Gujarat assembly panel suggests separate crematoriums for Dalits

The Scheduled Castes Welfare Committee of Gujarat Assembly on Monday suggested that the state Government should build separate crematoriums for Dalits in those villages where the community is still facing problems.

The Assembly panel, which serves as the watchdog of welfare schemes being run by various government departments for SCs in Gujarat, also recommended reservation system for the recruitment in self financed colleges in Gujarat.

These suggestions were made in two of the committee’s reports tabled today on the floor of the House.

In it’s scrutiny report on the welfare schemes for SCs run by the state Panchayats, Rural Housing and Rural Development department, The Assembly panel said Dalits are facing problems in conducting last rites of their family members in those villages where there are separate crematoriums for various castes.

Giving a solution, the Assembly panel recommended that government should utilise the central grant to build separate crematoriums for Dalits in those villages where the community is still facing problems for using that facility.

In another scrutiny report on state Education Department, the committee sought to know if the government implements reservation system for the recruitments conducted in self finance colleges in line with the reservation in place for granted colleges.

In it’s reply to the committee, the department said the Constitution does not provide for the provision of reservation in private sector, and that is why no grant is given to self financed colleges.

On this, the panel recommended that just like grant-in-aid colleges, the government should also implement reservation in recruitments in self financed colleges.

The committee, having nine members from both ruling BJP and opposition Congress, is headed by BJP MLA Bhanuben Babaria.