http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Centre-steps-in-to-reactivate-SC-ST-sub-plans/articleshow/6098804.cms
Centre steps in to reactivate SC, ST sub-plans
Subodh Ghildiyal, TNN, Jun 28, 2010, 02.00am IST
NEW DELHI: Fresh attempts are afoot to activate the Scheduled Caste
Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan, with social justice ministry raising an
alarm with the PM over their non-implementation and the Planning
Commission constituting a task force for their review.
The SCSP and TSP stipulate that every government programme should have
part of the budget earmarked for SCs/STs in proportion of their
population.
Sources said social justice minister Mukul Wasnik has written to PM
Manmohan Singh that the sub-plan was lying in disuse and was in dire
need for attention.
The Plan panel's decision to constitute a task force to revisit the
issue seems part of an attempt to get the sub-plans off the ground
after a study found their implemention to be dismal.
Planning Commssion member Narendra Jadhav told TOI that only 20% of
the Union ministries had implemented plans for allocating 15% and 7.5%
of their programme money for SCs and STs. The situation is no better
with states as most of them either do not follow the guidelines or
divert the allocations under SCSP and TSP to other heads.
The task force, headed by Jadhav, will comprise the Union secretaries
of tribal affairs and social justice, and secretaries of Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
Chandrapal, former adviser with the Plan panel who revised the
guidelines for the non-lapsable, non-divertible sub-plan in 2006,
said, "The idea was to ensure that benefits of the welfare schemes go
to SCs/STs. Special programmes funded by sub-plans should also be
designed for them." The underlying reason behind creating the
sub-plans was that systemic bias was preventing the weak groups from
benefiting from welfare schemes.
The new task force within four years of the revision of the guidelines
and approval by National Development Council only shows that
implementation has been poor.
While indifference has been the bane of the sub-plans, a review by
Centre, Plan panel and states may highlight the difficulties in
dividing budgets along community lines.
Sources said infrastructure-related ministries have expressed
inability in making allocations for SCs/STs as facilities like roads
and transport are used by people across communities. It may result in
the Plan panel identifying programmes where SCSP and TSP can be
implemented.
"We can introduce flexibility in guidelines. The idea is that
sub-plans should work," a functionary said.
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