The Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed the Karnataka Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (Planning, Allocation and Utilisation of Financial Resources) Bill 2013 with an aim to prevent diversion of funds and spend allocated funds for the schemes that directly benefit the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe population.
The Bill, drafted on the Andhra Pradesh model, envisages allocation of plan outlay in proportion to the population of SCs and STs; to make allocated funds non-divertible; to spend on schemes directly benefiting the SCs and STs, among others.
Minister for Social Welfare H. Anjaneya piloted the Bill and it was passed after a long debate with a number of members participating. The officials found guilty of diversion of funds or non-utilisation of funds will be liable to an imprisonment of six months. In the case of unspent amount out of the allocation in a particular year, the same would be added to the next year’s allocation, but should not be carried beyond that year.
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The Bill makes a provision for constitution of the State Council for development of SCs and STs, with the Chief Minister heading it. Other members are the Ministers for Social Welfare, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Higher Education and Revenue; five MLAs or MLCs or MPs belonging to SC, ST as nominated by the government; and four other officials of different government departments.
The term of the nominated MLAs or MLCs or MPs would be 30 months and the council would meet twice a year. The council will advise the government on all policy matters related to SC, ST sub-plans, suggest measures for planning and implementation of schemes, and approve the annual SC,ST sub-plans proposals of various departments.
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The Bill envisages setting up a nodal agency headed by the Social Welfare Minister, and seven secretaries of different departments as its members.
Main functionIts main function is to evaluate and appraise sub-plans, prepare sub-plans, review execution of schemes, identify impediments, co-ordinate with other departments, and directions of the agency would be binding on the departments.
The district monitoring committee in each district would be responsible for implementation of plans.
PunishmentThe government will formulate an appropriate plan to award incentives for commendable performance. Any official wilfully neglecting his duties under the Act will face disciplinary action. Officials wilfully found diverting funds or non-utilisation of funds are liable to an imprisonment of six months, it said.
The former Chief Ministers Jagadish Shettar, B.S. Yeddyurappa, former Ministers C.T. Ravi, Govind Karjol, M.P. Narendraswamy, K.G. Bopaiah (BJP), Ramesh Kumar and K. Shivamurthy (Congress), Chikkamadu and Y.S.V. Datta (both JD-S) and several others spoke on the Bill and gave various suggestions for its effective implementation.