NO DIVERSION BY STATES OF FUNDS
RELEASED FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SCHEDULED CASTES
LOK SABHA
The Ministry of Social
Justice and Empowerment has taken several steps to ensure proper
utilisation of funds earmarked for the welfare of scheduled castes.
These steps include release of grants to states only after receiving
Utilisation Certificates and Progress Reports of previous funds.
The other steps include review of implementation of the schemes
with the senior officers of the state governments/ UT Administrations
and undertaking of field visits by the officers of Social Justice
and Empowerment Ministry. Giving this information in a written
reply in the Lok Sabha today, the Minister of State for Social
Justice and Empowerment Shri Kailash Meghwal said that no case
of diversion of funds released by his Ministry for the development
of SCs has been reported. He said that however, states often send
utilisation certificates late, thereby affecting the funding of
programmes. Shri Meghwal said that the Planning commission constituted
a Working Group on Empowering the Scheduled Castes in the context
of the formulation of 10th Plan to review among other
things the ongoing policies and programmes and their implementation.
