BENGALURU: The state government, which passed the SC/ST Sub-plan Act with much fanfare in 2013 for making mandatory fund allocation in proportion to the population of these communities, has failed to release funds as stipulated by the legislation for 2014-15.
According to official sources, the state government, which was bound to earmark a portion of the state plan outlay for the SC/ST communities, released only Rs 5,453 crore as against the total allocation of over Rs 11,518 crore, at the end of February 2015.
The total expenditure incurred by all the departments towards SC/ST Sub-plan accounted for only Rs 4,716.13 crore in contrast with the mandatory provision in the Act passed unanimously at the Belagavi session in 2013.
According to the Act, all the departments had to earmark at least about 25 per cent of their plan outlay made in the budget exclusively to bridge the gap in terms of development of the vulnerable sections in the society.
The Act also had punitive provisions to be invoked against any official found guilty of wilfully neglecting his duties in adhering to the provisions of the law, for non-utilisation or under-utilisation of the funds earmarked under the Sub-plan.
While a majority of the departments have released 50 per cent less than the mandatory allocation of the total plan outlay, several others, including tourism, irrigation, information, small and medium industries, major industries and transport, did not make any allocation for the benefit of the SC/ST people.
While the total allocation of funds earmarked for the SC/ST Sub-plan in agriculture was Rs 319.78 crore, only Rs 145.99 crore had been released and the expenditure was only about Rs 115.32 crore till February end.
The Transport Department, which had made an allocation of over Rs 9 crore, had failed to release any amount.
The situation is no different in the Public Works Department, steered by Minister H C Mahadevappa, who belongs to the SC community, in which an expenditure of only Rs 56.79 crore was made as against the total allocation of over Rs 803.57 crore. The Social Welfare Department, which is also the nodal agency to monitor the implementation of the SC/ST Sub-plan Act, had spent only Rs 1,581.51 crore as against the total allocation of over Rs 2,338.72 crore.
Social Welfare Minister
H Anjaneya told Express, “Even though the law was enacted in 2013, the State Council for Development of the SC/ST communities was put in place only at the fag end of 2014 and hence
the expenditure under the Act is poor.”
Maintaining that the allocation as well as expenditure under the Act would be ensured to its fullest extent during 2015-16, he said, “This year, we have made an allocation of over Rs 16,000 crore and will meet the target without fail.”
Criticising the state government for under-utilisation of funds earmarked for SC/ST communities, senior BJP member D S Veeraiah said, “It has demonstrated that the government only sheds crocodile tears for people of the oppressed classes.”