10-Mar-2021: Challenges Faced by Nomadic Tribes
Nomads and Semi-Nomads are social groups who undertakes a fairly frequent, usually seasonal physical movement as part of their livelihood strategy and moves from one place to another.
Ministry/Department of Social Justice and Empowerment vide Gazette Notification dated 21.02.2019 has constituted Development and Welfare Board for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNCs) for Development and Welfare of Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities for a period of three years extendable upto 5 years with following responsibilities:
- To formulate and implement Welfare and Development programmes, as required, for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities.
- To identify the locations/areas where these communities are densely populated.
- To assess and identify gaps in accessing existing programmes and entitlements and to collaborate with Ministries/implementing agencies to ensure that ongoing programmes meet the special requirements of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities.
- To monitor and evaluate the progress of the schemes of Government of India and the States/UTs with reference to Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities.
The Department is implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for educational upliftment of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs) namely Dr. Ambedkar Pre & Post Matric Scholarship for students through Implementing Agencies (States/UTs). The scheme of Pre-matric Scholarship for DNT students is helpful in spreading education amongst DNT children especially the girl child.
10-Feb-2021: Measures to combat corruption
Government of India, in pursuance of its commitment to “Zero Tolerance Against Corruption” has taken several measures to combat corruption which, inter alia, include:
- Systemic improvements and reforms to provide transparent citizen-friendly services and reduce corruption. These, inter alia, include:
- Disbursement of welfare benefits directly to the citizens under various schemes of the Government in a transparent manner through the Direct Benefit Transfer initiative.
- Implementation of E-tendering in public procurements.
- Introduction of e-Governance and simplification of procedure and systems.
- Introduction of Government procurement through the Government e- Marketplace (GeM).
- Discontinuation of interviews in recruitment of Group ‘B’ (Non-Gazette) and Group ‘C’ posts in Government of India.
- Invocation of FR-56 (j) and AIS (DCRB) Rules, 1958 for retiring officials from service in public interest whose performance has been reviewed and found unsatisfactory.
- The All India Services (Disciplinary and Appeal) Rules and Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules have been amended to provide for specific timelines in the procedure related to disciplinary proceedings.
- The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 has been amended on 26.07.2018. It clearly criminalizes the act of giving bribe and will help check big ticket corruption by creating a vicarious liability in respect of senior management of commercial organizations.
- Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), through various orders and circulars recommended adoption of Integrity Pact to all the organizations in major procurement activities and to ensure effective and expeditious investigation wherever any irregularity / misconduct is noticed.
- The institution of Lokpal has been operationalised by appointment of Chairperson and Members. Lokpal is statutorily mandated to directly receive and process complaints as regards alleged offences against public servants under the Prevention of Corruption Act,1988.
In addition, the CVC as an apex integrity institution has adopted a multi-pronged strategy and approach to combat corruption, which encompasses punitive, preventive and participative vigilance.
5-Feb-2021: Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace
The Government of India enacted ‘The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013’ (SH Act) with the aim to provide safe and secure work environment to women working in organised or unorganised sector. The Act casts an obligation to constitute Internal Committee (IC)/ Local Committees (LCs) for receiving complaints of sexual harassment at workplace.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development has developed a handbook and a training module for effective implementation/ awareness of the SH Act. In addition, government issues advisories from time to time to all State Governments/ UT Administrations, Ministries/ Departments of Government of India and business associations/ Chambers to ensure effective implementation of the Act. Further, an online complaint management system titled the Sexual Harassment electronic–Box (SHe-Box, www.shebox.nic.in) has been put in place for registering complaints related to sexual harassment of women at workplace. The Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India has also issued advisories to all the Central Ministries/ Departments to complete the inquiry in a time bound manner and to include the information related to number of cases filed/ disposed under the SH Act in their annual report.
Apart from this, on 31st July 2018, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has amended the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 for mandatory inclusion of a statement in the Report of the Board of Directors about compliance with the provisions relating to the constitution of IC under the SH Act .
scheme for setting up of 1023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) across the country to help adjudicate cases of Rape, and offences pending for trial under POCSO act has also been appraised for assisting States/ UTs.