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.

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Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

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