JAIPUR, December 4, 2010
Role of statutory institutions on Dalits shocking : Study
Special Correspondent
A study on the role of statutory institutions in the protection of
Dalit rights in Rajasthan, the findings of which were released here on
Thursday, has revealed a shocking track record of various Commissions
as well as caste biases and nexus rampant in police and administration
resulting in the denial of justice to Dalits and dilution of cases
registered against the perpetrators of crimes against Dalits.
Participants at a State-level consultation at Nehru Sahakar Bhavan
here deliberated on the study results to conclude that the State
Government's protective and development measures for Dalits were
"perfunctory and half-hearted", while Dalits continue to face
tremendous barriers to socio-economic and political progress.
The Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) and the Centre
for Dalit Rights (CDR) jointly conducted the study over a period of
two months while looking into the role of statutory bodies such as the
State Human Rights Commission, Commission for Scheduled Castes,
Women's Commission and the State Assembly's Committee on Welfare of
SCs.
Noted economist and State Planning Board deputy chairperson V. S. Vyas
was shocked to note that the Commission for SCs had not brought out
its annual report even once during the last 10 years of its existence.
The Commission is at present defunct after the dissolution of the
previous body amid litigation in the Rajasthan High Court.
Not sufficient
Prof. Vyas, who is also a member of the Prime Minister's Economic
Advisory Council, said the 11 {+t} {+h} Five Year Plan's emphasis on
"inclusive growth" would be meaningless if Dalits continued to remain
on the periphery and the statutory bodies supposed to protect them
remained ineffective: "Merely policy formulation is not sufficient.
Conditions have to change at the grassroots."
The speakers at the consultation were dismayed at the 2009-10 annual
report of the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment cited
in the study with the observation that Rajasthan had reported one of
the highest occurrences of atrocities against Dalits during 2008.
Over 4,300 cases of atrocities against Dalits were registered under
the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities)
Act, 1989, in the State during the year, with an average of 44.7 cases
calculated per lakh of population, constituting one of the highest
rates of crimes in the country.
The study noted that pockets of poverty and deprivation still remained
untouched and the protective and development measures had not been
implemented in the spirit in which they were conceived. Since the
bodies such as the SC/ST Development and Finance Corporation are
non-functional, the financial resources under various schemes are
simply not utilised.
CDR patron P. L. Mimroth noted that the State Budget for 2008-09 had
allocated only Rs.27.24 lakh for the Special Component Plan,
comprising an abysmal 2.7 per cent of the total budgetary outlay.
"Coupled with the biases and feudal mindset of the members of
[various] Commissions, this approach renders absolute injustice to
Dalits," he said.
The study also threw light on high levels of dissatisfaction among
Dalits vis-à-vis the constitutional and quasi-legal bodies which were
meant to protect their interests. With an "unsatisfactory role and
disappointing track record", the Commissions had failed to provide
constitutional safeguards or redress grievances of Dalits, felt the
participants.
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