Madhya Pradesh Prioritises Cow Welfare Over Dalit, Tribal Uplift

Amid Increasing Atrocities on SCs/STs

Newsreel Asia Insight #298
August 1, 2024

Madhya Pradesh is reportedly allocating money intended for the welfare of scheduled castes (SC) and scheduled tribes (ST) to develop religious sites, museums and cow welfare initiatives. This shift in priorities comes as crimes against these marginalised communities have seen a steep increase.

At least 957.6 million rupees, originally allocated for SC/ST welfare under a fully centrally funded sub-plan, is now redirected to cow welfare programs like Gau Samvardhan and Pashi Samvardhan, Hindustan Times reported, saying that this year, the cow welfare fund itself has risen to 2.52 billion rupees from around 900 million rupees in the previous year.

For the redevelopment of six religious sites across the state, nearly half of the funds for this financial year have been drawn from the SC/ST sub-plan. Projects include developments at Shri Devi Mahalok in Sehore, Saint Shri Ravidas Mahalok in Sagar, Shri Ram Raja Mahalok in Orchha, Shri Ramchandra Vanvasi-Mahalok in Chitrakut, and a memorial for former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in Gwalior, totalling more than 1 million rupees.

The state administration’s logic is that the SC and ST communities would benefit indirectly from the infrastructure improvements.

Parallel to these financial diversions, crime against SCs and STs has alarmingly increased in Madhya Pradesh and other states. Between 2018 and 2022, Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of crimes against STs, with incidents nearly doubling from 1,868 to 2,979, according to The Wire, which pointed out that crimes against SCs in the state also showed a significant rise.

Nationwide, atrocities against SCs and STs surged from 42,793 incidents in 2018 to 57,571 in 2022, with similar increases reported in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Maharashtra.

Amendments to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in 2015 sought to enhance legal frameworks, establish exclusive courts and ensure faster trials, but the diversion of funds by Madhya Pradesh raises questions about the actual effectiveness of these measures.

Article 46 of the Indian Constitution, which falls under the Directive Principles of State Policy, aims to promote the educational and economic interests of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other weaker sections of society. It reads: “The State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and, in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.”

The reallocation raises questions about equity, prioritisation and fairness in government spending. It can be perceived as sidelining the urgent needs of marginalised communities in favour of more general or less critical projects.

Such actions might also be critiqued from an international perspective, particularly concerning human rights and economic development standards set by global bodies like the United Nations.