The Hindu : National : Commissions for SC/ST demand reservation in autonomous bodies, Armed Forces

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 28, 2004

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National

Commissions for SC/ST demand reservation in autonomous bodies, Armed Forces

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 27. The National Commissions for Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes have demanded the extension of reservation for SCs and STs to all Government autonomous bodies and the Armed Forces.

Addressing a joint press conference here today, the chairpersons of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Suraj Bhan, and Scheduled Tribes, Kunwar Singh, said that non-implementation of reservation in the Government sector should be treated as an atrocity against the SCs and the STs and those responsible punished with a minimum imprisonment of six months and a fine. They welcomed the SCs, STs and Other Backward Classes (Reservation in Posts and Services) Bill, 2004, but said that the legislation was of little use in the absence of penal clause for non-implementation.

On reservation in the private sector, Mr. Suraj Bhan, said that a beginning could be made with those economic activities that were getting the benefit of institutional finance and were being supported by the state. The Commission felt that a stage had come where corporate bodies including those established with foreign collaboration should be made to give reservation for the SCs and STs. He said that 50 lakh people from SCs, STs and Other Backward Classes were employed in the Government sector across the country and another 20 lakhs could be accommodated in the private sector.

Responding to a query, Mr. Suraj Bhan, said that the percentage of reservation should be based on the population. There was a low representation of SCs and STs at the senior levels in the Government. There was only one officer of the rank of Union Secretary from the SCs/ STs of a total of 70 secretaries. He said that among 100 additional secretaries, there was nobody from the SCs/STs and among 100 joint secretaries, only three belonged to the SCs and the STs.

On the atrocities against SCs and STs, Mr. Suraj Bhan said that the Commissions took immediate action whenever such incidents came to their notice.

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