Jeetan Ram Manjhi (right) hands over the appointment letter to an SC woman who lost her husband recently. Picture by Amit Kumar

Bhagalpur, July 27: The state government has decided to provide succour to rape victims from Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe categories.

Minister for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe welfare Jeetan Ram Manjhi said the state government has decided to provide Grade III or Grade IV government jobs to any rape victim from ST/SC communities in the state.

Manjhi, who handed over appointment letters of Grade IV government jobs to the next of kin of ST/SC victims of atrocities yesterday, told mediapersons that the state government would soon arrange Grade III and Grade IV government job for any rape victim from downtrodden communities. “The victim would receive Rs 50,000 and a government job according to her qualification. The state government provides government job and immediate compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh to the next of kin of any victim who dies. Similarly, we plan to provide compensation and a job to any rape victim from those communities to help bring them to the mainstream,” he said.

Manjhi expressed concern over the delay of proper implementation of ST/SC atrocity prevention acts of 1989 and 1995. He said the government would soon bring out a proposal of providing job and compensation to a rape victim from the two communities in the state. He said such orders would be circulated through the department concerned soon after formalities are complete to make it a norm.

He said the government was also considering introducing the change in the grades of government jobs for SC/ST victims who are killed. “So far, Grade IV jobs were given to the next of kin of such victims. But since education has improved, the living standard of the community members, who are graduates or master degree holders, has improved, we have decided to upgrade such Grade IV jobs to Grade III ones,” he said. Manjhi said for changing the norms, the government would soon introduce an amendment to the act and would complete the formalities.

Manjhi said the government also has decided to open SC/ST police stations in each district to curb any type of atrocity on the community members as well as to provide them justice. “There are only 10 SC/ST police stations in Bihar. But we have instructed the police in districts, which do not have SC/ST police stations, to handle cases related to those communities carefully. If any police officer fails to help out any community member, he would be punished,” he said.