Rs 4,500 Cr Under Scheduled Castes Sub Plan Alleged To Be Not Utilized

The state administration is charged of not accomplishing its promises under the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP).

Mr. Paramjit Singh Kainth, Chamar Mahan Sabha president on May 09 forwarded a memorandum in this regard for the governor to DC Arun Sekhri here.

“Under the SCSP, post-matriculation scholarship was proposed for pupils of the category but the administration’s performance on this account was nil,” Kainth, afterward, told the media people.

The proposal comprised awareness camps at rustic zones to teach the SC females regarding farm animals management, illnesses, feeding, vaccination, and de-worming.

None of these was exercised.

There was also the unfulfilled promise of providing landless and marginal families with hand-driven chaff-cutters and giving pre-selection training to youth for enrolment in defence, paramilitary forces, and the police.

“Contrary to the plan, no computer training was given to poor boys and girls after Classes 10 and 12,” said Kainth. “No equipment and raw material were supplied to 24 training-cum-production centres of the welfare department.”

Computer education to knowledgeable unemployed SC youth was to take place at the Ambedkar institutes and Bhawans at region headquarters.

It did not occur. Kainth charged the state administration of failing to use the whole money apportioned to the SCSP in the eleventh Plan (2007-2012).

“Out of the overall allocation of Rs. 11,573.83 crore, the administration had expended just Rs. 7,085.34 crore,” stated Kainth.

“The unused funds amount to around Rs. 4488.49 crore. Even the sum shown as used has been diverted to constructing roads, over-bridges and projects for general group.”

Around Rs 1 crore allocated for coaching to the SC pupils for competitive exams, and additional funds that were to be offered to unemployed SC youth for specialized airhostess, journey and hospitality supervision, hotel operation, and professional training courses was also unexpended, Kainth added, quoting from authorized figures of the directorate of the SCSP.

Today, the Chamar Mahan Sabha will forward a memorandum to the government in the city of Jalandhar, demanding a probe by the comptroller and auditor general (CAG), or if there is a scam involved, the central bureau of investigation (CBI).