SC-ST Funds Diverted: Deputy CM

Deputy Chief Minister C Damodar Raja Narasimha, on Monday, admitted that the state government has indeed diverted the funds meant for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Tribes, to other purposes.

Briefing the media about the discussions that took place in the meeting of the cabinet sub-committee on the SC-ST sub-plan in his chambers in the state Secretariat, the Deputy CM said that Rs. 1,400 crore to Rs. 1,500 crore of the funds was diverted towards other purposes in the last 3 years.

However, he said that the gap would be filled soon.

Raja Narasimha said that the cabinet sub-committee has also decided to hold wide-spread consultations with various stake-holders of the SC-ST sub-plan. Meetings with various departments would be held every Monday, to elicit their opinions on the issue, he said.

Further, consultations would also be held with recognised groups of SCs and STs, and NGOs. Workshops on the SC-ST sub-plan will be conducted in all districts. However, workshops in election-bound districts would be held after approvals from the Election Commission, said Raja Narasimha.

The Deputy CM said that the cabinet sub-committee would also convene an all-party meeting to get other parties' opinions and suggestions on the subject.

The cabinet sub-committee will conduct meetings with the officials of SC-ST welfare departments, to study the pattern of utilisation of the welfare funds. Preference would be given to spending in the education department, giving priority to SC-ST schools, hostels and other infrastructure.

Raja Narasimha said that the cabinet sub-committee would submit its report to the state government in the next 45-55 days.

The meeting was attended by ministers Anam Ramnarayan Reddy (Finance), P Satyanarayana (Social Welfare), K Sailajanath (Primary Education), Erasu Pratap Reddy (Law), D Manikya Varaprasad (Rural Development), Dr. J Geetha Reddy (Major Industries), Basvaraj Saraiah (BC Weflare) and P Balraj (ST Welfare). (INN)