A confidential report submitted by the Cabinet sub committee, appointed by the Andhra Pradesh government to evaluate the implementation of the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) Sub Plans, has revealed serious lapses in implementing the plans and allocating and utilising plan funds. The committee has noted “there is no evidence of systematic planning process happening in any of the government departments in the state regarding SC/ST Sub Plans (SCSP).” The report underlines the fact that the SC/ST communities in the state do not have proper access to land, education, nutrition and healthcare.
The government appointed the sub committee in April this year following persistent representations from SC/ST organisations, civil society groups, political parties and people’s representatives, highlighting the poor implementation of SCSP and the Tribal Sub Plan (TSP). They had raised apprehensions about serious irregularities in utilisation of plan funds. The committee report, submitted to the chief minister in August but yet to be discussed by the Cabinet, has observed these allegations were not baseless.
Planning Commission mandate fails
The plans have been specifically envisaged by the country’s Planning Commission as a development strategy to channelise funds from the total plan outlays of the states proportional to the SC/ST population to accelerate the development of these two most socially-backward sections. Though the guidelines of the Planning Commission have been in existence since 1976, SC/ST communities continue to remain in abject poverty in Andhra Pradesh as well as in other states, the report observes. One of the main objectives of the SCSP and TSP is to bridge the gaps in the development indicators between SC/ST sections and the socially advanced sections. Andhra Pradesh has failed to achieve this objective, points out the report.
