Our Correspondent
Imphal, Oct. 10 (EMN): Vice-chairperson of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), Arun Halder, who is on a visit to Manipur, chaired a meeting with senior officers of the government on Monday.
In the meeting, the vice chairperson informed that the NCSC has statutory powers of a civil court, including summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person from any part of India and examining him on oath, requiring the discovery and production of any document, receiving evidence on affidavits, requisitioning of any public record or copy thereof from any court of office, and issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses the documents.
Furthermore, he emphasised the need to spread the awareness of the statutory provisions of the Commission, the Prevention of Atrocities (PoA) Act to ensure that the interests of the Scheduled Castes communities are safeguarded. He also emphasised the importance of social, political and economic uplift of the Scheduled Caste communities.
He advised the senior officials of the stakeholder departments to conduct grassroots awareness and sensitisation programmes including meeting with various leaders of the SC communities, and district level officers such as the DCs and the SPs of all the 16 districts of the state.
He also advised bank officials to facilitate the micro-financing of Scheduled Castes communities to bring about a holistic change in their socio-economic status from the grassroots.
Secretary (OBC and SC), Government of Manipur, appraised the vice-chairperson that the government is in the process of constituting a Loi sub-committee to address the claims and counterclaims for recognition as SC.
During his stay, the Vice Chairperson will be visiting a few Schedule Caste villages and interacting with the villagers.