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What Parliament asks about Dalits: 270 of 34,720 Lok Sabha questions named SCs or Dalits

How many questions in the Lok Sabha concern Scheduled Castes, on what subjects, and which ministries answer them?

By The Dalit ProjectUPDATED OCTOBER 9, 2026

Key takeaways

  • 270 of the 34,720 questions answered in the 18th Lok Sabha (0.8%) named Scheduled Castes or Dalits in their title; the count is a floor. Exhibit 1
  • The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment answered 143 of the 270 questions naming SCs or Dalits (53.0%). Exhibit 2
  • Education and scholarships was the commonest subject, with 77 of the 270 questions (28.5%). Exhibit 3
  • Of the questions naming SCs or Dalits, 7.0% were starred, for an oral answer in the House, against 8.0% of all questions. Exhibit 4

Every question answered in the 18th Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s Parliament, from 22 July 2024 to 12 August 2026 (sessions 2 to 8), 34,720 in all, and the 270 whose titles name Scheduled Castes (SCs), the official list of Dalit communities under India’s Constitution, or Dalits, from the Lok Sabha eLibrary’s records as they stood on 9 October 2026.

of 34,720 Lok Sabha questions named SCs or Dalits, July 2024 to August 2026
270
share of all questions in the 18th Lok Sabha
0.8%

  1. Exhibit 1

    270 of the 34,720 questions answered in the 18th Lok Sabha from July 2024 to August 2026 (0.8%) named Scheduled Castes or Dalits in their title

    Questions whose title names SCs or Dalits, as a share of all questions answered in each session, %. 18th Lok Sabha, sessions 2 to 8.

    1. 0.7%Session 222 Jul 2024 to 9 Aug 2024
    2. 0.7%Session 325 Nov 2024 to 20 Dec 2024
    3. 0.6%Session 43 Feb 2025 to 4 Apr 2025
    4. 1.3%Session 521 Jul 2025 to 21 Aug 2025
    5. 0.7%Session 61 Dec 2025 to 18 Dec 2025
    6. 0.6%Session 729 Jan 2026 to 2 Apr 2026
    7. 0.8%Session 820 Jul 2026 to 12 Aug 2026

    Note: A question is counted when its title names Scheduled Castes or Dalits, or a law, scheme or practice that concerns them by name (the full rule is under Methods). Questions about them under other titles are not counted, so the counts are a floor.

    Source: Lok Sabha eLibrary, records of every question answered in the 18th Lok Sabha, 22 Jul 2024 to 12 Aug 2026; our count of titles by the rule under Methods. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 9 Oct 2026.

  2. Exhibit 2

    The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment answered 143 of the 270 (53.0%); 32 other ministries answered the rest

    Questions naming SCs or Dalits, by the ministry that answered, 18th Lok Sabha, 22 Jul 2024 to 12 Aug 2026. Ministries that answered fewer than 5 are shown together.

    1. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment143
    2. Ministry of Education31
    3. Ministry of Law and Justice13
    4. Ministry of Labour and Employment9
    5. Ministry of Finance8
    6. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas8
    7. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises7
    8. Ministry of Corporate Affairs6
    9. Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions5
    10. 24 other ministries, each fewer than 540

    Note: each question is answered by one ministry; a question that names SCs alongside other groups is counted under the ministry that answered it.

    Source: Lok Sabha eLibrary, records of every question answered in the 18th Lok Sabha, 22 Jul 2024 to 12 Aug 2026; our count of titles by the rule under Methods. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 9 Oct 2026.

  3. Exhibit 3

    Education and scholarships was the commonest subject: 77 of the 270 questions (28.5%)

    Questions naming SCs or Dalits, by subject, 18th Lok Sabha, 22 Jul 2024 to 12 Aug 2026. Subjects are read from the title by the word lists under Methods.

    1. Education and scholarships77
    2. Jobs, reservation and representation37
    3. Crimes, atrocities and discrimination34
    4. Money, loans and enterprise33
    5. Manual scavenging16
    6. Housing, water, roads and services12
    7. Lists, certificates and counts9
    8. Other welfare and schemes52

    Note: each question is put in the first subject whose words its title contains, in the order under Methods; a title with none of them goes in “Other welfare and schemes”.

    Source: Lok Sabha eLibrary, records of every question answered in the 18th Lok Sabha, 22 Jul 2024 to 12 Aug 2026; our count of titles by the rule under Methods. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 9 Oct 2026.

  4. Exhibit 4

    19 of the 270 questions naming SCs or Dalits (7.0%) were starred, for an oral answer in the House, against 8.0% of all questions

    Questions answered in the 18th Lok Sabha, 22 Jul 2024 to 12 Aug 2026, by type: starred questions get an oral answer during Question Hour; unstarred ones a written answer.

    Type of questionNaming SCs or DalitsShareAll questionsShare
    Starred (oral answer)197.0%2,7768.0%
    Unstarred (written answer)25193.0%31,94492.0%

    Note: starred questions are not shown session by session, because each session’s count falls under 5.

