Tag: the media in democracy

Backward and Minorities Communities Employee Federation  was founded in 1978 to enlist the aid of the comparatively well-educated among the Backwards, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and other communities of India who suffer discrimination.

The Scheduled caste are a group of disadvantaged people who were considered untouchables and lower caste people in the History of India. The constitution of India makes provision for the advancement of scheduled caste and scheduled tribes by the State. According to 2011 census, the Scheduled Caste constitute 16.2% of Indian Population.

Article 330 to 342 of Indian constitution belongs to reservation and representation of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in lok sabha.

 In 2001, the Scheduled Castes were 16.2 per cent and the Scheduled Tribes were 8.2 percent of the country’s population. According to the 2001 Census, the Scheduled Castes population in India stands at 166,635,700 persons The total population of the Scheduled Tribes in India stands at 84,326,240 persons as per the 2001 Census.

Punjab accounts for 2.3% of the total population and 4.3% Scheduled Caste population of India. As per Census 2011, the State of Punjab, has the highest percentage of Scheduled Caste population amongst all the States of the Country. The Scheduled Caste population in Punjab is 88.60 lac which is 31.94% of the total population i.e. 277.43 lac of the State. The decennial growth rate of SC population in the State was 26.06% as compared to 13.89 % for the State as a whole. However, a sizeable number of SC families still live below the poverty line.

Article 342 provides that the President may with respect to the State and Union Territory and where it is stated, after consulting Governor may notify that a particular tribe, community, group, etc be for this constitution be considered as scheduled tribes. The protection is given to represent the interest of Scheduled Tribes by various reservations granted to them by the constitution itself.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the nodal Ministry to oversee the interests of the Scheduled Castes. Though the primary responsibility for the promotion of interests of the Scheduled Castes rests with all the Central Ministries in the area of their operations and the State Governments, the Ministry complements their efforts by way of interventions in critical sectors through specifically tailored schemes. The Scheduled Castes Development (SCD) Bureau of the Ministry aims to promote the welfare of Scheduled Castes through their educational, economic and social empowerment. Efforts made by State Governments and Central Ministries for protecting and promoting the interests of Scheduled Castes are also monitored by the bureau.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs was set up in 1999 after the bifurcation of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment with the objective of providing more focused approach on the integrated socio-economic development of the Scheduled Tribes (STs), the most underprivileged of the Indian Society, in a coordinated and planned manner. It is the nodal Ministry for overall policy, planning and coordination of programmes for development of STs.

Option D is the correct answer. The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution deals with the administration and control of Scheduled Areas as well as of Scheduled Tribes in States other than Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura. These provisions of the Constitution relating to the administration of the Scheduled Areas and Tribes may be altered by Parliament or by ordinary legislation.