New Delhi

More than 57,000 cases of alleged atrocities and crimes against Scheduled Castes were registered across the country in 2023, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Responding to a question, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said that 57,789 cases of crimes and atrocities against Scheduled Castes were recorded in 2023, compared with 57,582 in 2022 and 50,900 in 2021.

The data was compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), he said in a written reply.

Athawale also stated that there is currently no proposal to amend the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, as the legislation has already been amended in 2016 and 2018 to make its provisions more stringent in the interest of victims and witnesses.

READ MORE: Sofia Firdaus: an accidental politician who is here to stay

He added that increased awareness, wider publicity and sensitisation of police personnel through capacity-building initiatives are among the reasons for the higher number of cases being registered under the Act.