ANNUAL REPORTS ON SC,ST & OBC : POLITY

ANNUAL REPORTS ON SC,ST & OBC : POLITY

NEWS: Over a dozen annual reports of SC, ST and OBC panels yet to be made public

WHAT’S IN THE NEWS?

The delay in submission and tabling of annual reports by the NCSC, NCST, and NCBC undermines constitutional accountability and weakens the policy feedback loop for marginalized communities. Timely submission is critical for transparency, effective parliamentary scrutiny, and informed governance on SC, ST, and OBC welfare.

Context: Delayed Annual Reports by National Commissions

  • Over the past seven years, more than a dozen annual reports from the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), and National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) have not been made public.
  • As of now:
  • NCSC has failed to submit reports for the last 2 years.
  • NCST has 5 pending reports (2018–2023).
  • NCBC hasn’t submitted reports for the last 3 years.

Constitutional Mandate for Annual Reports

  • Under the Constitution of India:
  • NCSC (Article 338), NCST (Article 338A), and NCBC (Article 338B) are required to submit annual reports to the President.
  • These reports must detail:
  • The status of constitutional safeguards,
  • Policy implementation, and
  • Recommendations for the protection and development of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs.
  • Reports serve as a tool for governance, accountability, and inclusive policy design, offering insights for Union and State Governments.

Impact of Delays on Policy and Governance

  • Key policy areas affected by these reports include:
  • Reservation criteria and implementation in jobs and education.
  • Creamy-layer exclusion norms within OBCs.
  • Community reclassification or inclusion/exclusion from the central list.
  • Recommendations on socio-economic schemes (healthcare, housing, infrastructure).
  • Delayed reports mean:
  • Missed opportunities to fine-tune welfare programs.
  • Parliamentarians and civil society are left uninformed about the progress or neglect of key issues.
  • It creates a policy vacuum in addressing urgent needs of marginalized groups.

Constitutional Oversight and Parliamentary Scrutiny

  • The President is expected to lay the reports before Parliament, enabling legislative scrutiny.
  • Followed by action-taken reports (ATRs) from the concerned Ministries.
  • Regular tabling ensures:
  • Transparency,
  • Executive accountability, and
  • Opportunity for Parliament to discuss and debate welfare delivery.

Reasons for Delay in Report Submission and Tabling

  • Time-Consuming Action-Taken Reports:
  • Ministries and States take time to respond to the commission’s recommendations before final tabling.
  • Broad Scope of Reports:
  • Inputs are needed from multiple states and ministries, especially on sensitive issues like reservations and inclusion in beneficiary lists.
  • Resource Constraints:
  • Commissions operate with limited administrative and research staff, affecting report drafting and review timelines.
  • Nodal ministries often deprioritize the tabling of these reports due to other legislative business.

Current Status of Commission Reports

  • NCSC:
  • 2022–23 report submitted in February 2024 to the President but not tabled in Parliament yet.
  • NCST:
  • Five reports (2018–19 to 2022–23) pending tabling. All have been submitted to the President.
  • NCBC:
  • Reports for 2022–23 and 2023–24 still being printed. Yet to be submitted for Presidential review.

Challenges in Efficient Report Preparation

  • Insufficient resources for documentation, research, and inter-ministerial coordination.
  • Low prioritization by administrative departments responsible for final vetting.
  • Absence of digital workflow systems delays information gathering and formatting.
  • No fixed timeline or accountability framework exists for tabling of these reports.

Consequences of Non-Disclosure and Delay

  • Undermines constitutional accountability of commissions.
  • Reduces public confidence in the government’s commitment to marginalized communities.
  • Deprives civil society and researchers of access to valuable data and recommendations.
  • Prevents a feedback loop necessary for improving targeted schemes and rights protection.
  • Makes it difficult to monitor whether central and state governments have acted on past recommendations.

Way Forward and Recommendations

  • Strengthen institutional capacity by increasing budgetary and staffing support to NCSC, NCST, and NCBC.
  • Digitize report workflows and create online dashboards to track progress of report preparation and tabling.
  • Time-bound protocol: Mandate that annual reports must be submitted and tabled within six months of the financial year’s end.
  • Empower Standing Committees in Parliament to call for interim reviews or progress updates.
  • Make reports publicly accessible online post-tabulation to improve civic engagement and transparency.
  • Encourage the President’s Secretariat to expedite laying of reports in both Houses.

Conclusion

  • The delay in submitting and tabling reports by NCSC, NCST, and NCBC is a serious setback to the constitutional oversight mechanism designed to protect India's most marginalized groups.
  • It is essential to restore timely functioning of these commissions to maintain trust in constitutional bodies and promote evidence-based policymaking in the social justice sector.

 

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/more-than-dozen-annual-reports-across-commissions-for-scs-sts-and-obcs-yet-to-be-made-public/article69490457.ece