SPECIAL COMPONENT PLAN
Scheduled
Castes constitute 16.20 % of the total population of the country (2001
census). The Scheduled Castes suffer on
account of several socio-economic deprivation arising out of poor asset base,
dependence on wage labour, subsistence level of farming, engagement in
scavenging and other unclean occupations and related social evils. was,
therefore, evolved by the Planning Commission in 1979 came up with the strategy
of Special Component Plan (SCP) in order to expedite their socio-economic
development.
The
guidelines envisage that Special Component Plan is to be formulated by
States/UTs/Central Ministries to channelise flow of outlays and benefits in
their Plans in proportion to the percentage of Scheduled Castes population to
the total population. At present 27
States/UTs having sizeable SC population are formulating and implementing
Special Component Plan for the SCs.
Objectives:
Special
Component Plan is not a scheme by itself.
It is an umbrella under which schemes implemented by State and Central
Governments are dovetailed by apportioning funds exclusively for SCs for addressing
their needs/problems. Its main objectives are:
1.
Direct flow
of benefits through family and individual oriented programmes aimed at economic
development of the Scheduled Castes, covering the farmers, primary leather
workers (flayers, tanners etc.) rural artisans, fishermen, sweepers and scavengers,
urban unorganised labourers etc. The
objective is to provide income generating assets and skill so as to enable
the SC families to earn sustained income and thereby cross the poverty line.
2.
Benefits to
SCs of the services like provision of drinking water, health services, house
sites and housing, drainage, link roads etc., and programmes for extending
facilities like education, vocational guidance etc.
Implementation of Special Component
Plan
Implementation
of Special Component Plan by the State Governments is reviewed by the State
Government concerned as well as by the Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment at the Centre with a view to give a renewed thrust to the strategy
for rapid economic development of the SCs, States have been advised to follow
Maharashtra Model. Maharashtra has been
following a budgetary mechanism, for earmarking Special Component Plan fund
under the demand of the Scheduled Casters Welfare Department of the State. After the State Legislature passes the
demand, the amount is utilized by the SC welfare Department with the help of
other line Departments. This sort of
approach help in ensuring provision of resources adequately under SCP, checking
any diversion and avoiding any duplication of administrative machinery.
Special Central Assistance (SCA) to
Special Component Plan for Scheduled Castes (SCs)
The Central Government provides 100%
grant-in-aid known as Special Central Assistance (SCA) to Special Component
Plan (SCP) formulated by State Governments.
The only condition with regard to SCA is that it should be spent for
programmes of economic development to enable SC families to cross the poverty
line by providing them sustainable income generating means of livelihood.
The Criteria for Allocation of SCA
Funds
Special
Central Assistance to Special Component Plan is released to States/UTs on the
basis of the following criteria:
First Instalment
|
i)
|
SC Population of the States/UTs
|
40%
|
|
ii)
|
Relative backwardness of the
States/Uts
|
10%
|
Second Installment
|
i)
|
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.(of previous
financial year).
|
25%
|
|
ii)
|
Percentage of SCP to the Annual Plan as
compared to SC population
percentage of the States/UTs ( of previous Financial year).
|
25%
|
Utilisation of SCA funds by the
States/UTs:
The
programmes for which the State Governments could use SCA would vary from State
to State and region to region within the same State depending on the local
occupational patterns and the economic activities available. Primarily SCA is to be utilised for income
generating activities for the BPL SC families. Apart from this best of SCA can
be used for SC women and dalits as follows:
i.
15% of the
total SCA released to the States/UTs in year may be utilized exclusively on
viable income generating economic development schemes/programmes for SC women;
ii.
5% of the total
SCA released to the States/UTs in year may be utilised for the economic development
of disabled persons among SCs;
iii.
5% of the total
SCA released to the States/UTs in year may be utilised for skill development
training programmes.
iv.
10% of total
SCA released in year to the States/UTs in year may be utilised for infrastructure
development programme in villages where the SC population is 50% or more.
Utilisation Report
States
are required to furnish quarterly utilisation Certificates. If the UCs are not submitted in time the
unspent/unreported amount shall be deducted from the subsequent installment of
SCA. Sometimes, no SCA will be released.
Some
of the States with sizeable SC populations have not been following the guidelines to the desired
effect.
The
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour and Employment in its 13th
Report recommended that second installment of SCA should be released to the
States/UTs after ensuring expenditure of cumulative opening balances of the
previous year and 75% utilisation of the first installment for the current
year. The Committee further said that
the Planning Commission has been continuously reducing SCA allocations for the
last three years viz. Rs. 423 crore in 2000-01, Rs. 407.70 crore in 2001-02 and
Rs. 371.62 crore in 2002-03. The
Committee express its dissatisfaction over the dismal performance of the SCA
scheme in general and not availing of SCA funds by the seven States in
particular. In the opinion of the
Committee, the ultimate sufferer are not the defaulting States but the poor SC
families who have been deprived of the benefits of the scheme. The Committee, therefore, recommend that the
Planning Commission should put some embargo on the Annual Plan of the States
who fail to utilise the SCA funds properly.
MLD:LK:(back-SCA)(6.9)