By TCN News
New Delhi: K. Varadharajan, Member, Polit Bureau of Communist Party of India (Marxist) has written to Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister requesting more funds to be allocated to the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan (SCSP) .
The Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan (SCSP) was started to close the development gap between the Scheduled Castes and the others. Started 35 years ago the aim of SCSP is to ensure that adequate allocations are made and spent for real needs and priorities of Dalits.
The SCSP mandates the setting apart of a proportion of the total Plan outlays of the Centre and state governments that is equivalent to the population proportion of SCs at the national and state level, for their development. Census 2011 has pegged the Scheduled Castes population at 16.6 % of the total population.
However, the budget presented in March 2014, according to rules, 16.6% of the total funds for Dalits should have been allocated, but instead, they were allocated just 8.76%. The total budget was Rs 17,63,214 crores. Under the SCSP, what was supposed to have been allocated is Rs 92,183.45 crores. But what actually was allocated is only Rs 48,638.31 crores, which is only half of what should have been allocated.
“Both dalits and adivasis expected to rectify this anomaly by the new government. But they have been disappointed. The actual allocation in this budget is Rs. 50,548 crores and Rs. 32,387 crores for SCs and STs respectively. The total plan allocation also declined in real terms roughly by 4%,” wrote K. Varadharajan.
The share of SCs and STs in total plan expenditure is falling short by Rs. 47,000 crores and Rs. 14,000 crores according to Planning Commission guidelines based on proportion of population.
“Experience shows that even what is being allocated is not spent for the welfare of the Dalits. In the last year’s budget (2013-14) Rs 41,561.13 crores was allocated for the SCSP, but according to the revised estimates, only Rs 35,800.6 have been spent.”
“There also have been several glaring cases of diversion of SCSP funds for entirely different uses such as construction of flyovers, Commonwealth Games etc.,” alleged CPIM.
“There is a great need for a well-designed, dedicated institutional setup at the Central and state level, which shall allocate SCSP funds to the ministries/departments, taking into consideration the developmental needs of SCs. This should enable the ministries/departments to clearly show the schemes formulated for the development of SCs under a separate budget head.
DEMANDS:
· In this Budget Session itself, enact a legislation providing statutory status to the SCSP.
· Allocate 16.6 % of the Plan Outlays for the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan.
· Ensure that the allocated funds are spent for the development of Dalits and are not diverted for other general purposes.
· Ensure that the funds are spent and see that they do not lapse.