Too much of Talk, too little Action
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, ...