Against Increasing Violence on Women and Children

THIS 24th Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) expresses great concern about growing violence against women and children in the decade of BJP rule. Data from the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) ‘Crime in India’ reports indicates that the number of reported crimes against women increased from 3.37 lakh in 2014 to 4.45 lakh in 2022, marking an increase of over 30 per cent. This increase in the number of crimes is, unfortunately, accompanied with increased brutality.

It is to be noted that violence against dalit women and children has also increased in this period. Statistics from the NCRB reveal a surge of 45 per cent in reported cases of rapes against dalit women from 2015 to 2020. The situation worsened when incidents of such violence doubled between 2020 (7,397 incidents) and 2021 (15,855 incidents). Very disturbingly, incidents of rape of Dalit minor girls increased by 21.8 per cent in 2021 (1,285 incidents) over 2020 (1,055 incidents). The NCRB reported in 2021 that, while more than 10 dalit women and minor girls were raped every day, there were convictions in only 24 per cent of the cases.

According to the NCRB report of 2021, BJP-ruled states were the worst offenders: Uttar Pradesh (1,554 cases) reported the highest number of the cases, followed by Rajasthan (1,274 cases), Madhya Pradesh (1,222 cases), Maharashtra (862), and then Haryana (543).

Crimes against women also include trafficking and sex-selected abortions. Years after the PCPNDT Act was passed and despite government propaganda to the contrary, the Indian sex ratio for 2024 is 943 females for every 1000 males, which indicates that the basic right to life is being denied to lakhs of females every year.

Trafficking of Indian women has shown a spurt. Nearly 20,000 women and children were victims of human trafficking in India in 2016, a rise of nearly 25 per cent from the previous year (GoI data). In January 2025, India's Home Ministry informed Parliament that as many as 10,659 cases of trafficking were reported between 2018 and 2022 and that only about one-tenth of the suspects in these cases have been convicted. The discrepancy in the numbers of those trafficked is due to faulty registration of cases. A UN report says that one of 6 trafficked women in the world is Indian. The enormity of the problem and the complete inadequacy of the government’s response are shocking. 

Crime and atrocities against working women at the working places are equally concerning.  Amongst many such, the recent cases of R G Kar Medical College Hospital and Ankita case at a resort in Rishikesh are glaring ones.  Even in entertainment industry such cases are common, which is seen by Hema Committee Report.

The presence of a government committed to a Manuvadi right-wing ideology has certainly contributed to this spike in atrocities against women. The Sangh Parivar, to which the BJP belongs, promotes patriarchal views and policies and, therefore, it is not a coincidence that perpetrators of violence against women, including rapists and murderers, receive their unstinting support and protection. This has been seen time and again in the Bilkis Bano case, the Hathras rape case, the Brij Bhushan Saran Singh case, the BHU gang-rape case, the Ram Rahim case and, most horrifically, in the Prajwal Revanna case. Even more disturbing is the fact that various kinds of domestic violence, including marital rape, are supported by them as being essential to preserve the holy institution of matrimony.

The BJP governments at the centre and in some of the states are deliberately undermining or withdrawing whatever legal and administrative infrastructures that were available for the protection and rehabilitation of victims of violence.  Thus their right to obtain justice is being taken away from them.

The 24th Congress of the CPI(M) demands:

1)    Effective prosecution of all cases of violence against women and punishment of all those guilty of dereliction of duty. 

2)    Serious efforts must be made to ensure legal aid to the survivor or family of the victim. We must demand that their security and other needs are addressed by the Government and we must also come forward to help them in every way.

Combat Drug Addiction among Youngsters

THE 24th Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) expresses serious concern about drug addiction among youngsters worldwide, including India. This pressing issue necessitates immediate attention, collective action, and concrete solutions. Drug addiction affects not only health but also education, employment, and social stability, undermining the potential of young people to contribute to national development.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drugs Report highlights the rising prevalence of substance use disorders among adolescents and young adults, driven by social alienation, peer pressure, and easy access to illicit substances. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that approximately 270 million people worldwide, aged 15-64, used illicit drugs in 2020. Youth remain the most vulnerable in demographic terms.

India, with its vast youth population, faces a serious drug addiction crisis. Reports from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) indicate alarming trends in the consumption of opioids, cannabis, and synthetic drugs. Nearly 3.1 lakh individuals in India struggle with drug addiction. The 2019 National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India found that 14.6 per cent of individuals aged 10-19 years used psychoactive substances.

Concerns and Recommendations: There is an urgent need for comprehensive strategies encompassing prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and law enforcement. This Party Congress recommends the following:

1.     Strengthening Prevention and Awareness Programmes: Implement awareness campaigns in schools, colleges, and communities to educate youngsters about drug abuse risks.

2.     Enhancing Treatment and Rehabilitation Facilities: Increase access to quality treatment centres, incorporating evidence-based interventions and counselling.

3.     Enforcing Stringent Laws and Regulations: Strengthen enforcement mechanisms to curb the illicit drug trade and ensure effective implementation of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

4.     Promoting Community-Based Initiatives: Engage parents, teachers, and local leaders to create a supportive environment and provide positive alternatives.

5.     Increasing Funding and Resource Allocation: Allocate sufficient funds to support anti-drug initiatives, treatment centres, and research programmes.

