Review: 25th Report by Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
By Satish Kumar
In the Indian Parliament, parliamentary committees are established to examine government functions, scrutinize bills, and oversee various aspects of parliamentary work, including procedures, ethics, and the welfare of specific groups. These committees play a crucial role in monitoring governance.
Parliamentary committees are of two types—standing or permanent committees and ad-hoc committees. Standing committees function continuously, whereas ad-hoc committees are formed as needed and are dissolved once they complete the assigned task.
Parliamentary committees are set up to study and address various issues that the legislature, due to its size, cannot handle directly. They also oversee the functioning of the executive branch. These committees are made up of small groups of Members of Parliament (MPs) from both houses, representing different political parties, and they work throughout the year. These small groups of MPs examine and deliberate on multiple subjects, bills, and budgets of all ministries. Their meetings are held behind closed doors, allowing members to freely question, discuss issues, and build consensus.
Recently, on December 6, 2024, the Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes presented its 25th report before both houses of Parliament for further proceedings. The report is titled “The Role of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions (Department of Personnel & Training) in the Formation, Implementation, and Monitoring of Reservation Policy.” The committee is chaired by Dr. Faggan Singh Kulaste and comprises 20 MPs from the Lok Sabha and 10 MPs from the Rajya Sabha.
The committee submitted a total of 13 recommendations concerning the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions, which are as follows:
1. Adequate representation in officers’ panels on deputations: Although the Committee has reported that the government has accepted this recommendation, in reality, state governments neither relieve Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) officers with the required experience for deputation to central government services nor is their inclusion prioritized or desired.
2. Unique identification number for competitive exam candidates: It has been recommended that the identity of SC/ST candidates appearing for exams and interviews conducted by UPSC and SSC should remain confidential, and computer-based examinations should be conducted.
3. Representation of SC/ST members on Boards of Directors.
4. Establishment of a monitoring mechanism for the regulatory bodies under DoPT for implementation of the reservation policy.
5. Representation of SCs/STs in services: The representation of SCs/STs in Group ‘A’ and Group ‘C’ positions meets or exceeds the prescribed quota. The overall representation of Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes also exceeds the prescribed quota. However, the government has not provided detailed data in the report.
6. Filling backlog vacancies: Ministries and departments of the central government have been instructed to immediately start the process of identifying and filling backlog reserved vacancies in a time-bound manner. However, the government has not provided updated data to the Committee on this matter.
7. Reservation roster system.
8. Liaison officers for SC/ST employees.
9. Promotion of SC/ST employees: The overall representation of SCs (15%) and STs (7.5%) meets or exceeds the prescribed percentages.
10. Verification of caste certificates.
11. Reservation in outsourced/contractual appointments.
12. Grievance redressal for SC/ST employees, and their unions, associations, and federations.
13. Formation of SC/ST employee unions in Union government ministries and departments.
Out of the above recommendations, the central government has accepted recommendations 1, 2, 5, 6, and 9. However, recommendations 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, and 11 were not accepted, and the committee has suggested reiterating them. Recommendations 12 and 13 are pending as the committee has not yet received the government’s final response.
The committee has urged that detailed data be collected from various ministries and departments of the central government, along with select physical verifications, to ensure that the SC/ST communities benefit fully from the reservation policy as provided by the Constitution.
(Comments on the 25th Parliamentary Committee. Summarised by Adv. Satish Kumar; Director, Centre for Dalit Rights.)