VIGILANCE COMMITTEESCentral

Section 29 of The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013

(1)The Central Government shall, by notification, constitute a Central MonitoringCommittee in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(2)The Central Monitoring Committee shall consist of the following members,namely:—
1. (a)The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment—Chairperson,ex officio;
2. (b)Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes—member,ex officio;
3. (c)Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment—member, ex officio;
4. (d)Chairperson, National Commission for Safai Karamcharis—member, ex officio;
5. (e)the Member of the Planning Commission dealing with development of theScheduled Castes— member, ex officio;
6. (f)three elected members of Parliament belonging to Scheduled Castes, two fromthe Lok Sabha and one from the Rajya Sabha;
7. (g)Secretaries of the Ministries of,—
  1. (i)Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Social Justice andEmpowerment;
  2. (ii)Urban Development;
  3. (iii)Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation;
  4. (iv)Drinking Water and Sanitation;
  5. (v)Panchayati Raj;
  6. (vi)Finance, Department of Financial Services; and
  7. (vii)Defence, members, ex officio;
8. (h)Chairman, Railway Board—member, ex officio;
  1. (i)Director-General, Defence Estates—member, ex officio;
9. (j)representatives of not less than six State Governments and one Union territory,as the Central Government may, notify;
10. (k)not more than six social workers belonging to organisation working for theprohibition of manual scavenging and rehabilitation of manual scavengers, or,representing the scavenger community, resident in the country, to be nominated bythe Chairperson, two of whom shall be women;
11. (l)Joint Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment in theMinistry of Social Justice and Empowerment, looking after development of ScheduledCastes—Member-Secretary, ex officio;
12. (m)such other representatives of Central Ministries or Departments and agencieswhich, in the opinion of the Chairperson, are concerned with the implementation ofthis Act.
(3)The Central Monitoring Committee shall meet at least once in every six months.

Summary

The Central Government must set up a Central Monitoring Committee through an official notice.
The Chairperson is the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment.
The committee includes many high-ranking officials, such as the Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and several Union Secretaries.
Three Members of Parliament (two from Lok Sabha, one from Rajya Sabha) are part of the committee.
It includes representatives from at least six State Governments and one Union Territory.
The committee must meet at least once every six months.

Practical examples

1In May 2024, the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment called a meeting in Delhi. They reviewed progress reports from six different states to see if the national rehabilitation targets were being met.

2During a committee meeting in November 2024, the Chairman of the Railway Board provided an update on the progress of removing insanitary practices on railway tracks across the country.

FAQ

1. Who is the head of the Central Monitoring Committee?

The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment is the Chairperson.

2. Are there members of the public on this committee?

Yes, there can be up to six social workers, and at least two of them must be women.

3. How often does this committee meet?

They are required to meet at least once every six months.

Test yourself

Q1.Under Section 29 of The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, who serves as the Chairperson of the Central Monitoring Committee?

Q2.According to Section 29 of The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, how many Members of Parliament sit on the committee?

Q3.Under Section 29 of The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, which official represents the interests of the railways?

Q4.How does the meeting frequency of the Central Monitoring Committee in Section 29 compare to the Vigilance Committee in Section 24?

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