24. Vigilance Committees.—(1) Every State Government shall, by notification, constitute a
Vigilance Committee for each district and each Sub-Division.
(2) Each Vigilance Committee constituted for a district shall consist of the following members,
namely:—
(a) the District Magistrate—Chairperson, ex officio;
(b) all members of the State Legislature belonging to the Scheduled Castes elected from the
district—members:
Provided that if a district has no member of the State Legislature belonging to the Scheduled
Castes, the State Government may nominate such number of other members of the State Legislature
from the district, not exceeding two, as it may deem appropriate.
(c) the district Superintendent of Police— member, ex officio;
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(d) the Chief Executive Officer of,—
(i) the Panchayat at the district level—member, ex officio;
(ii) the Municipality of the district headquarters—member, ex officio;
(iii) any other Municipal Corporation constituted in the district— member, ex officio;
(iv) Cantonment Board, if any, situated in the district—member, ex officio;
(e) one representative be nominated by the railway authority located in the district;
(f) not more than four social workers belonging to organisation working for the prohibition of
manual scavenging and rehabilitation of manual scavengers, or, representing the scavenger
community, resident in the district, to be nominated by the District Magistrate, two of whom shall be
women;
(g) one person to represent the financial and credit institutions in the district, to be nominated by
the District Magistrate;
(h) the district-level officer in-charge of the Scheduled Castes Welfare— Member-Secretary,
ex officio;
(i) district-level officers of Departments and agencies who, in the opinion of the District
Magistrate, subject to general orders, if any, of the State Government, have a significant role to play
in the implementation of this Act.
(3) Each Vigilance Committee, constituted for a Sub-Division, shall consist of the following
members, namely:—
(a) the Sub-Divisional Magistrate—Chairperson, ex officio;
(b) the Chairpersons and the Chief Executive Officers of Panchayats at intermediate level of the
Sub-Division, and where Panchayats at intermediate level, do not exist, Chairpersons from two
Panchayats at Village level to be nominated by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate—member, ex officio;
(c) the Sub-Divisional Officer of Police—member, ex officio;
(d) Chief Executive Officer of—
(i) the Municipality of the Sub-Divisional headquarters—member, ex officio; and
(ii) Cantonment Board, if any, situated in the Sub-Division—member, ex officio;
(e) one representative to be nominated by the railway authority located in the
Sub-Division—member, ex officio;
(f) two social workers belonging to the organisation working for the prohibition of manual
scavenging and rehabilitation of the manual scavengers, or representing the scavenger community
resident in the Sub-Division, to be nominated by the District Magistrate, one of whom shall be a
woman;
(g) one person to represent the financial and credit institutions in the Sub-Division, to be
nominated by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate;
(h) the Sub-Divisional level officer in-charge of Scheduled Castes welfare— Member-Secretary,
ex officio;
(i) Sub-Divisional level officers of Department and agencies who in the opinion of the
Sub-Divisional Magistrate, subject to any general orders of the State Government or the District
Magistrate, have a significant role to play in the implementation of this Act—member, ex officio.
(4) Each Vigilance Committee constituted at district and Sub-Divisional level shall meet at least once
in every three months.
(5) No proceeding of a Vigilance Committees shall be invalid merely by reason of any defect in its
constitution.
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25. Functions of Vigilance Committee.—The functions of Vigilance Committee shall be—
(a) to advise the District Magistrate or, as the case may be, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, on the
action which needs to be taken, to ensure that the provisions of this Act or of any rule made
thereunder are properly implemented;
(b) to oversee the economic and social rehabilitation of manual scavengers;
(c) to co-ordinate the functions of all concerned agencies with a view to channelise adequate
credit for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers;
(d) to monitor the registration of offences under this Act and their investigation and prosecution.
26. State Monitoring Committee.—(1) Every State Government shall, by notification, constitute a
State Monitoring Committee, consisting of the following members, namely:—
(a) the Chief Minister of State or a Minister nominated by him—Chairperson, ex officio;
(b) the Minister-in-charge of the Scheduled Castes Welfare, and such other Department, as the
State Government may notify;
(c) Chairperson of the State Commissions for Safai Karamcharis, and Scheduled Castes, if any—
member, ex officio;
(d) representatives of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, and Safai Karamcharis—
member, ex officio;
(e) not less than two members of the State Legislature belonging to the Scheduled Castes,
nominated by the State Government:
Provided that if any State Legislature has no member belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the State
Government may nominate the members belonging to the Scheduled Tribes;
(f) the Director-General of Police— member, ex officio;
(g) Secretaries to the State Government in the Departments of Home, Panchayati Raj, Urban
Local Bodies, and such other Departments, as the State Government may notify;
(h) Chief Executive Officer of at least one Municipal Corporation, Panchayat at the district-level,
Cantonment Board and railway authority as the State Government may notify;
(i) not more than four social workers belonging to organisation working for the prohibition of
manual scavenging and rehabilitation of manual scavengers, or, representing the scavenger
community, resident in the State, to be nominated by the State Government, two of whom shall be
women;
(j) State-level head of the convener Bank of the State Level Bankers’ Committee— member,
ex officio;
(k) Secretary of the Department of the State Government dealing with development of the
Scheduled Castes—Member-Secretary, ex officio;
(l) such other representative of Departments of the State Government and such other agencies
which, in the opinion of the State Government, are concerned with the implementation of this Act.
