JAMMU, 13.07.21: All India Confederation of SC ST OBC Organisations, under the leadership of RK Kalsotra, State President Confederation held a telephonic conversation with Ms. Anju Bala (Jammu ki beti) Member National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Ex-Member of Parliament, to discuss the state of Scheduled Castes in Jammu and Kashmir, today.
RK Kalsotra, State President Confederation, invited Ms. Bala to undertake a thorough inspection of the condition of SCs in J&K. Kalsotra apprised Ms. Bala about the sad state of affairs of the administration dealing with the SCs in J&K.
Kalsotra said that the administration has still not started the reservation in promotion in J&K, which is in violation of the rule of law as established by the provisions of Parliament. He added that while the administration is failing to bring about equity among SCs, the nature of caste-based atrocities are on a rise in J&K. Various such cases are rising exponentially but they are not being registered under the SC/ST Atrocities Act.
Kalsotra emphasized on the lack of infrastructure for the upliftment of SCs. There is no proper scheme for providing economic opportunities to the SCs. There is a huge backlog of over a lakh for vulnerable sections in the employment sector. Scholarship schemes are not run effectively. There are no provisions for supporting the education of SC youth or any sort of housing and lodging facilities for SC students in hostels.
Kalsotra said that the information and utilization of the Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCA to SCSP), Scheme of Assistance to Scheduled Castes Development Corporations (SCDCs), and other funds are not dispatched on time which creates a lot of problems for SCs.
Kalsotra highlighted that time and again, the Confederation has written to the administration of J&K over the lack of employment opportunities for SCs. Ideally, there should be a boost to entrepreneurship and skill enhancement among youth as well as employment drives. But no such initiative has been taken so far. The issue of the contractual workers, especially those working with the municipality, are sidelined for quite some time. Manual scavengers as well as Safaikaramcharis are denied the right to live with dignity.
Ms. Anju Bala actively noted down the issues raised by Kalsotra during the conversation and she assured that she will soon undertake a trip to J&K to inspect the on-field situation of the SCs. Kalsotra insisted her to also bring on board National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and National Commission for Backward Classes for inspection.