    Source: Lok Sabha eLibrary, records of every question answered in the 18th Lok Sabha, 22 Jul 2024 to 12 Aug 2026; our count of titles by the rule under Methods. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 9 Oct 2026.

  5. Exhibit 5

    In the latest session, 20 Jul 2026 to 12 Aug 2026, 34 questions named SCs or Dalits, 25 of them answered by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

    Every question naming SCs or Dalits in session 8 of the 18th Lok Sabha, by date: the question’s title as the Lok Sabha gives it, its type and number, and the ministry that answered. Each answer is linked under Sources.

    TitleQuestionAnsweredMinistry
    Financial Assistance to Scheduled Castes in Andhra PradeshUnstarred 13320 Jul 2026Finance
    SC Beneficiaries under Samagra ShikshaUnstarred 18220 Jul 2026Education
    Post-Matric Scholarship Disbursements for SC StudentsUnstarred 28621 Jul 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    PM-Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday YojanaUnstarred 32421 Jul 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Manual ScavengersUnstarred 33121 Jul 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Post-Matric Scholarship for SC, OBC and EWS StudentsUnstarred 33621 Jul 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Scheduled CastesUnstarred 43121 Jul 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Eradication of Manual ScavengingUnstarred 44321 Jul 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Scheduled Caste Welfare SchemesUnstarred 144228 Jul 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Adarsh Gram under PM-AJAYUnstarred 146428 Jul 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Economic Data of Scheduled CastesUnstarred 148828 Jul 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Atrocities against SC CommunitiesUnstarred 152228 Jul 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Reservation Policy for SC/ST in RailwaysUnstarred 173229 Jul 2026Railways
    Procurement of Goods from Women & SC/ST owned MSEsUnstarred 207030 Jul 2026Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
    Special Courts Under Prevention of Atrocities and Prevention of Civil Rights ActUnstarred 222331 Jul 2026Law and Justice
    Dropout Rates of SC/ST/OBC/EWS Students in HEIsUnstarred 24023 Aug 2026Education
    Beneficiaries under PM-AJAYStarred 2404 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday YojanaUnstarred 25554 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Deaths due to Manual ScavengingUnstarred 25624 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Freeship Card under the PMS-SCUnstarred 26874 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Posts Reserved for SC, ST and OBCUnstarred 26904 Aug 2026Commerce and Industry
    Welfare of SC/ST/OBC, Divyangjan and Social EqualityUnstarred 26914 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Manual ScavengersUnstarred 27304 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Sub-Classification within the Scheduled Caste CategoryUnstarred 27514 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Implementation of DoPT Reservation Rules for SC/ST/OBCUnstarred 355810 Aug 2026Youth Affairs and Sports
    Scholarships for SC StudentsStarred 33211 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989Unstarred 371911 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Constitution of Task Force under the SC/ST Act, 1989Unstarred 374711 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Status of SC Student Hostels under PM-AJAYUnstarred 377611 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Funding of Residential Schools and Hostels for SC, ST and OBC StudentsUnstarred 378311 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Participation of SC, ST and Minorities in PRIsUnstarred 381111 Aug 2026Panchayati Raj
    Post-Matric Scholarship Funds for Scheduled CastesUnstarred 385211 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Scholarship Distribution for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe StudentsUnstarred 385311 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment
    Scholarship for SCs Students Enrolled AbroadUnstarred 390611 Aug 2026Social Justice and Empowerment

    Note: titles are the Lok Sabha’s. Members who asked are not named here. In these titles: EWS, Economically Weaker Sections; HEIs, Higher Education Institutions; DoPT, Department of Personnel and Training; PRIs, Panchayati Raj Institutions (rural local government); MSEs, Micro and Small Enterprises; OBC, Other Backward Classes; ST, Scheduled Tribes; Samagra Shiksha, the Union Government’s integrated scheme for school education; Divyangjan, persons with disabilities.

    Source: Lok Sabha eLibrary, the 34 answers listed under Sources. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 9 Oct 2026.

What’s next

The next update

We will update these figures after the eLibrary adds the next session’s answers. This is version 1.

What the data can’t tell us yet

What the answers say, which members asked, or questions about SCs whose titles do not name them; nor the Rajya Sabha, Parliament’s upper house.

What you can do

About this data

What this shows
How many of the questions answered in the 18th Lok Sabha name Scheduled Castes or Dalits in their titles, which ministries answered them, and on what subjects, session by session.
Source
Lok Sabha Secretariat, Lok Sabha eLibrary, 35 documents. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 9 Oct 2026. Every source
What it does not show
What the answers say, which members asked, or questions about SCs whose titles do not name them; nor the Rajya Sabha, Parliament’s upper house.
Last updated
9 Oct 2026 · Next expected update: after the eLibrary adds the next session’s answers
Corrections
Changelog (version 1) · Corrections policy

Sources, caveats and definitions