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The industry is receptive to the idea of affirmative action for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. This was disclosed by the Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Smt. Meira Kumar while addressing the SC/ST Members of Parliament here on Tuesday evening. The meeting had been organised by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry to discuss the issues of reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the private sector and incidents of atrocities against the persons belonging to these communities. Smt. Kumar said that as decided by the Group of Ministers on November 3, 2004, her Ministry had addressed to 218 organisations of trade and industry in the corporate world. She said that about 20 establishments/companies have so far responded. Smt. Kumar said the notion that SCs/STs don’t have merit hurts her most. She said that persons belonging to SC/ST communities have demonstrated merit of international standard in traditional occupations like handicrafts, metal craft etc. despite living in extremely deprived socio-economic conditions for centuries. Given proper education and facilities, SC/ST students have demonstrated that they are second to none. She said that the stream of thought that Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes do not fit in certain parameters of merit has got to be dispelled. The Minister favoured a redefinition of merit saying that the present concept of merit is a subjective definition with parameters fixed by the elite. Smt. Kumar said that those intolerant of SCs and STs need to be sensitized. She said that the suggestions made by the Members of Parliament would be conveyed to the Prime Minister. Smt. Kumar said that the UPA Government is committed to accord high esteem to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri R.P. Kyndiah, said that the Government is trying to formulate a National Policy on Tribals that would focus on their integration and rehabilitation with special emphasis on empowerment of women and girl child. He sought the cooperation of the State Governments in implementing policies and programmes for empowerment of SCs and STs.
The Minister for Environment and Forests Shri A. Raja said that globalisation and privatization has thrown a new challenge in protecting the interests of SCs and STs. He favoured a legislative action in this regard.
The Deputy Speaker Shri Charanjit Singh Atwal appealed to MPs to rise above party affiliations and work unitedly for betterment of SCs and STs.
The Minister for Small Scale, Agro and Rural Industries Shri Mahavir Prasad also appealed to MPs to join hands in realising the aspiration of SCs and STs.
Participating in the discussion the MPs equivocally supported the initiative of the Government on the issue of reservation in the private sector. They thanked Smt. Kumar for giving them an opportunity to articulate their views. It was suggested by some that issue of license to new establishments should be made conditional to recruitment of SCs and STs. Other suggestions made included clearing a backlog in filling up posts for SCs and STs in Government and public sector, punitive action for those not implementing reservation policy, proper utilisation of funds of Special Component Plan for SCs and STs by State Governments, checking of drop out rate for educational institutions and severe punishment to persons guilty of committing atrocities against persons belonging to SCs and STs communities.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Smt. Subbulakshmi Jagdeesan, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Shri Namo Narain Meena, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shri K.H. Muniappa and former Ministers Dr. Satyanarayan Jatiya and Shri Ashok Pradhan. SC/ST Members of Parliament irrespective of party affiliation participated in the meeting.
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