Central Public Sector Undertakings.

5. Ministry of Environment and Forests

(a) Survey and exploration of natural resources particularly of forest, flora, fauna, ecosystems, etc.

(b) Forestry development in the country, including social forestry.

6. Ministry of Home

(a) Intelligence Bureau;

(b) Central Industrial Security Force;

(d) National Security Guard;

(e) Foreign training of IPS;

(f) Criminal offences against women, children and members of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, including those under the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 (22 of 1955) and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (33 of 1989), other Backward Classes, Minorities and other vulnerable groups.

7. Human Rights

(a) To act as the nodal agency for the general policies regarding

“Human Rights Commission;

Ministry of Home Affairs will be the nodal Ministry for overall policy relating to human rights. The departments primarily concerned with the welfare and socio-economic development of specific groups like members of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, women, minorities, children, and bonded labour, shall be responsible in respect of preservation of human rights of the specified groups.

(b) National integration and communal harmony.

8. Ministry of Human Resource Development

(a) Pre-primary education;

(b) Elementary education;

(d) Central Advisory Board of Education;

(e) All-India Council for Technical Education;

(f) University Grants Commission;

(g) National Council for Educational Research and Training;

(h) Indian Institutes of Technology at Kharagpur, Mumbai, Kanpur, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati and Roorkee.

(i) Care of pre-school children;

(j) National Nutrition Policy;

(k) Central Social Welfare Board;

(l) Food and Nutrition Board;

(m) Women’s empowerment and gender equity;

(n) National Commission for Women.

9. Ministry of Law

Legal aid to the poor.

10. Department of Personnel and Training

(a) Reservation of posts in Services for certain classes of citizens;

(b) Administration of all service rules, including FRs, SRs and CSRs;

(d) Career development for middle management (i.e., Directors, Deputy Secretaries and Under Secretaries.

11. Ministry of Rural Development

(a) Panchayati raj and panchayati raj institutions;

(b) CAPART;

(c) National Fund for Rural Development;

(d) Rural employment or unemployment;

(e) Small farmers development agency, marginal farmers and agricultural labourers, etc.

(f) Rural housing.

(g) Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana;

(h) Land reforms, land tenures and land records;

(i) National Wastelands Development Board;

(j) National Land Use and Wasteland Development Council;

(k) Promotion of Rural employment through wastelands development;

(l) Promotion of production of fuel wood, fodder and timber;

(m) Drought Prone Areas Programmes;

(n) Desert Development Programmes;

(o) Rural water supply; sewage, drainage and sanitation relating to rural areas.

12. Autonomous bodies

(a) Port Trusts at Mumbai, Kolkata, Kochi, Kandla, Chennai, Mormugao, Jawaharlal Nehru (Nhava Sheva), Paradip, Tuticorn, Visakhapatnam and New Mangalore

(b) Dock Labour Boards at Kolkata, Kandla and Visakhapatnam.

13. Ministry of Small Scale Industries

Development of small-scale industries other than cottage and village industries.

14. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

(a) Social welfare: social welfare planning;

(b) Beggary;

(d) Scholarships;

(e) National Commission for Scheduled Castes;

(f) The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will be the nodal Ministry for overall policy, planning and coordination of programmes of development of Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes. In regard to sectoral programmes and schemes of development pertaining to these communities, policy, planning, monitoring, evaluation, etc., as also their coordination will be the responsibility of the concerned Central Ministries, State Government and Union Territory Administrations. Each Central Ministry and Department will be the nodal Ministry or Department concerning its sector.

(g) National Commission for Safai Karamcharis and all matters pertaining thereto;

(h) Implementation of the Portection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, excluding the administration of criminal justice in regard to offences in so far as they relate to Scheduled Castes.

15. Ministry of Culture

(a) National Council of Culture;

(b) National Culture Fund.

