The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) is a constitutional body established by Article 338 of the Constitution.
The SCs constitute 16.6% of India’s population spread all over the country, with 80% of them living in the rural areas. They constitute more than a fifth of the population of UP, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal. Punjab has the highest proportion of SCs to the State population.
More than half of the SC population is concentrated in the five States of Uttar Pradesh (20.5%), west Bengal (10.7%), Tamil Nadu (7.2%) and Bihar (8.2%). Due to their social disability and economic backwardness, they were grossly handicapped in getting reasonable share in elected offices, Government jobs and educational institutions and, therefore, it was considered necessary to follow a policy of reservations in their favour to ensure their equitable participation in governance.
Functions of NCSC
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes monitors the safeguards provided for Scheduled Castes and also reviews issues concerning their welfare.
