The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the Nodal Ministry for matters relating to 1. Senior Citizens 2. Victims of alcoholism and substance abuse 3. Transgender Persons 4. Beggars / Destitute Which of the following statements is/are correct?
In the year 1985-86, the erstwhile Ministry of Welfare was bifurcated into the Department of Women and Child Development and the Department of Welfare. Simultaneously, the Scheduled Castes Development Division, Tribal Development Division, and the Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Division were moved from the Ministry of Home Affairs and also the Wakf Division from the Ministry of Law to form the then Ministry of Welfare Subsequently, the name of the Ministry was changed to the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment in May 1998. The Social Defence Division of the Department mainly caters to the requirements of: Senior Citizens Victims of alcoholism and substance abuse Transgender Persons Beggars / Destitute Senior Citizens : The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the Nodal Ministry for matters relating to the Senior Citizens. As per Census2011, the total population of Senior Citizens (people aged 60 years and above) is 10.38 crore, of which the population of males and females are 5.11crore and 5.27 crore respectively. The Ministry develops and implements Acts, Policies, and Programmes for the welfare of Senior Citizens in collaboration with State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations to ensure that Senior Citizens may lead a secure, dignified, and productive life. Victims of alcoholism and substance abuse- Drug and Alcohol abuse has become a major concern in India. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the nodal Ministry for drug demand reduction. It coordinates and monitors all aspects of drug abuse prevention which include assessment of the extent of the problem, preventive action, treatment and rehabilitation of addicts, dissemination of information, and public awareness. The Ministry provides community-based services for the identification, treatment, and rehabilitation of addicts through voluntary organizations. Transgender : Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has been dealing with the matters relating to Transgender Persons with effect from July 2012. An Expert Committee was constituted to make an in-depth study of the problems being faced by the Transgender Community. The Committee has submitted its report on 27th January 2014, suggesting various measures to ameliorate the condition of the transgender persons. The concerned Central Ministries and the State/ UT Governments are being consulted for their suggestions/views on the recommendations made by the Expert Committee and also confirm what action can be taken at their end. Beggary: The word ‘beggar’ or ‘beggary’ is not mentioned in any of the lists of the Constitution. However, as per entry-9 of the State List in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, “Relief of the disabled and unemployable” is a State subject. As per entry-15 of the Concurrent List, “Vagrancy” is a concurrent subject. The Ministry's approach towards addressing the problem of beggary is rehabilitative rather than punitive.