Manas Jena
The idea of India is envisaged in the preamble of the Constitution, which has visualized building a society of democracy, equality and justice for all its citizens. There are special provisions for SCs and STs to ensure realization of their fundamental rights through participation in governance in matters relating to their protection, participation and development. Since the days of Constitutional governance, a number of statutory bodies are being constituted to look after the protection and wellbeing of these sections. Unfortunately, it is observed that the successive governments of Odisha and other states too, have paid less attention to such aspects.
The three important bodies – the state Tribal Advisory Council (TAC), the state Scheduled Castes Welfare Board (SCWB), and the state Vigilance and Monitoring Committee (SVMC) constituted under the chairmanship of the chief minister to review and monitor the protection and welfare of SCs and STs – are almost defunct. Mostly, the elected leaders and higher-level government officials are members of these bodies, which are supposed to meet regularly to review implementation of various protective laws and developmental programmes for the SCs and STs.
Article 164 of the Constitution says that in Odisha, there shall be a minister in charge of welfare of STs, SCs and BCs; and Article 244(4) speaks about TAC in states having 5th Schedule areas. Similarly, as per provision of SCs and STs under the POA Act 1989, there shall be a state vigilance and monitoring committee under the chairmanship of the CM. There is also provision for a standing committee under the chairmanship of minister for SC- ST development under Odisha Reservation of Vacancies Act, 1975. But, it has been observed that, for the last so many years, there have been no regular meetings of these bodies. The SCs and STs constitute almost 40 per cent of the population. Even the elected members from these communities are not much concerned about this.
The government reports itself reveal that the socio-economic situations of a majority of the SCs and STs in Odisha have not changed substantially in terms of social transformation and economic development. Every day, caste-based atrocities are occurring.
The protective legislations against practices of untouchability and atrocities are not being reviewed. In 2018, the state registered 1,810 cases of atrocities against SCs and STs. The NCRB report 2018 says that 10,000 cases of atrocities have been pending for trial in different courts in the state, whereas the conviction rate was only 3 per cent. The survey revealed that hundreds of caste and ethnicity-based untouchability practices, as also social segregations, have been existing in villages.
Students and employees from these communities have been facing institutional discrimination. These people are not being treated with dignity in local government offices. Very often they face extortion, humiliation and negligence in dealings, while they make any claim for their rightful dues and entitlements under different government schemes, laws, and provisions.
Most SC and ST hamlets are deprived of basic amenities such as safe drinking water, toilet, electricity, housing and connectivity which are linked to health and hygiene during this Covid-19 pandemic situation. The structural poverty and distress migration issues are more visible among these communities. The incidence of poverty is very high as reported in the Odisha Economic Survey 2018, which said some 42 per cent of the SC and 64 per cent of the ST households are under BPL. This is extremely higher than the national average of 33 per cent (2011-12).
Agriculture Census and the SECC 2011 established the fact that a vast majority of the SC population is landless and without Record of Rights over their homestead land in possession. This, though almost 85 percent of the SC rural households depend on agriculture for livelihood as share croppers and agricultural workers.
The state has witnessed ineffective implementation of the system of reservation in education and services sectors. The jobs available in the social sector are many, but there is social exclusion for SC-STs in recruitment of rural service providers such as Aganwadi, MDM cooks and contractual appointments. There are 1.45 lakh cooks-cum-helpers; and 29,900 women self-help groups are engaged in MDM scheme operational in the state since 1995. There are thousands of contractual jobs being created in rural areas to facilitate effective service delivery systems, where too, the SCs and STs have insignificant presence.