Delay in Submission of Annual Reports by National Commissions

National Commission of Schedule Caste Vice-Chairman Arun Haldar submitted the panel’s Annual Report 2022-23 to President Draupadi Murmu on February 16, 2024. However, it has not yet been laid in Parliament.

Current Status of Reports

• More than a dozen crucial reports from the commissions for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) have not been made public for up to seven years.
• The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) have not submitted their annual reports for the last two years, while the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) is behind by three years.

Constitutional Mandate

The commissions have a constitutional mandate to submit annual reports to the President, reviewing the implementation of safeguards for these communities and recommending measures for their protection, welfare, and socio-economic development.

Challenges and Delays

• Regular procedure requires the government to lay these reports in Parliament with action-taken reports, which are time-consuming due to the breadth of subjects covered.
• Officials from NCSC and NCST cited work in progress for upcoming reports and delays in previous years' submissions.

Resource and Timing Issues

• A former NCST official noted delays in reporting due to resource limitations and low prioritization by nodal ministries.
• Reports have been delayed in Parliament, making recommendations potentially irrelevant. For example, NCST's 2015-16 report was tabled in 2019, and subsequent reports were only tabled in 2023.

Recommendations for Improvement

• It's suggested that commissions be provided with adequate resources and experts to prepare reports throughout the year for timely submissions.