Two bills for establishing separate commissions for SC, ST communities tabled in Maharashtra Council

Mumbai, Jul 1 (PTI) Maharashtra Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat on Friday tabled two bills in the state legislative council aimed at establishing separate commissions for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.

The Maharashtra cabinet had last month approved the establishment of a separate commission for the two communities on the lines of a similar body under the Centre.

A statement by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) issued last month said the Centre has two separate commissions for SC and ST communities. Both the commissions deal with different issues and hence it is necessary to have two separate commissions in the state as well and both of them will function independently.

The 51st Tribal Advisory Committee had recommended establishing a separate and independent commission for tribals in the state.

The draft bill for establishment of the Maharashtra State Commission for Scheduled Tribes states that the chairman will be from the ST community.

One member will be from the legal background who may be a retired sessions court judge or an advocate. An official who is not below the rank of joint secretary or a retired state or central government official will be a member, it said.

One member will be from a social work background, while another will be a former IPS officer who has enough experience to handle cases related to social justice. One of the four members will be a woman. The tenure of the members will be for three years.

An official not below the rank of deputy secretary in the state government will serve as the chief executive officer to carry out the administrative work. PTI PR NP