Lok Sabha Question No. 1400 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-29
Subject: Empowering Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Dr. Amar Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE  AND EMPOWERMENT LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.l400

TO BE ANSWERED  ON 29.07.2025

## EMPOWERING SCHEDULED CASTES AND OTHER BACKWARD CLASSES

r4OO. DR. AMAR SINGH:

## Will the Minister  of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT  be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Ministry  has taken any steps to ensure welfare and focus on monitoring and evaluating  policies, implementing  inclusive development  programmes and strengthening  support for vulnerable  groups;
- (b) if so, the details of the steps proposed to be taken by the Ministry for empowering Scheduled Castes, Scheduled  Tribes and Other Backward  Classes, addressing  the needs of persons with disabilities, senior citizens  and victims of substance abuse; and
- (c) ifso, the details thereofand  ifnot, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRI RAMDAS ATHAWALE)

- (a) to (c): Yes, Sir. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing  various inclusive development  programmes  for Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes, and also the schemes addressing  the needs of persons  with disabilities, senior citizens and victims  of substance abuse.  Similarly, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing various inclusive development programmes for Scheduled Tribes. The Ministries have taken several steps for examination of various schemes intensely to ensure  the implementation  at the ground level for inclusive development  and strengthening  support for vulnerable  groups, which include:
- (i) Information dissemination by publicizing the activities and programmes  through Electronic Media, Press,  Print Media, Outdoor Media,  Exhibitions/Fairs  for awareness generation  among the target groups and sensitising them particularly about online portals  and application procedures,  Direct Benefit Transfer  methods.
- (ii) Focused monitoring  of outputs and outcomes  of the schemes through  Project Monitoring Units by physical inspections, surprise inspections  and publishing  the inspections  on portal and follow-up  the same promptly.

(iii) Performance  of schemes is monitored through the quarterly  /annual  progress reports furnished by the State governments/ UT administrations.  For the effective monitoring of the schemes, the Bureau Heads  are designated as Nodal Officers for various regions and States/UTs. During the field visit of Officers to StatefuTs,  discussions are held in order to identify constraints and to take corrective measures.

(iv) Financial and Physical performance  is reviewed  at the Secretary level with Programme Divisions  regularly  to ensure that the allocations provided for the schemes  of the Ministries  are utilized.

(v) Selected high priority schemes are monitored  at the level of Minister level regularly.

(vi) Ministries also organize  Conferences of State Social Welfare Ministers and the State Welfare Secretaries wherein all the schemes are reviewed. States/  UTs are also advised to strengthen their monitoring  mechanism. In addition, video conferences  are also held with the States/  UTs periodically.

(vii) Online system  for monitoring  of schemes is also developed to ensure continuous  monitoring at all level.

(viii) The Ministries conduct evaluation  studies from time to time through independent evaluation  agencies to check whether the benefits of the schemes reach the target groups.

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