Thawar Chand Gehlot
Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment
1. Our government has increased the ambit of the SC snd ST (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act and has improved its implementation. There had been rampant cases of basic human rights violations with the SC communities with their grooms being pulled down from horses, forced tonsuring and blackening of their faces. All these instances were treated lightly, while they were gross violation of basic rights. We ensured that all these instances are included in the ambit of the Act. Self-respect is a major thing, regardless whether they are Dalits or OBCs. We have improved social harmony by encouraging inter-caste marriages and by increasing financial assistance for rape victims from SC communities to `8.50 lakh.
2. Our thrust is to facilitate educational opportunities for students from backward castes. In the last two years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of scholarships that the ministry gives to these students.
Our another focus area is to help the ‘divyang’ (people with disability). We are bringing a Bill that will cover 19 conditions, which will help people with at least 40 per cent disability to be eligible for reservations in education and employment, preference in government schemes, etc.
We are also very serious about bringing B R Ambedkar to the centre of Indian thoughts. We are developing five places associated with his life into Panchteerth. We have set up a commission to bring denotified tribes into the mainstream.
3. I have a vision and I have been able to do whatever I have conceived and planned. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very supportive of my initiatives.
4. One who writes exams never rates himself or herself. It is the duty of
the examiner, in my case the PM or even you people from the media, to assess my work.