'SC/ST funds were diverted'
HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, August 03, 2010
First Published: 23:58 IST(3/8/2010)
Last Updated: 00:05 IST(4/8/2010)
As the city's October date with the Commonwealth Games (CWG) draws
nearer, financial irregularities seem to be tumbling out of the closet
all at the same time. Alleging the Delhi government of "robbing the
reserved classes of their rights", officials of NGOs, Housing and Land
Rights Network (HLRN) and National Campaign on Dalit and Human Rights
(NCDHR) said the government diverted funds to the tune of Rs 744 crore
from the Special Component Plan (Scheduled Caste Sub Plan) to meet
CWG-related expenses.
The amount includes the proposed expenditure for the current year as
well. The allegation is based on the data provided by the Delhi
government's department for the welfare of SC/ST/OBC/Minorities in
response to an RTI application.
In the reply, details of the expenditure from the fund have been
provided from the year 2006 to 2010 in a tabulated form.
One section in the table clearly lists expenditure under 'Amount spent
in CWG'. A copy of the response is with the Hindustan Times.
"The diversion of funds is illegal. In the Planning Commission's
master guideline for the special component plan, the funds are non
divertible and non lapsable," said Miloon Kothari, executive director,
HLRN.
Admitting that the government spent crores of rupees meant for the
welfare of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to fund
preparations for the October Commonwealth Games, Delhi government
officials said there was "nothing wrong in it". They said members of
the reserved categories will eventually utilise the upcoming
infrastructure projects and would benefit from them.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit maintained that her government
"didn't misutilise funds".
"We have not diverted any funds from the Scheduled Castes welfare
schemes for the Commonwealth Games," she said.
According to the report released by the NGOs, more than 50 per cent
funds have been diverted towards transport under the Municipal
Corporation of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council and Public Works
Department (Rs 583 crore).
"Such notations in the budget books indicate that there is scope for
immense embezzlement of funds," said Kothari.
------------------------------------
----
INFORMATION OVERLOAD?
Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to ZESTMedia-digest@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/
PARTICIPATE:-
On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com
TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:-
If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to ZESTCaste-subscribe@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/
Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
ZESTCaste-digest@yahoogroups.com
ZESTCaste-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ZESTCaste-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
No comments:
Post a Comment