SPECIAL CENTRAL ASSISTANCE TO SPECIAL
COMPONENT PLAN FOR SCHEDULED CASTES
The Central scheme
of Special Central Assistance (SCA) to Special Component Plan
(SCP) for Scheduled Castes (SCs) was introduced in March, 1980
to give a thrust to the development programme for scheduled castes.
Under this scheme, 100% grant-in-aid is given to supplement the
efforts of the States/ UTs for rapid economic development of SCs.
The objective of
the SCA is to support SC families to enhance their productivity
and income. SCA is an additive to the Special Component Plan and
is expected to give a thrust to family oriented schemes of economic
development of SCs below the poverty line. It provides resources
for filling the critical gaps and bridging the missing vital inputs
so that the schemes can be more meaningful.
The purpose of the
scheme is to bring SC families above the poverty line by way of
the SCA being used for income generating beneficiary oriented
economic development schemes. SCA can also be utilized for infrastructure
development programmes in villages with 50% or more of SC population,
where infrastructure facilities for overall development of SCs
are lacking. However, only 10% of the total SCA released to the
State/UT in a year can be utilized for infrastructure development
programmes in such villages.
40 percent of the
Special Central Assistance to Special Component Plan is released
to States/UTs on the basis SC population, 10 percent on the relative
backwardness of the States/UTs, 25% on the basis of percentage
of SC families in the States/UTs covered by composite economic
development programmes in the State Plan to enable them to cross
the poverty line. The remaining 25% is given on the basis of flow
of funds to SCP out of the Annual Plan as compared to SC population
percentage of the States/UTs.
15% of the total
SCA released to the States/UTs is to be utilized exclusively on
viable income generating schemes/ programmes for SC women, while
another 5% is to be utilized for the economic development of disabled
persons among SCs. 2% of the budget allocation of SCA has been
earmarked for North Eastern States which implement SCP for SCs.
For better utilization
of SCA funds the States/UTs have been since 2000-2001 asked to
prepare specific project proposals for utilization of Special
Central Assistance by dovetailing subsidy (upto Rs. 10,000/-out
of SCA) and balance as loan from National Scheduled Castes Finance
and Development Corporation (NSFDC) / bank and develop required
infrastructure for supporting the activities.
During 9th
Plan, Rs. 2009.17 crore were released as Special Central Assistance
to 27 States/UTs as follows:
|
Year
|
SCA TO SCP
RUPEES IN CRORES
|
|
RELEASED UTILIZED
|
|
1997-1998
|
308.27
|
300.44
|
|
1998-1999
|
361.00
|
311.66
|
|
1999-2000
|
437.00
|
303.70
|
|
2001-2001
|
450.38
|
339.71
|
|
2001-2002
|
452.52
|
360.49
|
During 2002-03, Rs.
379 crores were released as SCA to SCP of the States/UTs.
