Describing as historic the SC/ST Sub-Plan Bill 2012, the Congress party has said that this is first time in the entire country that such an exercise is being taken up, and reiterated that the government is committed to the welfare of dalits and tribals.
Initiating the debate on the Bill, Deputy Chief Minister Domodar Rajanarasimha said, “Caste and illiteracy have been the twin issues that have kept SCs and STs away from the development process. This Bill aims at spending the funds allocated for SC and ST welfare to the intended purpose and plug diversions of any sort.”
We are giving legal status to the sub-plan and the budget allocations will be in proportion to the population and the Nodal Agency that will monitor the funds flow will be given more powers, he said.
There will also be transparency and accountability of the Nodal Agency and a Finance Secretary will be overseeing the transactions, he said.
The poorer sections that have been deprived of being part of the development process will now get social justice, he said.
The Bill was the result of a detailed study of the issue in all regions of the State besides interacting with over 75 organisations and taking to the targeted groups and hearing first hand their plight, he said and admitted that the funds allocated for SC, ST welfare did not yield the desired results as some were diverted and others were lapsed.
The cabinet sub-committee, headed by the Deputy Chief Minister, has extensively toured the State before giving its recommendations which formed part of the Bill.
Earlier, Ashok Gajapathi Raju (TDP) and Akbaruddin Owaisi (MIM) had asked the Government to table the recommendations of the Cabinet Sub-Committee contending that it was agreed in the BAC meeting.
However, Speaker has said that the BAC agreed that the recommendations would form part of Deputy Chief Minister’s speech and the issue of circulating a copy was not agreed to in the meeting. (INN)
filed in:SC-ST Sub-Plan, Damodar Rajanarasimha, Congress