The Tamil Nadu government will introduce a Bill in the ongoing session of the Assembly to establish an autonomous Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Commission, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said on Wednesday.
He said orders had been issued to establish four more special courts for expediting the trial of cases registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The additional courts would be opened in Salem, Krishnagiri, Madurai and Tirunelveli districts, where cases were pending in large numbers.
Huge pendency
“Though special courts are currently functioning in Madurai and Tirunelveli districts, additional special courts are being established in view of the huge pendency of cases in these districts,” the Chief Minister said in a suo motu statement in the Assembly.
The compensation granted to persons affected by atrocities would be increased to a minimum of ₹1 lakh and a maximum of ₹12 lakh, depending on the severity, he added.
At present, a minimum of ₹85,000 and a maximum of ₹8,25,000 is being granted as compensation.
In a bid to improve the educational standards at schools run by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department, Mr. Stalin said the teachers at these institutions would be trained with guidance from the School Education Department. “But these schools would continue to be administered by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department,” he added.
Mr. Stalin said ‘model villages’ having common cremation grounds would be awarded a cash prize of ₹10 lakh for carrying out development projects.
