Former MP seeks separate department to implement special component plan schemes

Former MP M. Ramadass advocates for a separate Department of Implementation of Scheduled Caste Sub Plan for effective fund utilization.

Former Member of Parliament and president of Puducherry Maanila Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam M. Ramadass has called for the creation of a separate Department of Implementation of Scheduled Caste Sub Plan to exclusively deal with all aspects of Special Component Plan (SCP), especially the effective use of funds.

Mr. Ramadass made the plea in the context of an appeal by the Chief Minister at a recent meeting of the high-level committee of the SCP for effective implementation of the earmarked fund of ₹488 crore for this financial year.

While the intention deserves all appreciation, its materialisation cannot be accomplished if the modus operandi of the use of this fund is not changed radically, Mr. Ramadass said. The number of petitions submitted by the members of the Adi Dravidar community to the Chief Minister seeking solution to their problems despite the increased annual allocation of SCP funds exemplifies the ineffective use of these funds. The yawning gap is due to the failure of the government to evolve need-based special programmes meant for Adi Dravidars and the machinery to implement them earnestly. The distribution of the SCP fund to 20 general departments is a wrong approach as it would be diverted for general purposes without a special focus on SC sections, he said.

In the absence of proper monitoring or the evaluation of the impact of the plan, the allotted funds are either not fully utilised, or subjected to a large scale diversion and wastage, Mr. Ramadass said.

In such a situation, a new Department with the mandate to exclusively deal with all the aspects of the SCP could help in focused spending on formulated schemes for the SC communities. A quick survey of the immediate needs of the community in different areas should be undertaken by this department and a compendium of existing schemes should constitute the SCP.

Mr. Ramadass also suggested that the department must ensure that proportion of SCP funds matched with the SC population of respective regions, and undertake proper monitoring of implementation of schemes, evaluation by the external agencies and submission of annual progress report to the Assembly.

He recommended that the department use the funds to establish a Community College at Bahour on the lines of Pondicherry University Community College to upgrade skills of youth, equip Primary Health Centres (operating in villages with SC concentration) with modern infrastructure and carry out Special Nutrition Programmes for the women and children of this community.