16. Ministry of Tribal Affairs

(a) Social security and social insurance with respect to the Scheduled Tribes;

(b) Tribal welfare;

(c) Development of Scheduled Tribes

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs shall be the nodal Ministry for overall policy, planning and coordination of programmes of development for the Scheduled Tribes. In regard to sectoral programmes and schemes of development of these communities, policy, planning, monitoring, evaluation, etc., as also their coordination will be the responsibility of the concerned Central Ministries/Departments, State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. Each Central Ministry/Department will be the nodal Ministry or Department concerning its sector.

(d) Scheduled areas;

(e) Regulations framed by the Governors of States for Scheduled Areas and for Tribal Areas specified in Part ‘A’ of the Table appended to paragraph 20 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution;

(f) Administration of Scheduled Areas and the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes;

(g) The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes;

(h) Implementation of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 (22 of 1955) and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (33 of 1989), excluding administration of criminal justice in regard to offences in so far as they relate to Scheduled Tribes.

17. Department of Urban Development

(a) Matters of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) relating to urban infrastructure.

(b) Formulation of housing policy;

(d) Urban employment and urban poverty alleviation.

18. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

(a) Youth affairs/youth policy;

(b) Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan;

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ANNEXURE-II

COMMON MINIMUM PROGRAMME OF THE UNITED

PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE, DATED 27.5.2004 IN RESPECT

OF SCHEDULED CASTES AND SCHEDULED TRIBES

(a) The people of India have voted decisively in the 14^th Lok Sabha elections for secular, progressive forces, for parties wedded to the welfare of farmers, agricultural labour, weavers, workers and weaker sections of society:

(b) To enhance the welfare and well being of farmers, farm labour and workers, particularly those in the unorganized sector and assure a secure future for their families in every respect;

(d) To provide for full equality of opportunity, particularly in education and employment for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and religious minorities;

(e) To enact a National Employment Guarantee Act;

(f) To provide a legal guarantee for at least 100 days of employment, to begin with, on asset-creating public works programmes every year at minimum wages for at least one able-bodied person in every rural, urban poor and lower middle-class household;

(g) To start a massive Food for Work Programme;

(h) To establish a National Commission to examine the problems facing enterprises in the organized and informal sector, and also to set up a National Fund.

(i) To revamp the functioning of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission and launch new programmes for the modernization of coir, handlooms, power looms, garments, rubber, cashew, handicrafts, food processing, sericulture, wool development, leather, pottery and other cottage industries;

(j) To give the highest investment, credit and technological priority to the continued growth of agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture, floriculture, afforestation, dairying and agro-processing;

(k) To step up public investment in rural infrastructure and irrigation;

(l) The rural cooperative credit system will be nursed back to health and rural credit is doubled in the next three years.

(m) The immediate steps will be taken up to see the burden of debt and high interest rates on farm loans.

(n) Agricultural crop and livestock insurance schemes will be made more effective.

AGRICULTURE

(a) Rural infrastructure, irrigation and rural cooperative credit system;

(b) Special programme for dry land farming in the arid and semi-arid regions;

(d) Implementation of minimum wage laws;

(e) Comprehensive protective legislation will be enacted for all agricultural workers;

EDUCATION AND HEALTH

a. A national cooked nutritious mid-day meal scheme will be introduced in primary and secondary schools;

b. To universalize the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS);

c. To provide a functional anganwadi in every settlement and ensure full coverage for all children;

d. A national scheme for health insurance for poor families;

e. Special attention may be paid to the poorer sections in the matter of healthcare;

(f) To strive for the elimination of child labour and extend special care to the girl child;

SCHEDULED CASTES AND SCHEDULED TRIBES

a. All reservation quotas, including those relating to promotions, will be fulfilled in a time-bound manner. To codify all reservations, a Reservation Act will be enacted.

b. To launch a comprehensive national programme for minor irrigation of all lands owned by dalits and adivasis, Reservation Act and minor forest produce;

c. Landless families will be endowed with land through implementation of land ceiling and land redistribution legislation;

d. No reversal of ceiling legislation will be permitted;

e. False encounters to be stopped;

f. To initiate a national dialogue with all political parties, industry and other organizations to see how best the private sector can fulfill the aspirations of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe youth.

