New Delhi, May 13 -- A parliamentary committee has decided to undertake a detailed review of the implementation of key legislations aimed at protecting and empowering Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), including the Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989, and the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
The Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will examine how effectively the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has been implemented and assess its impact on curbing atrocities against marginalised communities across the country. The panel is also expected to study challenges faced in enforcing the law and identify areas requiring policy intervention.
Apart from the atrocities law, the committee will review the status of implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which recognises the rights of forest-dwelling tribal communities over land and forest resources. The panel is likely to assess whether the benefits of the legislation are reaching intended beneficiaries and how state governments are carrying out the provisions of the Act.
According to a Lok Sabha Secretariat bulletin issued on Tuesday, the committee has selected several important issues related to SC/ST welfare for examination during 2026-27. One of the major subjects identified is reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the private sector, an long-debated issue in policy circles. The committee will also deliberate on matters related to SC/ST certificates, implementation of reservation policies in Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs), and the execution of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives for SC/ST communities.
In addition, the panel will discuss the implementation of pre-matric, post-matric and overseas scholarship schemes run by various Union ministries for students belonging to SC and ST communities. mpost
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.