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Committee of Ministers on Dalit Affairs to meet today

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Committee of Ministers on Dalit Affairs will meet here on Wednesday to discuss issues and review implementation of the schemes and programmes related to the Scheduled Castes. This is the second meeting of the Committee this year, though it has met only twice since its constitution in February 2005.

Reliable sources believe it is now meeting frequently to chalk out and finalise its recommendations for implementation to ensure “positive results” before the general elections early next year. The Committee held its first meeting in 2005, the second in 2006 and the third in January 2008.

Set up by the Prime Minister, the Committee is mandated to oversee, in a consolidated manner, the effective pooling together and implementation of different programmes and schemes under various Ministries and departments related to the welfare of the Dalits. It will identify gaps in the existing schemes and help develop new programmes for eliminating these.

The government is of the view that despite large allocations made to a number of programmes aimed at the welfare of the Dalits, the outcome was not commensurate with the outlay. The Committee will examine ways in which increased outlay can be translated into improved outcomes.

An issue that needs urgent attention is the practice of manual scavenging. The government is keen to end the practice and rehabilitate those engaged in this.

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