OTHER SOCIAL SERVICES

SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT

Organisation.— At the ministerial level, the Social Welfare Department was constituted after the reorganisation of States in 1956. The backward class welfare work done previously by the Backward Class Department was transferred to the backward class wing of the Social Welfare Department. The designation of the Director of Backward Class Welfare was changed to that of the Director of Social Welfare. The post of Chief Inspector of Certified Schools and Institutions was redesignated as the Deputy Director of Social Welfare (correctional wing). There is another post of a special officer who is entrusted with the work relating to education and social welfare of physically handicapped. The backward class wing of the department aims at ameliorating the conditions of backward classes so that they reach the standard of other advanced sections of the society.

The department is under the administrative control of the Education and Social Welfare Department. The Director of Social Welfare Department is the head of the department with his headquarters at Pune. So far as backward class wing of the Directorate is concerned, he is assisted by two Deputy Directors, one Chief Research Officer, four Assistant Directors and other administrative staff. There are four Divisional Social Welfare Officers of the rank of Deputy Directors for each revenue division as the regional heads. At the district level there are Social Welfare Officers. In the erstwhile State of Madhya Pradesh of which Bhandara district was an integral part, the Directorate was established in the year 1954, and at every district there were District Social Welfare Officers. After the Reorganisation of States in 1956, they were redesignated as Social Welfare Officers.

With the inception of Zilla Parishads the Social Welfare Officers have been transferred to the Zilla Parishads and they are responsible to the Chief Executive Officers of the Zilla Parishads. The subject of social welfare of scheduled castes and other backward classes in the district is now within the purview of the Zilla Parishad. In the standing committee which is the most powerful committee of the Zilla Parishad at least two members from backward classes are required to be elected by the Parishad. This standing committee acts as the subjects committee for that subject and the Social Welfare Officer works under it.

Backward Classes.— The backward classes are classified into three broad categories, viz., (a) scheduled castes, (b) scheduled tribes, (c) other backward classes who economically, socially and educationally are as backward as the other two sections. The communities coming under the (a) and (b) categories are notified by the Government of India for each of the States, while communities forming the third group are recognised by the States concerned Castewise basis of classification of " other backward classes" has now been replaced by a new classification based on income. The income limit was raised from Rs. 900 per annum to Rs. 1,200 per year with effect from June 1960. All persons whose annual income from all sources does not exceed this limit are, irrespective of their religion, caste or community, treated as belonging to the other backward classes. From May 1960, the scheduled castes converted to Buddhism are being treated as eligible for all concessions and facilities available to scheduled castes except the statutory concessions under the constitution and certain special schemes for removal of untouchability, etc., which cannot by their very nature apply to non-Hindus.

Out of the total population of the district numbering 12,68,286 as per the Census, 1961 there were 31,074 persons belonging to schedule castes and 2,14,748 were nao-Buddhists. The population of vimukta jatis and nomadic tribes was estimated at 11,600 and 5,100, respectively.

In view of the policy of the Government to ameliorate the conditions of backward classes so as to bring them on par with the other advanced sections of the society, a number of privileges are granted to them by the Constitution of India. Besides normal concessions made available to backward classes from time to time special schemes are framed for the backward classes by the State Government under the Five-Year Plans.

Measures of Uplift.— The disabilities of backward classes are three-fold—educational, economic and social. The Government have therefore launched a three-pronged drive to eliminate these disabilities within the shortest possible period.

Education: In the sphere of education the Government provides to the backward class students many facilities such as freeships, payment of examination fees, tuition fees at all stages of education irrespective of income and age. In addition to this, eligible students are awarded scholarships on poverty-cum-merit basis. The concession is awarded in the primary schools, high schools or technical schools. 4,723 students benefited from these schemes on which Rs. 2.63,830 were spent during the year 1962-63. The following statement shows the expenditure incurred under Plan and non-Plan schemes during 1968-69: —

