Bowing to the pressure from Dalit MLAs, including those belonging to the ruling party, the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday announced that a cabinet sub-committee would be set-up to suggest guidelines for effective implementation of SC/ST Sub-Plans.
Making an oral Statement on SC/ST Sub-Plans in the Legislative Assembly here, Kiran Kumar Reddy stated that keeping in view the apprehensions of the Dalit MLAs and Dalit bodies that funds of SC/ST Sub-Plans were not being spent fully and founds were not reach the SC/STs, he has discussed the matter with the Dalit MLAs of the Congress party. Whatever the party was in power, the Governments have not fully spent the funds of SC/ST sub-plans since 1979-80. The Governments have been finding the matter in the last quarter and it was not possible to spend the funds in short span of time.
He informed that it was decided to constitute a cabinet sub-committee on SC/ST sub-plans and it was mandated to submit its repot to the Government within two-months after due consultation with all political parties. The cabinet sub-committee would study the issues relating to SC-ST Sub-plans implementation and make recommendations to see that every paisa of SC-ST Sub-plans reached the targeted communities. Stating that SC/STs would have area-wise special requirements, he felt that education, health, skill development, sanitation and creation of work to them were general requirements. The Cabinet sub-committee would make guidelines in its report on how to provide these facilities to them with the funds of SC/STs Sub-plans. It would also focus on the progarammes which would bring the SCs/STs above the BPL. The opinions of all the political parties and Dalit bodies would be collected by the Cabinet Sub-Committee before preparing the report, he assured.
After receiving report from the Cabinet sub-committee, the state government will convene a special session of the Legislative Assembly for one or two days to discuss how to bring an Act on SC/ST Sub-Plans, legal frame of the Act and other matters. Stating that they are at the beginning of 12th Plan, he informed that the advice of the Planning Commission would also be sought in the matter. The Congress Government was committed to the uplift of SC/STs, he added.
The Chief Minister has appealed to leaders of Dalit organizations to withdraw their Dharna on the issue. (NSS)