Plan panel recipe to bridge SC/ST fund crunch may cut funds
Sreelatha Menon / New Delhi Jan 31, 2013, 00:29 IST
It has been alleged the Planning Commission
and the 12th five-year Plan
would legitimise diversion of money meant for Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes
(SC/ST).
In the 12th Plan document, the Planning Commission had come
up with a proposal to bridge the shortfall in allocations for the SC/ST special
component plans by various ministries. However, the proposal didn’t suggest
ways to bridge the shortfall of Rs 26,000 crore for the SC sub-plan; it
suggested a mechanism to do away with the shortfall. The Plan document
suggested the funds for SC/ST plans be linked with the consumption data of the
two communities. Through this, the shortfall of Rs 26,000 crore in the SC
sub-plan for 2012-13 is reduced to shortage of a mere Rs 3,641.84 crore. If
this method is used, one also finds there is no shortage of allocations for the
ST sub-plan. The commission credits a task force headed by member Narendra Jadhav for
coming up with this formula.
|
ALLOCATION MATH
|
|
·
Rs 26,000 crore previous estimate of shortfall in SC allocations in
2012-13
·
Rs 3,641.84 crore shortfall in SC allocations using
Plan panel working group formula
·
Rs 37,113.03 crore allocated in Budget 2012-13 for SC
sub-plan
·
12% of country’s consumption expenditure is accounted for by
SCs
|
This new method of calculation effectively ensures the
government isn’t blamed of diverting funds meant for SC/ST categories to other segments;
it also reduces the funds set aside for SC/ST categories. In Budget 2012-13,
funds allocated for the SC sub-plan stood at Rs 37,113.03 crore. However, if
this would have been calculated on the basis of the fact that about 16.2 per
cent of the overall population are SCs (allocations towards SCs/STs are aligned
with their population, which is about 16.2 per cent of the overall population),
it would have stood at Rs 63,346.37 crore (16.2 per cent of the general Budget
support).
According to National Sample Survey
Organisation data, 12 per cent of the country’s consumption
expenditure is accounted for by SCs. So, 12 per cent of the consumption
expenditure, 12 per cent of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme allocation and 12 per cent of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak
Yojana expenditure adds up to Rs 22,591.50 crore. Therefore, the shortfall
stood at just Rs 3,641.84 crore, the commission concluded. Initially, the
shortfall stood at about nine times this amount.
Though Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Kumari Selja had
raised the issue of reduced funding for SC/ST special component plans with the
Planning Commission in December, the document remains unchanged. Officials in
the ministry said they had received an assurance the commission would look into
the matter. However, they weren’t aware of any changes yet, said a ministry
official.
Planning Commission member Narendra Jadhav said the Plan
document was being revised. But he refused to comment on whether the proposal
on a shortfall in the special component plan would be dropped or altered. “Wait
for ten days,” he said.
The National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights ( NCDHR), which has released
annual reports on the diversion of funds meant for SC/ST categories by various
ministries, has condemned the proposal in the Plan document. NCDHR’s Paul
Divakar says, “If this proposal is carried out, all the diversion by ministries
over the last 25 years would be justified. It would also nullify the very
existence of the special component plan, thus going back to the 70s, when none
existed.”
The SC/ST special component plans were brought out in the
70s, after the government and the Planning Commission felt development funds
weren’t helping the SC/ST categories. Then, it was decided 7.5 per cent of the
government spending would be set aside for SCs/STs, said activists of the
Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability.
The
Times Of India
Polls
in sight, govt revives plan for SC/ST residential school
By Naziya Alvi
Rahman, TNN | Jan 31, 2013, 06.25 AM IST
NEW DELHI: Keeping an eye on the 2013 assembly
polls, Delhi government
is all set to revive its proposal of building a first of its kind residential
school for SC/ST/OBC/minorities' students.
According to a source, 50% seats will be reserved for SC
students, 25% for OBC and 25% for minority students. The proposal had got
shelved last year and is likely to be put up for clearance before the cabinet
on Thursday evening. The residential school would come up in Ishapur in
Najafgargh in southwest Delhi by the department of welfare of SC/ST/OBC/
minorities, in association with Kalinga Institute
of Social Sciences (KISS) in Bhubaneswar.
The city government, said a source, will provide the
requisite infrastructure and has already identified an existing school premises
at Ishapur for renovation by the PWD. The renovation specifications will be
provided by KISS — which would also manage the school. At present, KISS runs
the biggest residential institute for tribal children in South Asia.
Meanwhile, the cabinet is likely to clear a proposal to
install fire fighting equipments in 440 government schools.
The
Hindu
34
Vajpayee schools for Dalits, OBCs, minorities
T. S. Ranganna
The Department of Social Welfare will set up 34 Atal Bihari
Vajpayee Modern Residential English-medium Schools for children in classes 6 to
12 from the next academic year. These are completely funded by the State
government.
