Special component plan for SC/STs acquires political overtones

The state government took a decision with far-reaching impact when it sought to accord legal status to the Special Component Plan for SCs and STs and spend the allocated amounts meant for the uplift of these downtrodden sections without any cuts.

But when it comes to who is likely to get credit for it, the Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, appears to be the hot favourite. No wonder, the Chief Minister, Kiran Kumar Reddy is not looking cheerful about this. The smile on his face seems to have disappeared and it's hard to say whether this is because of the political storm that is brewing in the Congress or on account of who gets the credit for giving legal status for the special component plan. It is widely believed that the Deputy CM is very keen on the implementation of the sub-plan.
Meanwhile, Damodar Rajanarasimha is reported to have observed,  "This is only the beginning. A new chapter in the state's history is being written. Though Special Component Plans were in place for SCs and STs for long, they were never implemented properly and the funds allocated were never fully spent. But now, we will give the plan a legal framework and ensure that the allocated funds are spent in toto without any cuts," he said.

Under the SC Plan, the government made a budgetary allocation of Rs 8657 crore and Rs 4060 crore under the ST plan in the 2012-13 state budget, he said. The Cabinet would first consider the sub-committee report followed by a special session of the Legislature.

A special session of the state Legislature would soon be convened to discuss the effective implementation of the Plan in the light of a report submitted to the chief minister this afternoon by a Cabinet Sub-committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha.

After the sub-plan was out, several leaders from opposition parties criticized the Chief Minister saying mere announcements were not enough and that legal status should be accorded to the plan.There should be separate budget sessions for this and the idea should not begin and end as announcement, they said. Opposition leaders also hit out at the government saying that it was attempting to lure SC/STs by making such announcements without a proper implementation mechanism on the ground.

-siva@sakshipost