Social Empowerment

  • The Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955: The Act extends to the whole of India and provides punishment for the practice of untouchability.
  • Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989: Financial assistance is provided to the States/ UTs for implementation of these Acts, by way of relief to atrocity victims, incentive for inter-caste marriages, awareness generation, setting up of exclusive Special courts, etc.
    • The Act also made news in March 2018 after the Supreme Court issued guidelines severely diluting its powers, including restraints on the arrests of public official if they are accused under the Act.
  • The ‘Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013’ (MS Act, 2013): Eradication of dry latrines and manual scavenging and rehabilitation of manual scavengers in alternative occupation has been an area of high priority for the Government.