The SC, ST and Minority Joint Action Committee, Odisha condemned the Centre for neglecting tribals and Dalits in the Union Budget 2015 by decreasing allocation for their development though sub plans.
Committee convener Sangram Mallik said the Budget has severely fallen short on its fiscal promises and takes away 57 per cent of the State money meant for welfare schemes for Dalits and adivasis. He said dalits have been allocated only Rs30,850 crore this year, while the allocation was only Rs19,980 crore for adivasis.
However, as per the SC Sub Plan (SCSP)/Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) Guidelines, the SCs should be allocated 16.6 per cent of the plan outlay, which amounts to Rs77,236 crore towards the SCSP and the STs should be allocated 8.6 per cent of the plan outlay, which amounts to Rs40,014 crore towards the TSP.
He said the dalits were denied a total of 61 per cent of the due amount under the SCSP, and tribals were denied 53 per cent under the TSP. “When compared to 2014-15 allocations, the SCSP allocation was Rs43,208 crore and the TSP allocation was Rs26,714 crore, this year’s allocation has declined and is anti-SC and anti-ST,” he added.
The committee members including Adikand Singh alleged that the budget spells doom for the SC/ST women, as it earmarks practically nothing for them. Out of the total allocation of Rs30, 850 crore under the SCSP, the allocation for women specific schemes is a meager sum of Rs73.70 crore which amounts to 0.23 per cent only. “It’s really unfortunate that the downtrodden of the society didn’t get much fund for their development.”