Latest news with #ScheduledCasteSub-Plan
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Minister Mahadevappa warns of action against officials for lapses in SCSP-TSP implementation
BENGALURU: Social Welfare MinisterDr HC Mahadevappa on Wednesday warned that if officials fail to effectively implement the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (SCSP-TSP) scheme drawn up for the development of scheduled communities, cases will be registered against them. At a meeting to prepare the action plan for 2025-26, he regretted that of 34 departments he had reviewed, a few did not meet expectations even two years after the government came to power. There was a discussion on the misuse of money under the SCSP-TSP Act in various departments, and the minister ordered action against the guilty officers. Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi and adviser to the social welfare department Shri Venkataiah were present. Mahadevappa held marathon meetings for eight hours, and sought to know from officials the extent of development of Scheduled Castes and Tribes with funds allocated to various departments. He asks officials to provide information about changes in the qualitative development of lives of scheduled communities, especially women, through guarantee schemes. A discussion was held on the allocation of Rs 54 lakh for education and health, and Rs 16 lakh for employment opportunities for the families of former devadasis. He said although the government has formulated many programmes for the welfare of SCs, it was disappointing that this was not reflected in their lives.
Deccan Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Deccan Herald
Lorry owners withdraw stir after Karnataka govt promises payment
Of the Rs 244.1 crore that the government has decided to disburse, Rs 180.63 crore will be allocated from general category quota, while Rs 43.93 crore will be sourced from Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP), and Rs 19.52 crore from Scheduled Tribe Sub-Plan (STSP).
Hans India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Congress ‘digging pit' to oust Siddaramaiah: K'taka BJP
Karnataka BJP claimed on Monday that Congress is digging a pit for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the wake of the recent developments in the ruling party. Karnataka Legislative Council Opposition Leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said that just as the Congress high command dug a 'political pit' for President Mallikarjun Kharge, it is now doing the same for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Narayanaswamy said the Congress High Command is resorting to various political strategies to remove Siddaramaiah from the post of Chief Minister. He sarcastically said that the party had already dug a pit for Mallikarjun Kharge, taken him to Delhi, and sidelined him by making him a namesake president. 'Even though Kharge is the president of the AICC, whenever he speaks, he seems to refer to a different high command. Now, they've dug a pit for CM Siddaramaiah. It appears Siddaramaiah has understood the game plan of the AICC,' he added. Meanwhile, Narayanaswamy reiterated his earlier claim that the Congress government in Karnataka is anti-Dalit and is systematically ruining the Dalit community. He demanded that the government release a white paper on the justice it has delivered to officials during its tenure. He also accused the government of misusing funds earmarked for Dalit welfare - specifically SCP (Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan) and TSP (Tribal Sub-Plan) funds - for loan guarantees, thereby denying Dalits their rightful benefits. Responding to a question about CM's Economic Advisor Basavaraj Rayareddy's remark, 'Do you want roads or guarantees?', Narayanaswamy said: 'Rayareddy is effectively speaking on behalf of the Chief Minister. He is a financial expert, an advisor to the CM, and represents both the Congress party and the government's voice. The underlying message here is: 'We've given guarantees, so no one else should question us.'' He accused the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of using Rayareddy to indirectly communicate what they could not say themselves. He demanded a response from the leaders who often project themselves on TV as champions of Dalit causes. He reminded that B.R. Ambedkar had once said the Congress was like a burning house for Dalits and had urged them to leave the party. 'This proves beyond doubt that the Congress party is anti-Dalit,' he concluded. Even as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has denied being appointed by Congress as Chairperson of the party's National OBC Advisory Committee, the BJP has said this is a step towards ousting him from the post.
Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Decode Politics: In Bihar, why Rahul Gandhi alleged funds meant for Dalits not reaching them
During a recent interaction with students from Other Backward Classes (OBC), Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), Scheduled Castes (SC), and minority communities at a government-run Ambedkar welfare hostel in Bihar's Darbhanga, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged that SCs were not benefiting from the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP) fund, a pool of resources set aside for their development. The Congress MP was speaking at an inaugural meeting of the Congress's 'Shiksha Nyay Sanvad' campaign, which will focus on education issues and discuss grievances of students, on Thursday. The SCSP is the Central government's strategy to ensure a proportionate flow of resources for the development of SCs through the implementation of infrastructure, education, health and other welfare schemes in areas with a substantial Dalit population. The SCSP was started in 1980 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in her bid to reach out to Dalits. The SCSP's funds are channelled through the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which provides Special Central Assistance. There are three categories of SCSP schemes: fully Centre-funded, fully state-funded, and hybrid schemes split between the Centre and the state in a 60:40 ratio. As per recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports, the Bihar government allocated Rs 16,777 crore for its SCSP schemes in 2021-22, but allegedly diverted Rs 10,799 crore to general schemes. Similarly, Rs 18,450 crore of the Rs 19,688 crore allocated for SCSP schemes was allegedly diverted to non-SC schemes in 2022-23. In 2023-24, the state government allegedly spent Rs 11,796 crore on general schemes from the total SCSP fund of Rs 16,939 crore. Some of the key SCSP schemes include income-generating initiatives, financial assistance for the construction or upgrade of houses, providing free land for housing, education and skill development schemes such as free distribution of books and school uniforms. After the latest CAG report on the Bihar government's performance flagged problems in the SCSP funds, as many as nine Bihar legislators, including CPI(ML)(L) MLA Satyadev Ram, questioned the Janata Dal (United)-led state government on the alleged diversion of funds in the Assembly in March. While the state government did not dismiss the CAG findings, it said the auditor did not use the term 'diversion' but had only described the department-wise allocations of the SCSP fund. For instance, in 2023-24, the CAG report said, from the Rs 16,939 crore of SCPS funds, Rs 1,447 crore was allocated to the Chief Minister Local Area Development Scheme and for flood control, Rs 3,465 crore went towards the construction of medical colleges, Rs 394 crore for the construction of government buildings, and Rs 212 crore for the construction of state hospitals and health service buildings, among other projects. A Rs 460 crore loan of state electricity companies was also repaid using the SCSP funds. The Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes submitted a report on social justice to both Houses of Parliament in August 2018 in which it flagged concerns about the use of funds intended for SCs. 'Under the allocation for welfare of Scheduled Castes, diversion of funds is not permissible and the funds are earmarked only for SCs, but due to the general nature of the schemes of some ministries/departments, funds are not utilised fully,' the report said. The Committee also recommended that the NITI Aayog monitor SCSP funds to ensure they are not underutilised or diverted. Social activist Rajiv Kumar, who has written several letters to the Centre on the matter, said neither the Centre nor the state government had been ready to accept that funds were diverted even though the money was 'blatantly used by other departments'. Rahul Gandhi sees potential in turning this into a political issue ahead of the Assembly polls later this year, since Dalits account for 19.65% of the state population. Gandh told the students in Darbhanga, 'You have no place in this country; there is no place for 90% of the people of the country. Right from the senior bureaucracy to the Government of India, high courts and top management of educational and medical (institutions), there is zero representation for 90% of the population. But MGNREGA is full of your people. The SCSP funds meant for SCs are not reaching them. All the riches are with 5-10% of people.' Though the Congress has raised the alleged diversion of SCSP funds at the national level from time to time, it is for the first time that the party is taking up the matter in Bihar. In the 2020 Assembly polls, the Congress won 19 seats. Four of its MLAs are Dalits. The BJP-led NDA, however, maintained it was up to bureaucrats to explain the nitty-gritty of the SCSP rules. JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar said, 'When the state government has explained the matter in the Assembly, it should not be politicised.' A senior Bihar-cadre IAS officer said, 'It is true that SCSP funds are used for many purposes, but it is done with due permission from the Centre.' Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More
