The state government is accused of not fulfilling its commitments under the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP). Chamar Mahan Sabha president Paramjit Singh Kainth on Thursday submitted a memorandum in this regard for the governor to deputy commissioner Arun Sekhri here. “Under the SCSP, post-matriculation scholarship was planned for students of the category but the government’s performance on this account was nil,” Kainth, later, told the media. 

The plan included awareness camps at villages to educate the Scheduled Caste women about livestock management, diseases, feeding, vaccination, and de-worming. None of these was done. There was also the unfulfilled promise of providing landless and marginal families with hand-driven chaff-cutters and giving pre-selection training to youth for enrolment in defence, paramilitary forces, and the police.

“Contrary to the plan, no computer training was given to poor boys and girls after Classes 10 and 12,” said Kainth. “No equipment and raw material were supplied to 24 training-cum-production centres of the welfare department.”

Computer training to educated unemployed Scheduled Caste youth was to happen at the Ambedkar institutes and Bhawans at district headquarters. It did not happen. Kainth accused the state government of failing to spend the entire money allocated to the SCSP in the 11th Plan (2007-2012).

“Out of the total allocation of Rs. 11,573.83 crore, the government had spent only Rs. 7,085.34 crore,” said Kainth. “The unutilised money amounts to Rs. 4488.49 crore. Even the amount shown as utilised has been diverted to building roads, over-bridges and projects for general category.”

Rs 1 crore allocated for coaching to the SC students for competitive examinations, and more money that was to be given to unemployed SC youth for professional airhostess, travel and hospitality management, hotel operation, and vocational training courses was also unspent, Kainth has said, quoting from official figures of the directorate of the SCSP.

On Friday, the Chamar Mahan Sabha will submit a memorandum to the administration in Jalandhar, demanding an inquiry by the comptroller and auditor general (CAG), or if there is a fraud involved, the central bureau of investigation (CBI).

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Patiala/R-4-500-cr-under-SC-plan-alleged-to-be-not-used/SP-Article1-1057602.aspx