22/05/2026
ಭಾರತೀಯ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಪಕ್ಷ ಮತ್ತು SC/ST ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಉನ್ನತಿ — ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯದಿಂದ ಇಂದಿನವರೆಗೆ
ಭಾರತಕ್ಕೆ ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯ ಬಂದ ದಿನದಿಂದಲೇ ಭಾರತೀಯ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಪಕ್ಷವು ಪರಿಶಿಷ್ಟ ಜಾತಿ (SC) ಮತ್ತು ಪರಿಶಿಷ್ಟ ಪಂಗಡ (ST) ಸಮುದಾಯಗಳ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ, ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ಮತ್ತು ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಉನ್ನತಿಗಾಗಿ ಅವಿರತವಾಗಿ ಶ್ರಮಿಸಿದೆ. ಡಾ. ಬಿ.ಆರ್. ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರ ನೇತೃತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ರಚಿಸಲಾದ ಭಾರತದ ಸಂವಿಧಾನವು SC/ST ಸಮುದಾಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಮೀಸಲಾತಿ, ರಕ್ಷಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ಸಮಾನ ಅವಕಾಶಗಳನ್ನು ಖಾತ್ರಿಪಡಿಸಿದೆ. ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಸರ್ಕಾರವು ಅನೇಕ ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಕಾರಿ ಕಾಯ್ದೆಗಳನ್ನು ಜಾರಿಗೊಳಿಸಿ ಈ ಸಮುದಾಯಗಳ ಜೀವನ ಮಟ್ಟವನ್ನು ಸುಧಾರಿಸಿದೆ.
ಪ್ರಮುಖ ಕಾಯ್ದೆಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಕ್ರಮಗಳು:
✅ 1947 — ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯದ ನಂತರ SC/ST ಗಳಿಗೆ ಸಂವಿಧಾನಿಕ ರಕ್ಷಣೆ ನೀಡಲಾಯಿತು
✅ 1950 — ಭಾರತ ಸಂವಿಧಾನದ ಮೂಲಕ ಮೀಸಲಾತಿ ಜಾರಿ (ಕಲಮು 15, 16, 17, 46)
✅ 1955 — ಅಸ್ಪೃಶ್ಯತೆ ನಿರ್ಮೂಲನ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ (Untouchability Offences Act)
✅ 1955 — ಹಿಂದೂ ಉತ್ತರಾಧಿಕಾರ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ — ಮಹಿಳೆಯರಿಗೆ ಆಸ್ತಿ ಹಕ್ಕು
✅ 1956 — ರಾಜ್ಯ ಪುನರ್ವಿಂಗಡಣೆ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ
✅ 1960 — ಭೂ ಸುಧಾರಣಾ ಕಾಯ್ದೆಗಳು — ಭೂರಹಿತ SC/ST ರಿಗೆ ಭೂಮಿ ವಿತರಣೆ
✅ 1965 — ಬಾಲ ಕಾರ್ಮಿಕ ನಿಷೇಧ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ
✅ 1976 — ಬಂಧಿತ ಕಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಪದ್ಧತಿ ನಿರ್ಮೂಲನ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ (Bonded Labour System Abolition Act)
✅ 1978 — ಮಂಡಲ್ ಆಯೋಗ ಸ್ಥಾಪನೆ
✅ 1989 — SC/ST ದೌರ್ಜನ್ಯ ತಡೆ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ (Prevention of Atrocities Act)
✅ 2005 — ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಹಕ್ಕು ಕಾಯ್ದೆ (RTI Act)
✅ 2005 — ಮಹಾತ್ಮ ಗಾಂಧಿ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಗ್ರಾಮೀಣ ಉದ್ಯೋಗ ಖಾತ್ರಿ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ (MGNREGA)
✅ 2006 — ಅರಣ್ಯ ಹಕ್ಕು ಕಾಯ್ದೆ (Forest Rights Act) — ಆದಿವಾಸಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಭೂಮಿ ಹಕ್ಕು
✅ 2009 — ಉಚಿತ ಮತ್ತು ಕಡ್ಡಾಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಹಕ್ಕು ಕಾಯ್ದೆ (RTE Act)
✅ 2013 — ಭೂ ಸ್ವಾಧೀನ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ — SC/ST ರಿಗೆ ಪರಿಹಾರ ಖಾತ್ರಿ
— ನೂರ್ ಮೊಹಮ್ಮದ್
ಕಾರ್ಪೊರೇಟರ್, ವಾರ್ಡ್ ನಂ. 15, ಬಳ್ಳಾರಿ
Indian National Congress & SC/ST Empowerment — From Independence to 2014
Since the very first day of India’s independence, the Indian National Congress (INC) has been a steadfast champion of the rights, dignity, and empowerment of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities. Under the visionary leadership of great leaders like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Congress government enacted landmark laws and policies that transformed the lives of millions of SC/ST people across India.