(2) The State Monitoring Committee shall meet at least once in every six months and shall observe
such rules of procedure in regard to the transaction of business at its meetings as may be prescribed.
27. Functions of the State Monitoring Committee.—The functions of the State Monitoring
Committee shall be—
(a) to monitor and advise the State Government and local authorities for effective implementation
of this Act;
(b) to co-ordinate the functions of all concerned agencies;
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(c) to look into any other matter incidental thereto or connected therewith for implementation of
this Act.
28. Duty of States or Union territories to send periodic reports to the Central Government.—
Every State or Union territory Government and Union territory administration shall send such periodic
reports to the Central Government about progress of implementation of this Act, as the Central
Government may require.
29. Central Monitoring Committee.—(1) The Central Government shall, by notification, constitute
a Central Monitoring Committee in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(2) The Central Monitoring Committee shall consist of the following members, namely:—
(a) The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment—Chairperson, ex officio;
(b) Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes—member, ex officio;
(c) Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment— member, ex officio;
(d) Chairperson, National Commission for Safai Karamcharis— member, ex officio;
(e) the Member of the Planning Commission dealing with development of the Scheduled
Castes—member, ex officio;
(f) three elected members of Parliament belonging to Scheduled Castes, two from the Lok Sabha
and one from the Rajya Sabha;
(g) Secretaries of the Ministries of,—
(i) Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment;
(ii) Urban Development;
(iii) Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation;
(iv) Drinking Water and Sanitation;
(v) Panchayati Raj;
(vi) Finance, Department of Financial Services; and
(vii) Defence,
members, ex officio;
(h) Chairman, Railway Board—member, ex officio;
(i) Director-General, Defence Estates— member, ex officio;
(j) representatives of not less than six State Governments and one Union territory, as the
Central Government may, notify;
(k) not more than six social workers belonging to organisation working for the prohibition of
manual scavenging and rehabilitation of manual scavengers, or, representing the scavenger
community, resident in the country, to be nominated by the Chairperson, two of whom shall be
women;
(l) Joint Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment in the Ministry of Social
Justice and Empowerment, looking after development of Scheduled Castes—Member-Secretary,
ex officio;
(m) such other representatives of Central Ministries or Departments and agencies which, in
the opinion of the Chairperson, are concerned with the implementation of this Act.
(3) The Central Monitoring Committee shall meet at least once in every six months.
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30. Functions of the Central Monitoring Committee.—The functions of the Central Monitoring
Committee shall be,—
(a) to monitor and advise the Central Government and State Government for effective
implementation of this Act and related laws and programmes;
(b) to co-ordinate the functions of all concerned agencies;
(c) to look into any other matter incidental to or connected with implementation of this Act.
31. Functions of National Commission for Safai Karamcharis.—(1) The National Commission for
Safai Karamcharis shall perform the following functions, namely:—
(a) to monitor the implementation of this Act;
(b) to enquire into complaints regarding contravention of the provisions of this Act, and to convey
its findings to the concerned authorities with recommendations requiring further action; and
(c) to advise the Central and the State Governments for effective implementation of the
provisions of this Act.
(d) to take suo motu notice of matter relating to non-implementation of this Act.
(2) In the discharge of its functions under sub-section (1), the National Commission shall have the
power to call for information with respect to any matter specified in that sub-section from any
Government or local or other authority.
32. Power of State Government to designate an appropriate authority to monitor the
implementation of this Act.—(1) The State Government may, by notification, designate a State
Commission for Safai Karamcharis or a State Commission for the Scheduled Castes or such other
statutory or other authority, as it deems fit, to perform, within the State, mutatis mutandis, the functions
specified in sub-section (1) of section 31.
(2) An authority designated under sub-section (1) shall, within the State, have, mutatis mutandis, the
powers of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis as specified in sub-section (2) of section 31.