Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has given Rs 20.34 crore in compensation to 2,116 SC/ST atrocity victims from June until now, a minister said in the Assembly Friday.
In response to Congress MLA Sofia Firdous’ query, Nityanada Gond, the minister for ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare, said the assistance follows the guidelines of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules, 1995.
The minister also mentioned that the ‘SAACAR’ online portal (Single Window Application Atrocity Compensation Assistance & Relief) is operational to ensure timely disbursement of aid to victims.
According to the minister, 281 victims from Bolangir district received compensation, followed by 211 from Jajpur district. Other districts with significant numbers include Puri (207), Cuttack (202), Dhenkanal (130), Ganjam (129), and Bargarh (107).
However, no victims received assistance from Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts.
Launched in October 2020, the SAACAR portal streamlines investigations and ensures compensation is paid to SC/ST atrocity victims within 21 days.
Officials confirmed that all cases are registered directly on the portal, with compensation being paid directly to victims’ accounts.
PTI
