New Delhi, Sept 15: A child with either of the
parents belonging to a scheduled caste (SC) could be
considered a member of the community if a proposal for an
amendment to the Constitution gets the government's nod.
Under the present statute, a child with an SC father
is only deemed to be belonging to the scheduled caste
community. If only the mother belongs to the scheduled caste,
the child does not get the status.
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has mooted
a proposal for an amendment in the Constitution (Scheduled
Castes) Order, 1950 to make the provision "gender neutral", a
senior official said.
"The proposal is in circulation at the Union Cabinet,"
official told media.
"We have a male dominated society here. And, so
children get the status of the community/caste their fathers
belong to, regardless of the community the mothers belong to."
Consequently, child of a non-SC father in cases
where mother is a member of SC community remains devoid of the
benefits accorded to SC community, he said.
"The proposal of the ministry is an attempt to make
the provision 'gender neutral' so that children whose either
of the parents are member of SC, can also get the status of
being member of the community," the official said, adding the
proposal is awaiting Cabinet's nod.
Bureau Report