SOCIAL HARMONY, WELFARE OF MINORITIES

(a) To enact a model comprehensive law to deal with communal violence to establish a Commission for Minority Educational Institutions that will provide direct affiliation for minority professional institutions to Central universities;

(b) To promote modern and technical education among all minority communities;

(c) But social and economic empowerment of minorities through more systematic attention to education and employment will be a priority;

(d) To establish a National Commission to see how best the welfare of socially and economically backward sections among religious and linguistic minorities, including reservations in education and employment, is enhanced. The National Commission will be given six months to submit its report.

(e) Adequate funds will be provided to the National Minorities Development Corporation to ensure its effective functioning;

(f) To examine the question of providing constitutional status to the Minorities Commission;

(g) To strive for recognition and promotion of Urdu language under articles 345 and 347 of the Constitution;

(h) The National Integration Council will be restructured and revived so as to fulfill its original objectives. It will meet at least twice a year.

INFRASTRUCTURE

(a) To take up a comprehensive programme of urban renewal and a massive expansion of social housing in towns and cities, paying particular attention to the needs of slum dwellers.

(b) Housing for the weaker sections in rural areas will be expanded on a large scale.

(c) Forced eviction and demolition of slums will be stopped.

(d) Urban and semi-urban poor are provided housing near their place of occupation.

(e) To pay special attention to augmenting and modernizing rural infrastructure consisting of roads, irrigation, electrification, cold-chain and marketing outlets.

(f) Household electrification will be completed in five years.

WATER RESOURCES

(a) Special problems of habitations in hilly trains will be addressed immediately.

(b) To provide drinking water to all sections in urban and rural areas and augmenting availability of drinking water sources at topmost priority.

LABOUR

Social security, health insurance and other schemes for such workers like weavers, handloom workers, fishermen and fisherwomen, toddy tappers, leather workers, plantation labour, beedi workers, etc., will be expanded.

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Annexure-III

LOK SABHA ELECTIONS 2004 – AICC MANIFESTO

The Manifesto of the Indian National Congress has identified the following key issues:

1. To have a national charter for radical but peaceful socio-economic transformation;

2. To give dignity to those who were discriminated for centuries;

3. To take the public sector to new heights of technological progress;

4. To develop backward regions;

5. To provide employment to crores of Indians, particularly dalits and adivasis;

6. To launch extensive anti-poverty and rural development programmes;

7. To empower scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes through reservations and through social welfare and economic development programmes for their welfare and well-being.

8. To provide for equality of opportunity in every way for dalits, adivasis, OBCs and religious and linguistic minorities.

9. To revamp the functioning of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC);

10. To enact a national Employment Guarantee Act immediately;

11. To pursue an Agriculture First strategy in resource allocation;

12. To restore the entire rural credit system based on cooperatives to health;

13. To start a time-bound programme for restoring all public tube wells to good working condition wherever required;

14. To accelerate the pace of construction of new irrigation wells in the poorer districts of the country;

15. To introduce a special technology and extension programme for dry land farming;

16. To put in place an intensive agricultural development programme for the 100-odd districts in the arid and semi-arid regions of the country;

17. To promote watershed development projects on a large-scale;

18. To revive the wasteland development programme lying dormant these past few years;

19. To encourage the agro-processing industry and other agriculture-related activities like dairying, aquaculture, fisheries, horticulture, sericulture through fresh investment, technology and marketing resources;

20. To place a renewed emphasis on wasteland development and afforestation;

21. To enable farmers all over the country to receive fair and remunerative prices and government agencies entrusted with the responsibility for procurement and marketing and to pay special attention to farmers in poor and backward states and districts;

