Skip to main content

Demand for SC-ST sub-plan law as budgetary allocation "not utilized" for marginalized communities

By A Representative
Congress legislator from Dasada Naushad Solanki, in a letter to Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, has demanded that the state government should come up with a special law to ensure that budget allocation for the scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs) is equal to the proportion of their population in Gujarat — around 7% and 14%.
Pointing out that he has been seeking to have such a law, called SC Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan Act, ever since new BJP government took, Solanki said, another MLA, Dr Anil Joshiara, too have has supported his move.
The letter, whose copy has also been sent for endorsement of all SC and ST MLAs as also Congress leader of the opposition Paresh Dhanani, says that such a bill should be introduced and supported rising above party affiliations. “In Gujarat, between 2002 and 2018, just about 2% of budgeted amount was used for SCs, while for STs it was 7%”, letter says, wondering what is point in using up huge funds for the statue of Sardar Patel, or the film on Vadnagar, or the propaganda on national good governance.

Comments

TRENDING

Civil society at a crossroads: Service delivery vs. rights in the fight for social change

Counterview News   In the latest episode of the podcast Unmute , hosts Gagan Sethi and Minar Pimple convened a profound conversation with two veteran development practitioners to dissect a persistent tension within civil society: the perceived divide between service delivery and the struggle for rights. The episode, titled "Beyond Service Delivery: Civil Society, Rights, and the Politics of Social Change," featured Apoorva Oza , a development practitioner with decades of experience in rural development and institution-building, and Professor Dipa Sinha , a development economist known for her work on food, nutrition, gender, and social policy.

Grain vs. gasoline: How the global biofuel boom threatens India’s food and water security

By Rajiv Shah  A new report published by the international research and advocacy organization GRAIN has warned that the global resurgence of biofuels is triggering a dangerous dynamic of “more fuel, less food, more land grabs.” Driven by intersecting energy security concerns, geopolitical tensions, and aggressive decarbonization mandates, the expanding agrofuel industry is increasingly pitting corporate energy interests against global food security and indigenous land rights. 

Sikkim governor row: ALIFA asks centre to explain hurried appointment in Ankita Bhandari case

By A Representative   The All-India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA) on Saturday expressed “immense pain and outrage” that even after four years and a national uproar, justice has not been fully delivered in the Ankita Bhandari murder case and that a ruling party politician facing allegations has been “gifted a high-ranking constitutional office.” In a statement, ALIFA extended “unflinching solidarity” to Ankita’s parents, who it said are “fighting for justice on the streets of Delhi,” and demanded that pending the CBI inquiry and judicial decision, the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim’s Governor be subject to “immediate presidential review.”