📜 Key Acts & Milestones by Congress Government (1947–2014):
🔵 Nehru Era (1947–1964)
✅ Constitution of India (1950) — Drafted under Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, guaranteed reservations for SC/ST in education, employment and legislature under Articles 15, 16, 17 and 46. Abolished untouchability as a fundamental right.
✅ Untouchability Offences Act (1955) — Made the practice of untouchability a punishable criminal offence across India, giving legal protection to Dalits.
✅ Hindu Succession Act (1956) — Gave property rights to women from SC/ST communities, ensuring equal inheritance.
✅ States Reorganisation Act (1956) — Reorganised states ensuring better political representation for SC/ST communities.
✅ Land Reform Acts (1950s–1960s) — Redistributed land to landless SC/ST farmers across various states, ending feudal exploitation.
✅ Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act (1956) — Expanded and updated the list of SC/ST communities to ensure more people received constitutional benefits.
🔵 Indira Gandhi Era (1966–1984)
✅ Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act (1976) — Abolished the inhuman bonded labour system that enslaved lakhs of Dalits and Adivasis across India, giving them freedom and dignity.
✅ Equal Remuneration Act (1976) — Ensured equal pay for equal work, benefiting SC/ST workers.
✅ Minimum Wages Act Amendments (1970s) — Strengthened wage protection for SC/ST daily wage workers and labourers.
✅ 20-Point Programme (1975) — Included specific provisions for SC/ST upliftment including land distribution, housing and education.
✅ Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) and Special Component Plan (SCP) (1974–1979) — Dedicated budget allocations for SC/ST development in every Five Year Plan.
🔵 Rajiv Gandhi Era (1984–1989)
✅ Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (1989) — One of the most powerful laws protecting SC/ST communities from caste-based violence, discrimination and atrocities. Introduced strict punishments for offenders.
✅ 73rd & 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts (1989 — passed 1992) — Reserved seats for SC/ST in Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Bodies, bringing political power to grassroots level.
✅ Navodaya Vidyalaya Scheme — Provided quality residential education to talented SC/ST students from rural areas.
✅ National SC/ST Finance and Development Corporation (1989) — Provided financial assistance, loans and skill development to SC/ST entrepreneurs and youth.
🔵 Manmohan Singh / UPA Era (2004–2014)
✅ Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act — MGNREGA (2005) — Guaranteed 100 days of employment per year to rural SC/ST households, lifting millions out of poverty.
✅ Right to Information Act — RTI (2005) — Empowered SC/ST communities to question authorities and demand accountability.
✅ Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act — Forest Rights Act (2006) — Gave Adivasis and forest-dwelling SC/ST communities legal rights over forest land they had lived on for generations.
✅ Right to Education Act — RTE (2009) — Made free and compulsory education a fundamental right for all children aged 6–14, directly benefiting millions of SC/ST children.
✅ Right to Food / National Food Security Act (2013) — Ensured subsidised food grains to SC/ST and BPL families across India.
✅ Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (2013) — Ensured fair compensation and rehabilitation for SC/ST communities displaced by development projects.
✅ SC/ST Sub-Plan Budget Allocation — The UPA government consistently allocated dedicated funds for SC/ST welfare in every annual budget.
✅ Aadhar & Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) — Ensured welfare benefits reached SC/ST beneficiaries directly without middlemen.
✅ National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) (2005) — Improved healthcare access for SC/ST communities in rural and tribal areas.
✅ Indira Awaas Yojana — Provided free housing to lakhs of SC/ST families across rural India.
💬 Conclusion:
The Indian National Congress has always believed that a nation can only truly progress when its most marginalised communities are uplifted. From abolishing untouchability to guaranteeing employment, education, food, land and dignity — Congress has walked every step of the journey with SC/ST communities. This is not just politics — this is a commitment rooted in the values of the Constitution of India.
Noor Mohammed
Corporator, Ward No. 15, Ballari
