Karnataka Government Proposes Amendment to Safeguard Scheduled Caste and Tribe Sub-Plan Funds

Belagavi: The Congress-led Karnataka government, which had allocated ₹11,000 crore for 'guarantees' under the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan (SCSP) and Scheduled Tribes Sub-Plan (TSP), is gearing up to introduce an amendment to the Karnataka Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Sub-Planning (Planning, Allocation, and Utilization of Financial Resources) Act-2013.

According to the Act, it is mandatory to allocate 24.1% of the total budget for the benefit of Scheduled Communities. However, 'Section 7D' of the Act had allowed the diversion of funds earmarked for SCSP and TSP to other purposes. Past governments, including the BJP, utilized this provision for road, highway, and metro projects. In contrast, the Siddaramaiah-led government utilized it for 'guarantee' schemes.

To prevent further diversion of funds, the government is set to introduce an amendment bill to repeal Section 7D. The proposal will be presented by the Social Welfare Department in the upcoming Cabinet meeting on Thursday (December 7) at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha. The bill is expected to be presented in this session. Under the proposed amendment, the Deputy Chief Minister and Scheduled Castes Welfare Minister will be appointed as non-official members to the SCSP and Scheduled Tribes Rajya Parishad. Additionally, the Scheduled Tribes Minister will serve as the Vice-Chairman of the SCSP and TSP grant-sharing nodal agency.

The SCSP and TSP sub-allocation act, implemented by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in 2013, mandates that 24.1% of funds across all departments should be earmarked for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Over the years, the grant has increased from ₹8,908 crore to ₹34,294 crore in the 2023-24 budget.

While the SCSP and TSP grants are intended for the benefit of the Dalit community, concerns have been raised by Dalit organizations and thinkers about the misuse of 'Section 7D.' In response to these concerns, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently assured Scheduled Community leaders that Section 7D would be scrapped through this proposed amendment, ensuring a focused and targeted allocation of funds for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

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