The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) responded to a complaint about offensive language in the Scheduled Castes list for the upcoming Census in Punjab. Vice-Chairperson Hardeep Singh Gill of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis submitted the complaint to NCSC Chairperson Kishore Makwana. The derogatory terms used in reference to the Valmiki community during the census process have caused outrage among community members.
The Commission, recognizing the sensitivity of the issue, promptly issued notices to the relevant departments. NCSC directed the Director of the Directorate of Census Operations, Punjab, and the Principal Secretary of the Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, Government of Punjab, to provide an action taken report within 15 days. Chairperson Kishore Makwana emphasized that safeguarding the honor, rights, and dignity of Scheduled Castes is the Commission’s top priority.
In a previous instance in March, NCSC had expressed concerns about the implementation of welfare schemes for Scheduled Castes in Punjab after a review meeting in Chandigarh. Makwana highlighted the need for urgent corrective measures for the condition of Scheduled Castes in Punjab. The Commission identified issues such as irregularities in scholarship distribution, non-implementation of central welfare schemes, increasing school dropout rates among SC students, and deficiencies in atrocity prevention mechanisms.
