To fulfill the Dalit agenda and garner support from the community during 2019 Parliament elections, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Pawan, on Thursday revealed Central Government’s commitment to forward full relief to the SC & ST community, particularly on those matters in which the Apex Court would deliver adverse judgments.

“We will safe guard the interest of the dalit community at all cost whether it was matter related to relaxing SC & ST Act by the Apex Court, or other pending matters life facilitating reservation in promotions in government services or reservation on posts to be filled by University Grant Commission (UGC) etc”, asserted Paswan while adding their (Central Government) hands were tied as all the matters were pending in Apex Court. He claimed that once the decision will be pronounced and if went against the interest of the SC & ST community, the Central Government will immediately bring in ordinance to forward full relief to the Dalit community. Paswan make above comments while speaking on weakening of the SC & ST Act just as the Centre’s government not took the matter seriously.

Paswan further added that besides the above, the Centre government also decided to provide cheaper food grains (15 kg per person), meant for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families to those living in SC & ST hostels across the country, which included both government and private hostels. He said that in those hostels, where the 2/3 occupants are from SC & ST community, or minority class, then the same facility will be also forwarded there and even the students belonging to general category would have food grains at cheap price. He also advocated reservation for economically weaker section of all castes and communities.

Replying to question on ongoing agitation against the Centre Government on rising atrocities on dalits, Paswan said that such canard has been spread by Bahujan Samaj Party chief, Mayawati, who herself is `Anti-Dalit’ and responsible for weakening of SC & ST Act or forwarding reservation in promotions in the government jobs. ``When Mayawati was chief minister in 2007, her government issued two separate government orders, directing not to take any action in the SC & ST Act until a SP rank officer would clear the charges”, cited Paswan while claiming that the same order has been now followed by the Apex Court.

He said that similarly it was Mayawati’s negligence to follow the SC guidelines for giving reservation in promotion that led to demotions of the members of community who already got promotion till then. ``Mayawati just remembered Dalits when election was round the corner, otherwise she talks of Sarvjan Hitai-Sarvjan Sukhai’, the minister alleged.

When asked that even BJP leaders now visiting Dalit’s house to have dinner with them in wake of coming Parliament elections, Paswan said that constitution has given equal power `vote’ to everyone to select his government so anyone wanted to get vote of the Dalit Community had to visit their house and enquire about their well-being. Paswan also claimed that Media is unnecessary making hue and cry and never questioned when Congress president, Rahul Gandhi visited Dalit’s house to have dinner.

Speaking on the Rs 1900 crore of sugarcane growers arrears pending in the country towards the mills, Paswan said that the mill owners said that they were suffering loss due to high production cost and low sale value in the market so they were unable to clear the dues. Union Minister said that even the international prices are too low so the sugar could also not be exported. He said that the Centre was concerned with this problem hence now as they can not raised subsidy further due to intervention of WTO, so the Union Government had announced financial help of Rs 550 per quintal to the mills but this benefit has to be transferred by the mill owners directly into the bank accounts of farmers. He said that they also fixed quota of different mills to compel them to export at least 20 lakh tones of sugar in the international market. Union Minister also claimed to have made record procurement of wheat this year from Uttar Pradesh which is just double then the purchased made in April last year. Earlier Paswan held a review meeting with the officials of Food Corporation of India (FCI).