A national legislation for SC, ST sub-plans should be enacted, besides constitution of a national SC, ST development authority with the prime minister as its chairman, the Centre for Dalit Studies (CDS) and the National Coalition for SC Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan Legislation demanded at a media workshop in Delhi on Saturday.
The workshop also demanded setting aside of funds for SC sub-plan and Tribal sub-plan before the budget allocations are made to ministries or departments.
The workshop wanted that six months prior to the budget, the amount allocated to the sub-plans for all relevant ministries and departments should be indicated to enable planning involving community leaders.
Also, planning and designing of schemes that benefit SC/ST individuals, families and habitations directly and monitoring at block, district and state levels should be done and penalties should be imposed for non-implementation of the schemes. Social audit and transparency at all levels has to be ensured, besides involving Dalit and Adivasi communities at the planning stage itself, the workshop said. PS Krishnan, former secretary to Government of India, called upon the media to take up the issues of the marginalised people in the country.
Dalit and Adivasi communities remain at the periphery of development even 65 years after independence and it was a shame that they continue year after year to have one of the lowest human development indicators, although the country’s GDP is growing at 7 percent, he said.
Paul Divakar, convenor of National Coalition, said there was a lack of political will as most of the funds are diverted and allocated only notionally. Anand Bolimera, social activist said, “If one talks of economic and social equality, it is important to have economic equality which the sub-plans are likely to ensure.”
Centre for Dalit Studies founder-chairman Mallepalli Laxmaiah, joint secretary V Rajashekhar, HMTV CEO K Ramachandra Murthy, former secretary general of IJU K Srinivas Reddy and director of Centre for Dalit Studies M Anjaneyulu addressed the workshop.