22. To examine the feasibility of an Agricultural Stabilisation Fund involving a system of direct support or income support to farmers, particularly in the ecologically vulnerable regions of the country;

23. To ensure the fullest implementation of minimum wage laws for farm labour;

24. To enact comprehensive protective legislation for all agricultural workers;

25. To earmark 30 per cent of all funds flowing into panchayats and nagarpalikas for programmes relating to the development of women and children and focus on the special needs of female agricultural labour and women cultivators;

26. To empower village women and their associations to assume responsibility for all development schemes relating to drinking water supply, sanitation, primary education and health, nutrition, biogas, maintenance of water pumps and bore wells and farm forestry;

27. To give women the equal rights of ownership of assets like houses and land, etc;

28. To ensure major expansion in schemes for micro-finance based on self-help groups, especially for tribal women, women belonging to scheduled castes, women below the poverty line, rural women and women in distress;

29. To ensure that all institutions of higher learning in science, technology, social sciences and management will retain the sense of autonomy that they have enjoyed in previous Congress regimes. Academic excellence and professional competence would be the sole criteria for all appointments to bodies like the ICHR, ICSSR, UGC, NCERT, etc.

30. Apart from increasing the supply of loan scholarships and refinance through banks, also to establish an Education Development Finance Company;

31. To make education at all stages free in all respects for boys and girls belonging to dalit and adivasi communities;

32. To introduce a national cooked nutritious mid-day meal scheme in primary and secondary schools across the country;

33. To universalize the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) to provide for a functional anganwadi in every settlement and full coverage, especially children below the age of six;

34. To propose a national scheme of health insurance for families living below the poverty line;

35. To ensure payment of uniform compensation for loss of life, honour and property;

36. To create a national consensus on the issue of dalits and adivasis getting a reasonable share of jobs in the private sector;

37. To make determined efforts to promote a culture of entrepreneurship among the dalits and adivasis;

38. To provide businesses run by dalits and adivasis with preferential treatment in government procurement and by extending bank credit at affordable terms;

39. To urge the State Governments to make legislation for conferring ownership rights in respect of minor forest produce on adivasis particularly who work in forests;

40. To fulfill all reservation quotas, including those relating to promotions, in a time-bound manner, and special recruitment drives particularly for Class I and II vacancies will be launched.

41. To introduce a comprehensive national programme for minor irrigation of all lands owned by dalits and adivasis;

42. To reconcile to the objectives of faster economic growth and environmental conservation as far as tribal communities dependent on forests are concerned;

43. To put in place more effective systems of relief and rehabilitation for tribal communities displaced by development projects;

44. Taking note of the growing unrest in tribal areas in various states, to have a fresh look at development strategies for tribal areas;

45. To work out new designs of sustainable livelihood and income accruing to the government from forest will be earmarked as additional assistance for programmes of tribal development;

46. To build up huge foodgrain stocks;

47. To strengthen the PDS particularly in the poorest and backward blocks of the country and also involve women’s and ex-servicemen’s cooperatives in its management at the local level;

48. To ensure the focus of the PDS to be on below-the-poverty line (BPL) families;

49. To ensure that about 6-8 per cent of our population comprising the most destitute and infirm have access to the PDS even where the PDS works well;

50. To introduce Antyodaya cards for all households at risk of hunger;

51. To expand nutrition programmes for the girl child particularly on a significant scale;

52. To devolve funds, functions and functionaries on panchayat bodies;

53. To credit all funds for poverty alleviation and rural development programmes directly to panchayat bodies;

54. To expand special social security schemes started by earlier Congress governments for workers in the unorganized sector like weavers, handloom workers, fishermen and fisherwomen, toddy tappers, leather workers, plantation labour, beedi workers, etc;

55. To prepare and implement, on a much larger scale, plans for the rain-fed cultivated area, particularly in central India with the bulk of India’s tribal population.

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