The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has now issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu government over a complaint that alleged that the State government was purportedly planning to fund part of the ₹7,000 crore for its Kalaignar Mahalir Urimai Thittam scheme (for Financial Year 2023-24) from funds allocated under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan.
In March 2022, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced the scheme to provide ₹1,000 to women as a monthly grant. The guidelines for the scheme’s implementation were issued on July 10 in a Government Order.
In the guidelines issued by the State government, it said that the expenditure for the scheme for the current fiscal year shall be met from funds allocated under heads like Social Security and Welfare, Women’s Welfare, Social Welfare, and Special Component Plan for Scheduled Caste, among others.
Pointing to these guidelines, R. Anbuvendhan, State general secretary of the Indhiya Kudiyarasu Katchi, Tamil Nadu, sent a complaint to the NCSC on July 27, alleging that this went “against the guidelines, rules, and regulations of the Central Government of the Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan”.
The NCSC took cognizance of the complaint and issued notice to the Chief Secretary of the State and the Principal Secretary to the Governor on July 28, directing that all facts and information regarding the allegations in the complaint and the action taken on the complaint be provided within 15 days of receiving the notice.
The Commission added that if the information is not supplied in the stipulated time, it may exercise its powers as a Civil court to summon concerned officials.
In the complaint. Mr. Anbuvendhan said that funds allocated under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan were meant exclusively for the welfare of Scheduled Caste persons and that these funds cannot be diverted for any other purpose.
