'Diversion' of SC/ST funds: Karnataka minister assures invoking of penal provisions

Bengaluru: Attacked by the opposition for using SC/ST funds in the ‘guarantee’ schemes, Social Welfare Minister Dr HC Mahadevappa assured the Karnataka Assembly on Wednesday that he would invoke penal provisions against departments that do not furnish data on beneficiaries.

Mahadevappa said this after the BJP and JD(S) came after him over the use of Rs 13,433.84 crore from the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (SCSP-TSP) to implement the 'guarantee' schemes in the current year.

Raising the issue during Question Hour, Holalkere BJP MLA M Chandrappa criticised the social welfare department for "diversion" of SCSP-TSP funds.

Karkala MLA V Sunil Kumar said the SCSP-TSP law does not allow funds to be used for general schemes. "How then did you use the SCSP-TSP money for guarantee schemes? For the Shakti scheme, you've used Rs 1,537 crore. How did you identify women commuters as SC/ST?" he asked.

Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka warned Mahadevappa, an SC himself, against earning a black mark over "diversion" of SC/ST funds. "If we had done this, they (Congress) would have driven us away. How dare you do this with Dalit money?" he said, adding that SCSP-TSP funds were used for inspection bungalows.

Mahadevappa ruled out "diversion" of SCSP-TSP funds.

"There was a provision for 'deemed expenditure' using which the previous BJP government spent Rs 8,000 crore. Even our government spent Rs 4,000 crore. We have removed this clause," Mahadevappa said.

In the current fiscal, Rs 42,017.51 crore is available under SCSP-TSP across 34 departments.

"Under Section 7C of the law, the money must go to SC/ST beneficiaries of common schemes. The Act itself provides for this," Mahadevappa said. "Even the Centre is using SCSP-TSP money in mining and power sectors. States like Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh are using SCSP-TSP money for different programmes," he said.

The minister said all departments have been "strictly" asked to furnish details of SC/ST beneficiaries under various programmes. "In case of excess allocation, the departments must surrender the money, which will be re-appropriated," he said. "If details aren't provided, I'll invoke penal clauses."

BJP's S Suresh Kumar said Mahadevappa was advocating a "hopeless" case. To this, Mahadevappa said: "If there's anything against my conscience, I won't be sitting here."