New Delhi: The Centre has proposed a significant increase in financial compensation for victims of atrocities against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), with the maximum assistance potentially rising from ₹8.25 lakh to nearly ₹12 lakh. While strengthening protection for vulnerable communities is an important responsibility of the state, the proposal also raises legitimate questions about the growing burden on taxpayers and whether compensation-based measures alone can address the deeper problems surrounding the implementation of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has proposed revising compensation under the Act in line with the rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The minimum compensation is expected to increase from ₹85,000 to ₹1 lakh. The proposal, which has been sent to the Expenditure Finance Committee for approval, would mark the first major revision in a decade, with the previous increase having been implemented in 2016.
The government has also proposed a one-time financial assistance of ₹5 lakh to states for establishing special police stations dedicated to cases involving atrocities against SC and ST communities. However, recurring expenditure for these facilities would have to be borne by the respective state governments, meaning that taxpayers would ultimately finance their continued operation.
This raises an important question: should increasing public expenditure be the primary response when the existing institutional machinery remains inadequate?
A parliamentary standing committee recently expressed concern that, despite more than three decades of the Prevention of Atrocities Act, only seven states and Union Territories have established such dedicated police stations. Government data shows that 181 special police stations are currently functioning across Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry. Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, despite reporting high numbers of atrocities against SCs, have no dedicated special police stations.
The situation highlights a larger implementation gap. Before committing additional public money to compensation and infrastructure, governments must ensure that cases are investigated fairly, perpetrators are prosecuted effectively and victims receive timely justice.
At the same time, concerns over the taxpayer burden deserve attention. Public resources are limited, and every additional compensation commitment ultimately comes from government revenues. Taxpayers, including people from economically struggling sections of the so-called forward castes, also expect their contributions to be utilised efficiently and without creating perceptions of unequal treatment.
Protecting SC and ST citizens from genuine atrocities is essential. But social justice must go hand in hand with due process, institutional accountability, fiscal prudence and equal protection of law for every citizen, irrespective of caste.
