Ensure SC/ST Atrocity Act cases are not misused while the system works to punish actual offenders, and understand ground-level issues faced by SCs and STs to take appropriate remedial action - Chief Minister's directives. (By Raja Pentapati, Bureau Chief, AP)
Amaravati, September 5 (Trinet News, AP): Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to expedite the investigation of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act cases and ensure that the guilty are punished at the earliest. He emphasized that the system must function in a way that prevents the misuse of the law while ensuring proper punishment for those who commit crimes.
A high-level state committee meeting on the implementation of the SC/ST Act and the welfare of SCs and STs was chaired by the Chief Minister today at his camp office. The Chief Minister called for a special study on the high number of atrocity cases being registered against SCs and STs in Guntur, Anantapur, East Godavari, and Prakasam districts. Expressing dissatisfaction over the 131 pending district-level meetings, he ordered officials to understand the problems faced by SCs and STs at the ground level and take appropriate measures to resolve them.
Noting that two and a half decades have passed since the Justice Punnaiah Commission submitted its report, the Chief Minister ordered a comprehensive study on the conditions prevailing back then and the changes that have occurred since. He stressed that special attention should be paid to the education of SC and ST students, preparing them to compete for admissions into prestigious institutions like IITs and IIMs.
The Chief Minister stated that the government is spending heavily on the development of SCs and STs. He said that living standards of these communities can be further improved by effectively utilizing programs such as P4 and MBK 10-20. He explained that opportunities through commercial crops such as coffee and forest produce should be fully utilized to increase the incomes of tribal communities in agency areas. Furthermore, the Chief Minister instructed officials to implement a net-zero policy in SC and ST student hostels.
Ministers D.B.V. Swamy, V. Anitha, G. Sandhyarani, MPs Krishna Prasad, D. Prasad, and MLAs from SC and ST constituencies attended the meeting.
- Raja Pentapati, Amaravati, AP
