Agency overview | |
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Jurisdiction | Republic of India |
Headquarters | Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Shastri Bhawan, C-Wing, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road New Delhi,110011 New Delhi |
Annual budget | ₹6,908 crore (US$1.1 billion) (2017-18 est.) |
Minister responsible | |
Website | socialjustice |
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is a Government of India ministry. It is responsible for welfare, social justice and empowerment of disadvantaged and marginalised sections of society, including scheduled castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), the disabled, the elderly, and the victims of drug abuse. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is responsible for the welfare of scheduled tribes (ST).
The Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment holds cabinet rank as a member of the Council of Ministers. The current minister is Thawar Chand Gehlot, who is assisted by a Minister of State, Vijay Sampla, Krishan Pal Gujjar and Ramdas Athavale.
In the 1985-1986, the former Ministry of Welfare was divided into the Department of Women and Child Development and the Department of Welfare. At the same time, the Scheduled Castes Development Division, Tribal Development Division and the Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Wakf Division of the Ministry of Law left those ministries to form the new Ministry of Welfare.