The two years of pre-university classes will have only
science subjects for boosting the morale of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled
Tribes, OBCs and minorities to take up professional courses such as medicine
and engineering.
Speaking to The Hindu, Principal Secretary E.
Venkataiah said that the government wants to run these schools on the lines of
the Navodaya model schools.
While Scheduled Castes will get 50 per cent reservation, it
will be 25 for Scheduled Tribes. OBCs and minorities will get 12.5 per cent
each. The departments of Social Welfare, Backward Classes and Minority Affairs
are funding the schools.
Students in Morarji Desai Residential Schools for boys and
Kittur Rani Channamma Schools for girls in the State, funded by the Union
government, are taught both in English and Kannada mediums. There are 542 of
them — 268 Scheduled Castes, 60 Scheduled Tribes, 53 minorities and 161 OBCs.
Students who complete SSLC here are admitted to pre-university courses set up
in the district headquarters.
He said that school complexes would be built on an area of
15-20 acres spending Rs. 128 crore in all. The deputy commissioners had been
asked to allot land and if it was not available, they would acquire it.
In addition to the 20 schools approved to be set up in six
districts of Gulbarga division, it was decided to add eight more. Two schools
each would be started in three divisions, including Mysore and Bangalore, in
the coming academic year. Each school would have two sections of 40 students
each.
The Times Of India
Jind
councilor, husband and son held for dalit's murder
TNN | Jan 31, 2013, 06.53 AM IST
ROHTAK: Police have arrested Jind municipal councilor Ram
Ratti, her husband Darshan and their son Bhupinder in the murder case of a
dalit woman over a land dispute.
The accused had attacked Mahlo Devi and her husband Tara
Chand after barging into their house on Sunday evening. The two parties had a
long running dispute over property.
Mahlo's son alleged that the accused wanted the family to
evacuate the plot on which they were living. IGP, Hisar, had suspended the
Narwana city SHO and investigation officer in the case and formed a special
investigation team to look into the matter.
The Times Of India
Dalit
outfits protest Ramadoss' visit
TNN | Jan 31, 2013, 05.02 AM IST
TUTICORIN: A functionary of Viduthalai
Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) tried to immolate himself in protest
against the visit of PMK
founder S Ramadoss
to Tuticorin on Wednesday.
The VCK functionary along with several others were arrested
for staging a protest. In Tirunelveli too, more than 190 people affiliated to
various dalit organisations were arrested for staging a protest against
Ramadoss.
Ramadoss had visited Tuticorin and Tirunelveli to
participate in a meeting of 'anaithu samuthaya kutamaippu,' a federation of
various intermediate caste groups, that was primarily floated with the agenda
of opposing inter-caste marriage. VCK, as well as various other dalit outfits,
including Athi Tamilar Peravai, Tamil Puligal and Devendra Kula
Mahajana Sangam had demanded that Ramadoss should not be allowed to
enter the districts. They also threatened to stage protests if he visits.
Anticipating trouble, a large posse of police was deployed
in the two towns. In Tirunelveli, the protestors burnt the PMK flag in front of
a hotel where Ramadoss was staying. Meanwhile, a group of protestors attempted
to barge into the hotel. Another group of agitators staged a black flag protest
near the bus stand. All the protestors were held.
In Tuticorin, Tamil Pari, the Tiruchendur union secretary
of VCK doused kerosene on him and attempted to immolate self, but was prevented
by the police. Some of the shops were also closed during the protests but were
opened later.
Asian Age
Dhasal
held for illegal protest
Jan 31, 2013 |
Age Correspondent,
Mumbai
Noted poet, writer and founder of Dalit Panther, Namdev
Dhasal was arrested on Wednesday after he “unlawfully” protested outside the
state’s secretariat Mantralaya.
The Dalit leader, along with dozens of his supporters, protested and demanded the immediate arrest of author Ashis Nandy, whose recent statement on backward communities raised a nationwide controversy. Twenty supporters were also arrested by the Marine Drive police.
The Dalit leader, along with dozens of his supporters, protested and demanded the immediate arrest of author Ashis Nandy, whose recent statement on backward communities raised a nationwide controversy. Twenty supporters were also arrested by the Marine Drive police.
Acording to the police, on Wednesday afternoon, Dhasal and
his supporters gathered outside Mantralaya’s uut gate with placards and started
shouting slogans. “Dhasal and his supporters were demanding Mr Nandy’s
immediate arrest. Soon, they tried to burn effigies, so we took them into
custody and brought them to the police station. They were booked for unlawful
assembly and shouting slogans and then placed under arrest,” said Rajendra
Patil, inspector, Marine Drive police station.
Author and socialist Ashis Nandy had recently made a
controversial statement at Jaipur Literary Festival and said “most corrupt
people come from the OBC, SC and ST communities”.
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of “Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC”)
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