|
Year End Review 2004
Scheduled Castes Development
Building a consensus for voluntary action on the issue of affirmative action including reservations for SCs and STs in the private sector as envisaged in the National Common Minimum Programme remained one of the major pre-occupations of the Social Justice & Empowerment Ministry during 2004. The first national dialogue on affirmative action including reservations was held with eminent jurists, economists, intellectuals, educationists, social scientists and administrators. There was unanimity on extension of reservations to the private sector as participants viewed the reservation not as a dole but a corrective action. The issue was debated in the Lok Sabha and MPs demonstrated unanimity irrespective of party affiliations. The Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment held three round of discussions with SC/ST Members of Parliament. As decided by the Group of Ministers on November 3, 2004, the Ministry addressed to Presidents of 218 organisations of trade and industry in the corporate world and their response has started pouring in. The government has made it clear that it favours voluntary action and not legislation. The globalisation of economy has opened up job opportunities in the private sector and its benefits have to be expanded to the marginal sections.
The SJ&E Ministry started actively monitoring the implementations of the reservation policy by the NGOs. The release of grant to NGOs is now made on implementations of the reservation policy in recruitment of their employees.
Encouragement of quality education among SC students has been one of the important areas of focus of the Ministry. More than one crore scholarships will be granted to students belonging to Scheduled Caste during the 10th Plan under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Post Matric Scholarship. A total allocation of over Rs.3565 crore has been earmarked for the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC students, which has emerged as the biggest scholarship scheme in the country. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which operates the Scheme, revised the scholarship rates with the increase ranging from 55% to 75% with retrospective effect from 1st April 2003. The courses have also been regrouped reducing their number from five to four.
The national Commission for Safai Karamcharis has been reconstituted and its tenure extended upto 31/12/2007.
Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
The Scheme for providing assistive devices for persons with disabilities (ADIP) witnessed an increased thrust with its extension to uncovered and inaccessible areas. During this year, 53 camps in various districts of North-eastern states viz. Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim and Mizoram were held benefiting approximately 4,000 persons with disabilities. An exhibition "Samarthya" for distribution of Aids and Appliances and to provide rehabilitation services was organised in Patna in October, 2004. Approximately, 12,000 persons visited the exhibition of which 4,721 persons were given aids/appliances immediately and 4,500 persons have been assessed for providing aids at their District Headquarters. Rs. 9.32 crore were released to hold these camps.
15.93 lakh children with disabilities have been identified and 10.7 lakhs of these children have been enrolled in regular schools. Guidelines for educational facilities to be extended to students with disabilities were issued under Section 30 of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.
The Ministry with the support of 680 organisations reached out to 2.17 lakh persons with disabilities who required specialized education services at a cost of over rupees 17 crore during 2003-04.
Reservation for persons with disabilities in Indian Administrative Service has been provided. Other organised Group A & B Services are being persuaded to provide for reservation for persons with disabilities.
The President of India and Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment visited Tanzania from 11th to 14th September 2004. They took a team of rehabilitation professionals and gifted computers, text to speech software to children/persons with disabilities and also other aids and appliances such as tricyles, wheel chairs, hearing, aids etc.
National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation disbursed loans to 2,214 persons with disabilities and to parent associations of children with mental retardation in 2004.
Fifty-eight awards in 14 categories were given away by the President to persons with disabilities for excelling in various fields and institutions engaged in the welfare of disabled persons.
The headquarters of the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) in the capital has been shifted to fully barrier- free building, first of its kind in the country. It has been built on the principles of universal design and is accessible to all persons with disabilities including the visually impaired and the hearing impaired. It is provided with ramps, handrails and grabbers. The lifts of the building are provided with auditory and braille signals.
The RCI’s Global Websites in Hindi and English with fully accessible features have been launched. Initially the website will be useful for persons with visual impairment and low vision to access the information around the world as per their requirement, i.e. through voice and magnified text. Other features to benefit persons with speech and hearing and other serious disabilities will be added shortly as the software is under preparation.
Minority and Backward Classes
A National Commission to recommend measures for welfare of socially and economically backward sections among religious and linguistic minorities has been constituted.
Authorised Share Capital of National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) has been enhanced from Rs. 500 crores to Rs. 650 crores to enable the Corporation to more effectively implement its schemes and cover larger number of beneficiaries.
Two Bills, viz., the Constitution (103rd Amendment) Bill, 2004 and the National Commission for Minorities (Repeal) Bill, 2004 have been introduced in the Winter Session (2004) of Parliament to grant constitutional status to the National Commission for Minorities.
The number of Scholarships under the Maulana Azad National Scholarship Scheme for Meritorious Girls Students belonging to Minorities has been increased from 1200 to 3000 from this year. A special package of 402 scholarships for the state of Gujarat in addition to its quota has been sanctioned.
Social Defence
International Day of Older Persons was celebrated on 1st October 2004. A ‘Walk for Health’ was organised and 11 senior citizens of Delhi were honored for their achievements. Besides, a collaborative seminar was organised with Helpage to identify gaps in the implementation of the National Policy on Older Persons with particular reference to issues of health, income security and social integration.
The National Survey on the Trend, Patterns of Drug abuse was released on 25th June 2004. This was prepared through a 3-way partnership between Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, AIIMS and UNODC. Several related monographs have also been released. The NGOs working in the field of substance abuse prevention are being effectively linked with the prevention of HIV/AIDS programme of NACO and SACs.
CHILDLINE has been extended to 56 cities in the country.
|
