By TCN Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: The Parliamentary Committee on Minority Affairs has criticized the Union Ministry for Minority Affairs for failing in proper and full use of funds sanctioned by the Government for the welfare of minorities especially the funds for Multi-Sectoral Development Program in 90 Minority Concentration Districts (MCDs).
In its latest report that was tabled in the ongoing Parliament session, the Committee said it was disappointing to find that only Rs 513 crore out of Rs 989.50 crore allocated to the Ministry for MCDs in 2009-10 had been spent. While in financial year of 2010-2011, Rs 1400 crore was allocated for the purpose but so far plans only for 13 out of 90 MCDs had been finalized while the fiscal is ending.
Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid
The Committee also rapped the Ministry for slow pace in utilizing the schemes of the National Minorities Development Finance Corporation (NMDFC). The corporation gives loans to the minorities up to Rs 5 lakh through state Channelizing Agencies (SCAs) with an interest of 3%.
The Committee said that under the term loan scheme, funds were not spent at all in several states especially in Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh during the last three years.
Though the Ministry gave several reasons for its failure in full utilization of the funds such as non availability of SCAs in some states while already huge dues in some other states and also non-cooperation by some states, the Committee expressed its unhappiness and said that the Ministry has failed to take any solid steps to sensitize the states to make SCAs operational.
The Committee also reminded the Ministry that it has already recommended for strengthening the SCAs both economically and administratively as well as increasing staffers for better function.
The committee also regretted that the Ministry should have been in contact with the state government for intensifying the schemes to benefit minority population but it did not do so.