ABOUT US
INTRODUCTION
The Social Welfare Department created vide Notification No.75/Home/2021 dated: 22.10.2021 after the bifurcation of earlier Social Justice and Welfare Department holds the responsibility and creates opportunities to cater to the disadvantaged. The Department is the nodal department for overall planning, coordination and implementation of all the activities of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Ministry of Minority Affairs. The primary objective of the Department is to safeguard the rights of every citizen specially the deprived and the underprivileged from the Scheduled Caste (SC) and the Scheduled Tribe (ST), the Other Backward Classes (OBC), Economically Backward Classes (EBC), minorities and the other vulnerable sections of the society through schemes and projects that are centrally sponsored as well as funded by the state government as per the allocation of business detailed as under:
ALLOCATION OF BUSINESS AMENDMENT RULES, 2021
(1) All matters connected with welfare of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
(2) Economic betterment schemes for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes.
(3) Educational development schemes for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes.
(4) Facilities for vocational training for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes.
(5) Post metric scholarship schemes (CSS) for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes.
(6) Tribal Sub Plan
(7) Special Component Plan for Scheduled Caste
(8) Scheduled Caste Welfare Board and Scheduled Tribe Welfare Board
(9) Monitoring and evaluation of Schemes for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe under other Departments and agencies.
(10) Welfare of voluntary organizations dealing in the field of welfare of SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities.
(11) Commission for Backward Classes.
(12) Monitoring of Prime Minister’s 150 programme concerning minorities.
(13) Operation of other extended and enforced welfare acts pertaining to SCs, STs and OBCs.
(14) Public services-statutory rules of the services with which the department is concerned.
(15) All other matters relating to the department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Minority Affairs and Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.
The flagship programmes undertaken by Social Welfare Department are as under:
| 1 |
Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PMAJAY) |
| 2 |
PM Young Achievers Scholarship Award for Vibrant India for OBCs and others (PM YASASVI) |
| 3 |
Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 |
| 4 |
National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) |
| 5 |
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 |
| 6 |
Pre Matric and Post Matric Scholarship to Scheduled Caste Students |
| 7 |
Pradhan Mantri Aadi Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAAGY) |
| 8 |
Article 275(1) of the Constitution of India |
| 9 |
Eklavya Model Residential Schools |
| 10 |
Research, documentation and development of Scheduled Tribes under Tribal Research Institute |
| 11 |
Post Matric Scholarship to Scheduled Tribe Students |
| 12 |
Pre Matric Scholarship to Scheduled Tribe Students |
| 13 |
Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) |
| 14 |
Pradhan Mantri Virasat ka Samvardhan (PMVIKAS) |
| 15 |
Pre Matric Scholarship to Minority Students |
| 16 |
Post Matric Scholarship to Minority Students |
| 17 |
Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship to Minority Students |
The Social Welfare Department is functioning with a dedicated manpower consisting of 45 gazetted officers and 250 Group C and D staff and comprises of the following sections/divisions at the headquarter:
- Administration Section,
- Accounts Section,
- Social Justice Division,
- Tribal Affairs Division
- Minority Affairs Division,
- Engineering Cell,
- IT Cell,
- Legal Cell and
- PME Cell.
Further, the Department has Welfare Offices in all the 06 districts of the state headed by Senior Welfare Officers and Welfare Officers who report not only to the Head of the Department but also to the concerned District Collectors; thereby achieving proactive implementation of all the schemes at the grass root level.
The Department has been working in tandem with the policy makers as well as the public in earnest for the protection and empowerment of the marginalised sections of the society striving for an ideal Sikkimese society.
