The Government of Odisha has allocated Rs 20,081 crore to the SCs and STs Development Department, out of which Rs 11, 965 crore under Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) and Rs 8, 116 crore under Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP) for year 2017-18 budget. However, though the fund is specially earmarked for the development of SCs and STs, but the State Government has not developed any special schemes to spend it.
It has been observed that these are only notional allocations that reflect in the State annual plans and demand grants but does not reach to the targeted beneficiaries in the absence of special schemes for the purpose followed in other States. It is a provision of sub plan within annual plan since eighties that the annual budget plan outlay of the State must have allocation of funds exclusively for SCs and STs as per the percentage of their population in the State. Along with this provision of sub plan, the Constitution of India Article 164(1) has also made special provision of appointment of a Cabinet Minister from among STs to head the SCs and STs Development Department. The department is the nodal coordinating agency to look into the implementation of the SCSP and the TSP along with coordinating Scheduled Tribes Advisory Council and Scheduled Caste Advisory Board headed by the Chief Minister for the purpose of development and protection of SCs and STs of the State.
As per the provision, special fund has to reach to individual beneficiaries, household, specific vulnerable caste and communities, hamlets and villages and areas having majority of SC and ST population. But there has been an allegation that the SCSP and the TSP funds have been knowingly diverted to other purposes and spent on indivisible items such as roads, bridges and flyovers benefiting all without any direct impact over SCs and STs though this is serious violation of budgetary norms, the SCSP and the TSP guideline, and non-implementation of planned outlays. There is no legislation and institutional arrangement in this regards to make the authorities accountable and this continued political apathy towards the development of the marginalized sections is largely reflected in the development administration. It is being demanded that in order to bring improvement in the implementation of SCSP and TSP in the State, there must be political and administrative will and a legislation with clearly defined rules to make the violator accountable.
For last 40 years, the improper implementation of the SCSP and the TSP has an adverse effect on the overall development of the State and specially the development of SCs and STs in rural and tribal parts which constitute a major section of the population and continues to be in the lower strata of all development indicators in comparison to other social groups. This process has been widening social and economic gaps, assets and income inequality, manifested in poverty, unemployment, low income, distress migration, hunger death and malnutrition and weakening State’s growth because of its non-inclusiveness in sharing public opportunities out of the State fund.
In recent years, there has been growing awareness about public spending on development programmes in the country and especially, the marginalized sections, SCs and STs, women and children have been demanding their due share in the budget for their development through campaigns and movements. The Dalit and Adivasi budgeting, gender budgeting and child budgeting campaigns have been getting momentums in the country. The recent budget proposals of the Central and State Governments have shown separate heads of account in this regard. There have been attempts in many States to address the issues of tracking of budgeted public spending and its most transparent implementation for the development of the marginalised sections and vulnerable groups, who are left behind the ongoing development process and getting further excluded in public expenditure.
The most important issues in spending of development funds for the poor are equity, transparency and accountability which have been a matter of concern for the country. It has been told that it is not the paucity of fund but its effective implementation has been a serious problem due to lack of political will in developing institutional administrative mechanism of public spending. The existing policy and practices in the context of SCSP and TSP have been questioned on grounds of accountability of the Government and the officials responsible for its implementation. The violation of developmental responsibilities needs to be questioned in the court of laws and must be treated as serious offence against SCs and STs. The legislation in this regard can enhance responsibility among authorities violating norms that defeat the purpose of public spending.
In this context, many States such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telengana have attempted to bring legislation to streamline the spending of SCSP and TSP so that the purpose behind such provisions is not defeated. The legal provisions enhance the accountability and bring more transparency to the implementation process, ultimately benefiting the poor.
It has been suggested that the Government of Odisha must design special schemes and exclusive projects for the development of SCs and STs to improve their social, economic and environmental condition. The priority must be on ensuring basic amenities such as homestead land, drinking water, sanitation, housing, electrification, linking road to Dalit and Adivasi hamlets, health and educational infrastructure. The livelihood must be strengthened with distribution of agriculture land with access to water, electricity and credit facilities. The youths and women should be encouraged with education and skill upgradation trainings and entrepreneurship development with adequate credit and infrastructural facilities for business and trade. The Government must make serious effort to abolish untouchability practice in rural villages and stop atrocities against SCs and STs to ensure social protection and rule of law which are pre conditions for the development.
The Government must make available disaggregated data on SC and ST beneficiaries of each scheme and programme against the allocated amount out of the SCSP and the TSP fund by different departments. The monitoring of such funds and tracking of expenditure must be done at separate SCSP and TSP cell in department level, district, block and Panchayat level through formation of monitoring bodies involving the representation of the beneficiaries. It must be reflected in statutory audit and impact assessment reports along with social audit reports by different stakeholders. The annual reports must be available in public domain for wider transparency of fund utilization. The funds should not be diverted for other purposes and must be non -lapsable and if unspent must have provision of utilisation in the next year.
There must be a State level authority and special fund, by rule of law, under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister along with representation of Tribes Advisory Council, Scheduled Caste Advisory Board and Finance and ST and SC Development Department with necessary administrative mechanism to ensure governance leadership and accountability to the provisions of SCSP and TSP. This authority will have the responsibility of formation of annual plan along with specific schemes to earmark a portion of State plan outlay for SCSP and TSP in proportion to the population of SC and ST of the State. This will bring qualitative change in the development administration of the State and in the life and livelihood of the poor.
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