Despite housing 26 per cent population as tribals, the State Government has been found indulging into startling diversion of funds meant for the section under the statuary Tribal Sub Plan (TSP). Departments starting from Home, Building Constriction, Urban Development to Tourism and Energy have allocated chunks of TSP fund for works having no direct links with tribal welfare.
Details available with The Pioneer suggest that under TSP the Home Department has sanctioned Rs1 crore for construction of new prisoners ward/perimeter wall, Rs1 crore for construction and improvement of new sub-jail, Rs4 crore for bathing platforms, urinal and toilets, Rs3.50 crore for fencing, boundary wall and watch tower for protection of the jail’s main gate.
Money has also been diverted for other non-tribal activities like construction of jail staff residences (Rs1.50 crore) and extension and strengthening of jail buildings (Rs2 crore). The saga has continued for Department of Housing where Rs3.50 crore went for the construction of commercial complex near Shajanand Chowk, Harmu of Ranchi under TSP!
Similar is the case in Building Construction where Rs80 crore of TSP has been allocated towards construction of Government residential building, office buildings and Circuit House. Another major diversion is in the Urban Development Department where whopping Rs 171 crore have been earmarked towards major urban transport projects and civic infrastructure in the way of completion of JnNURM projects.
Also, Tourism Department is set to use Rs6 crore of TSP fund for publicity work. Total Rs9405.61 crore has been marked under TSP in 2015-16 annual budget where Road Construction Department getting away with the biggest pie; Rs1,604 crore.
“This is unfortunate that apart from sharing less than mandated amount of the budget for tribals the Government is also involved in robbing whatever coming under the TSP and SCSP (Scheduled Caste Sub Plan) in Jharkhand. It is mainly because the plans are not getting approved in consultation of the TAC (Tribal Advisory Council) which is almost defunct here,” said Ratan Tirkey, a TAC member and noted tribal rights activist.
Coming to the diversions done under SCSP, Energy Department has been allocated Rs90.60 crore for loan disbursements to Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam limited. While Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Department would spent Rs50 crore in purchasing machine and equipments, furniture, drugs and materials for different hospitals and health center including medical college and hospitals and on renovation, repair, alteration additional toilets, landscaping, water supply system, drainage system, parking spaces etc.
The willful diversion has come into light recently after perhaps the ‘rounding up attitude’ caught the attentions of the Principal Accountant General (PAG). In its report on general social and economic sectors for the year ended March 31, 2014, the PAG has underlined that no clear segregation under TSP out of general estimates was being made.
“GoI released their respective shares of TSP fund separately under SSA, MDM, RMSA, NRHM, NPCDCS and NPHCE. However, TSP funds were mixed with general and SCSP funds at the State implementing agencies level. No separate records were maintained for funds released under TSP components,” reads the report recently tabled in the Assembly during Monsoon Session.
Under the TSP, it is directed to all Ministries and Departments, both at the Central as well as the State levels, to earmark a certain proportion of budget from the total plan budget towards the development of dalits and tribal communities. Importantly, the proportion should be in proportion to the population of the deprived communities.
In Jharkhand against total plan budget of Rs32136.84 crore, share for the SCSP was only Rs1747.22 crore or 5.4 per cent. The community in that sense has been deprived of Rs2430.57 crore. However, tribal can be termed lucky for quite some time that has got excess of Rs1050.03 crore under the TSP but marred with diversions.