It is not possible for students belonging to backward classes to avail of the lodging and boarding arrangements on payment basis at the places of their studies. The voluntary agencies are therefore encouraged to start hostels for such students on grant-in-aid basis and are paid grants at the rate of Rs. 25 per month per boy for ten months and Rs. 30 per month per girl student for the period of 10 months. Subsidy is also paid at 50 per cent of the expenditure on rent of hostel building. There is also a provision for payment of non-recurring grant to hostels for purchase of utensils, etc. A sum of Rs. 1,50,955 was spent on 18 backward class hostels and 8 cosmopolitan hostels in the district during the year 1962-63. 729 students were admitted in these hostels. In 1968-69, there were as many as 40 hostels run by the voluntary agencies in the district. The following statement shows the expenditure incurred on the various hostel schemes during 1968-69 under Plan sector: —

In addition to the above expenditure, an amount of Rs. 2,34,869.54 was spent on 26 hostels under non-Plan schemes. Besides, there are two Government-run hostels, one at the district headquarters for boys and other at Gondia for girls.

Balwadis are also opened along with sanskar kendras for the benefit of the scheduled castes, the vimukta jatis and nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes. The idea behind this is to educate the backward class children to be good citizens and at the same time to achieve their assimilation with other caste—Hindu children. In the district there is one balwadi for the scheduled castes at Lakhni. An expenditure amounting to Rs. 2,620 and Rs. 600 was incurred during 1968-69 under the Plan and non-Plan sectors, respectively. One sanskar kedra. is also functioning at Amgaon for scheduled castes. During the year 1968-69 an expenditure of Rs. 1,700 was incurred, on this kendra.

Economic: In so far as the economic uplift of the backward classes is concerned, the problem of economic rehabilitation is solved by granting them cultivable waste land and other facilities such as supply of implements, seeds, etc., establishing training centres for teaching them their hereditary crafts; granting loan-cum-subsidy for cottage industries and professions, etc. Under the loan-cum-subsidy for cottage industries and professions, Rs. 12,900 were given to 83 beneficiaries from the scheduled castes and other backward classes from under-developed rural areas during 1962-63 and Rs. 2,400 were spent on 17 beneficiaries under the scheme of assistance for purchase of milch cattle.

A number of housing societies of backward classes have been formed in the district. Financial assistance in the form of loans and subsidies is given to these societies. Assistance is also given in the form of cash or kind. Under this scheme Rs. 6,910 were distributed to 80 beneficiaries and building sites were allotted to 14 beneficiaries. In addition, Rs. 19,448 were spent for purchase of 18 tons of corrugated iron sheets which were used in the construction of houses for backward classes. There were in all 24 co-operative housing societies of backward classes in the district.

Financial assistance is given to poor deserving agriculturists from vimukta jatis, and other backward classes for purchase of ploughs, bullocks, implements, seeds, etc. Rs. 2,313 were spent on 23 beneficiaries under this scheme during the year 1962-63. Under the scheme of granting cultivable waste land, 735 acres of land were allotted to persons belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes during 1968-69. As regards facility of drinking water wells, an amount of Rs. 23,750 was spent on this scheme of which Rs. 20,250 were spent for construction of drinking water wells for 11 scheduled castes beneficiaries and Rs. 3,500 for 2 beneficiaries from other backward classes.

Monetary aid is also granted under the scheme of medical aid to the backward classes. An amount of Rs. 510 was spent on 60 beneficiaries during 1962-63.

Social: The activities under this head are designed to remove the stigma of untouchability in respect of scheduled castes, assimilation of scheduled tribes in the general population without destroying their hereditary traits and rehabilitation of ex-criminal tribes and nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes from among the category of other backward classes. Mention may be made of the Bombay Harijan (Removal of Social Disabilities) Act (XXXVI of 1947) as amended in 1948, which has been enacted with a view to remove untouchability as far as public and civil rights are concerned. The schemes employed for the removal of untouchability include various measures of publicity against untouchability for example sanskar kendras, balvadis and film shows are organised, meetings and melas are addressed, kirtan programmes, inter-caste dinners, celebration of weeks and days of national and local importance are arranged. Building sites are also given to the scheduled castes in caste-Hindu's localities and subsidy is paid to caste-Hindu landlords for letting their premises on hire to the scheduled castes. Prizes are also awarded to villages which show outstanding work for removal of untouchability. Rs. 6,903 were spent under the various schemes during the year 1962-63.

The schemes which were already in operation before the Third Plan were treated as committed schemes and those added under the Third Plan were separately treated as Plan schemes. The expenditure described above against each scheme was out of the committed schemes and included expenditure on the Plan schemes.

TOP