Member of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), Dr Anju Bala chaired a meeting with district and sectoral officers at the conference hall of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Samba today.
Dr Bala met with various delegations of the Scheduled Castes (SC) community, including former ministers, District Development Councils (DDCs), Block Development Councils (BDCs), Sarpanches, Bar members and civil society members to discuss issues facing the SC community.
The meeting was attended by Director NCSC, SK Singh, Deputy Commissioner Anuradha Gupta, Senior Superintendent of Police, Benam Tosh and other district officers. Dr Bala reviewed various schemes benefiting the SC community and discussed progress in pending cases under the Prevention of Atrocities against SCs. She also discussed challenges in implementing programmes and policies effectively.
Dr Bala took a comprehensive sector-wise review and discussed modalities followed by institutions to extend benefits to the SC community under various schemes, including Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Job Cards, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), Ujjwala Yojana and Jan Dhan Yojana. Emphasising the need for generating awareness and education to empower marginalised communities, Dr Bala directed officers to conduct regular visits and hold awareness camps in rural areas.
Officials were asked to take prompt action to address concerns raised by the SC community and ensure timely redressal of grievances. Dr Bala urged officials to conduct regular monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes for the welfare of the SC community and ensure effective implementation.
Dr Bala emphasised the need to continue working towards an inclusive and just society through empowerment and awareness of the SC community. Later, she also flagged off an awareness van from the conference hall on the Jal Jeevan Mission.
The van aims to spread awareness among people about the judicious use of water and the preservation of water resources and bodies.