The 24th Congress of the CPI(M) urges the Government of India to take immediate and sustained action against drug addiction among youngsters. A comprehensive National Action Plan is needed to combat drug abuse effectively. It is only collective action, commitment, and cooperation among governments, civil society, and individuals that can help mitigate the menace of drug addiction among youngsters.

Conduct General Census Including Caste Census Immediately

THE 24th Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), expresses grave concern that the decadal census, which was due in 2021, has not been held so far. The Centre has also not extended the deadline of June 2024 to freeze administrative boundaries which are necessary to conduct the census as per the administrative boundaries like districts, taluk, block or village levels.

The 2021 census, which should have begun in 2020, is indefinitely delayed. The government had then stated that the census operations can be conducted only after Covid, but even after four years, there are no signs of the census being held. The data provided by the census enables policy planners and administrators to design policies which cater to different sections of people.

From the time of British rule, census has been conducted every ten years without fail. Even in 1941, during the Second World War, census was held on a truncated basis. Census provides not only a population count, but also comprehensive data which includes household data, cultivating classes and agricultural workers in the rural areas. It also provides a picture of the urban-rural population, linguistic-speaking groups and data about Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Apart from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes who are enumerated in the general census, there is no data on the Other Backward Classes. It is necessary to have an accurate count of the various categories of Other Backward Classes. Hence, the 24th Congress of the CPI(M) supports the demand for a caste census.

A caste census will help in understanding the link between caste and socio-economic, educational development, assess the impact of ruling class policies and reservations for the welfare of the backward classes. The reality of SC, ST and certain OBC caste groups who are still denied access to resources and opportunities will come out through the caste census. The bankrupt policies of the ruling classes and their failure in realising social justice will be exposed.

By not conducting the census, the one-third reservation for women in parliament and state legislatures provided for by the constitutional amendment has been pushed to a distant future (at least not in 2029).

The government is showing no inclination to conduct a census because of its general contempt for statistical surveys conducted on a scientific basis. Various surveys have either been suppressed or the statistical parameters for the survey altered to distort it. The census has become a victim of the anti-scientific outlook of the BJP and the Hindutva forces. The data collected in a caste census will expose the inequalities in the caste system and puncture the Sangh Parivar’s claims of an over-arching religious identity.

To ensure that policy making is driven by scientific data and to ensure justice for all oppressed sections in society, it is imperative to demand that the much-delayed 2021 census, along with caste census be held immediately.

The 24th Congress of the CPI(M) demands that the union government immediately conduct the general census and along with it a caste census. It appeals to all the democratic sections in the country to support and press this demand.

Ensure Dignity and Justice for the Disabled

THE 24th Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) expresses its deep indignation at the continued neglect and deprivation that India’s disabled population faces.

The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) estimates that more than 50 per cent of India’s disabled population lives below the poverty line. Pitiable living conditions are a major contributor to disability. Additional costs towards assistive devices, healthcare, caregiving, transportation etc. accentuates their already miserable conditions. Disabled people countenance discrimination, economic deprivation and social marginalization.

The neo-liberal policies pursued aggressively under the Modi government have further accentuated their already miserable living conditions. Privatisation, outsourcing and contractualisation dilute the four per cent reservation in government jobs.

Livelihood challenges faced by people with disabilities in India are aggravated by inadequate support systems, inaccessible public infrastructure and workplaces. This is compounded with systemic neglect and discrimination which further deprives them of sustainable livelihood opportunities.

Unemployment among the disabled is as high as 65 per cent as per the 2011 census. Placement of those registered with the special employment exchanges is as low as 0.9 per cent. Though there is no authentic data available, available data suggests that the employment rate in the private sector is an abysmal 0.58 per cent. Cuts in allocations for programmes like MNREGA have further worsened an already grim scenario.

Large sections of the disabled population are compelled to be dependent on social security pensions. Despite all the rhetoric of Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas, the Modi government has refused to enhance allocations for the Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS). Even the recommendation of the Standing Committee to substantially increase it has been ignored. Budgetary allocations have remained stagnant for a long time with no upward revision in the miserly amount of Rs 300 per month since 2012.

Notwithstanding the provision in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPDA) that a person with a disability of 40 per cent or more is eligible for various entitlements, for availing IGNDPS one has to have a disability of at least 80 per cent. Additional conditions like BPL category and the 18-29 age bracket ensures that more than 96 per cent of the disabled population identified by the 2011 census remains excluded from this scheme. Financial constraints imposed by the centre’s policies also hinder state governments from discharging their responsibilities.

While designing social security schemes, the additional costs that disability entail are not factored in. The RPDA mandate that the quantum of assistance given to disabled persons be 25 per cent higher as compared to others in similar schemes stands violated.

For ensuring a dignified life for India’s disabled population, the 24th Congress of the CPI(M) demands:

1.     Extend reservations in jobs to the private sector. Extend four per cent job reservation to temporary, casual and contractual employment.

2.     Enact a “Right to Pension Act” with guaranteed provision for annual increment to account for inflation.

3.     Remove the exclusionary criteria in the IGNDPS.

4.     Enhance the Central share of pension to Rs 5,000 per month.

5.     Provide AAY cards to all disabled.

6.     Provide caregiver allowance.