Continue SC Status for Dalit Christians, AP Tells JBC

 Vijayawada: The AP government has informed Justice Balakrishnan Commission (JBC) that scheduled caste (SC) status should continue for Dalits who may embrace Christianity, as their living standards do not change even if they change their religion.

AP social welfare minister Merugu Nagarjuna informed media about this stand taken by the state government when the commission headed by Justice K.G. Balakrishnan appointed by the union government to go into the Dalit Christians issue held an inquiry at the state secretariat on the matter.

Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat in Velagapudi here on Tuesday, the minister pointed out that in various states, SCs who convert to Sikhism and Buddhism are allowed to retain their SC caste even after changing their religion. Likewise, he said, Dalits, who have converted to Christianity, must also be allowed to continue as scheduled castes.

Nagarjuna said even if SCs may become Christians, they continue to be poor while living in miserable conditions. In this context, he pointed out that at the behest of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, AP Legislative Assembly passed a resolution on March 24, 2023, asking the central government to let SCs, who become Christians, to retain their scheduled caste status, so that they can avail the benefits statutorily available to SCs.

The minister said AP has submitted a report to JBC on the welfare programmes that the state government is implementing for development of SCs in the state. He said committee members Justice Balakrishnan, Dr. Ravindra Kumar Jain and Prof. Sushma Yadav appreciated the report and wanted that other states follow the example of Andhra Pradesh.

Nagarjuna reiterated that Jagan Mohan Reddy government is committed to the welfare of SCs in the state. He underlined that 1.23 crore SC beneficiaries have been provided Rs 57,828 crore during the last five years through Navaratnalu and other schemes. Further, Rs 62,270 crore have been spent on welfare of SCs through SC Sub Plan (SC Component).

The minister reminded that in the past, central government had officially declared AP as number one in the country in providing assistance to SC families through SC Sub Plan, in granting maximum post-matric scholarships to SC students, and in providing financial assistance to a large number of SC women groups.

Currently, there are 59 castes in the list of SCs in the state.