Government provides financial assistance to strengthen implementation of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act
Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale stated that Central Government financial assistance continues for strengthening enforcement of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and conviction outcomes and crime-data trends are compiled by NCRB.
- The Act creates offences for atrocities against SCs and STs and guides relief for victims.
- National Crime Records Bureau collects year-wise crime-registration and conviction data for the Act.
- Police and Public Order are State subjects, so States handle investigation and protection of lives and property.
- The Centrally Sponsored Scheme supports enforcement of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and the 1989 Act, including victim relief and rehabilitation.
Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Ramdas Athawale informed the Rajya Sabha that the Central Government continues financial and institutional support to States and Union Territories for stronger implementation of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The stated aim is timely relief to victims, effective enforcement of the law, and protection of the rights and dignity of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
What happened (Rajya Sabha statement and Central support)
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister linked enforcement support to crime data compilation and to funding under a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
UPSC can frame the issue around how a Central assistance-backed scheme supports enforcement of a State-executed criminal law, and how conviction-rate and pending-investigation indicators can be used to assess gaps in implementation.
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