TAG: GS 2: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
THE CONTEXT: Recently, the UT administration has been directed to set up a panel to look into issues faced by SCs, who have been clubbed with OBCs till now.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ABSENCE OF SC RECOGNITION
- Omission in Census and Constitutional Order
- The Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands have never officially acknowledged any Scheduled Caste (SC) community.
- The absence of SCs was highlighted as a critical issue by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (NCSCST) in 1999.
- Despite efforts, no SC population was recorded in both the 2001 and 2011 Censuses, confirmed by government reports in 2015.
- Refugees and Wrong Categorization
- The identified SC-like populace in the A&N Islands were refugees from Bangladesh resettled by the Indian government’s Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation Department till 1980.
- This demography was classified under the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) rather than SCs, a misclassification noted in various reports.
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE INTERVENTION
- Committee’s Directive and Observations
- The Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has emphasized the existence of SCs in the A&N Islands.
- It recommended a specialized panel formation to address SC-specific issues, including representation and welfare schemes.
- Lack of Census and Identification Challenges
- The committee’s recommendation was based on first-hand information gathered during an August visit to the islands.
- However, recognizing SCs poses challenges, as there is limited information regarding their communities, socio-economic status, and classification necessities for Parliament’s recognition.
RESERVATION AND CATEGORIZATION DILEMMA
- OBC Commission’s Classification and Reservation
- Earlier, the A&N Islands’ OBC Commission categorized the Bangladeshi refugees, possibly SCs, under the “Post-1942 settlers” within OBCs, acknowledged due to Indra Sawhney’s judgment.
- The OBC reservation strategy accounted for the potential inclusion of these individuals as SCs, redirecting the SC reservation percentage into the OBC reservation pool.
- Uncertain Roadmap and Census Data
- The absence of SC recognition in both the 2001 and 2011 Censuses complicates the establishment of their identity and need for social classification.
- Notably, the 2011 Socio-Economic Census data remains undisclosed, and the 2021 Census is pending.
FUTURE CHALLENGES AND ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS
- Challenges in Identification and Representation
- The absence of census data poses challenges for the administration to identify, classify, and address the socio-economic concerns of the supposed SCs, a situation that warrants Parliament’s recognition and Presidential notification.
- Policy Impact and Administrative Responses
- The parliamentary committee’s directive urges the Union Territory administration to address the representation and welfare of the unidentified SC populace, potentially impacting government schemes and affirmative action policies.