7.6 |
Planning
Process– Revitalisation of SCP
and TsP – New Network of Planning
Institutions for Dalits – Planning
Commission’s Role |
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7.6.1 |
The
Plans that have been prepared by the
Planning Commission and its counterparts
in the States in the last 5 ½
decades have missed the vital dimension
of economic liberation and educational
parity at all levels and in all fields
by incorporating programmes and schemes
of the type mentioned above. They
have also failed to develop the Special
Component Plan for SCs (SCP) and Tribal
sub-plan for STs (TsP) in the manner
envisaged by their original formulators
and required by their purpose and
objective and instead have reduced
them to routinised mechanisms. Therefore,
For the revitalization of the SCP
and TsP, a network of new Institutions
of Relevant Planning for SC and ST
should be established as outlined
below – |
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7.6.2 |
There
should be National Development Council
for the Development of Scheduled Castes
and Scheduled Tribes consisting of
the Prime Minister as its Chairperson,
the Deputy Chairperson of the National
scheduled castes and Scheduled Tribes
Development Authority (referred to
lower down), Minister in charge of
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
Development and Welfare, Chairpersons
of the National Commissions for SC
& for ST, Finance Minister, Ministers
of other development sectors relevant
to SCs and STs, Chief Ministers, experts
and Scholars, broadly similar to the
constitution of the National Committee
for the Centenary Celebrations of
Dr. Baba-Saheb Ambedkar formed in
1990, which should perform the same
role in respect of SCP and TsP as
has been done hitherto by the National
Development Council with regard to
general Plans of development; |
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7.6.3 |
There
should be a National Scheduled Castes
and Scheduled Tribes Development
Authority (NSDA), with a wing each
to concentrate respectively on SCs
and STs, and this body should be
constituted with Members and experts
with empathy for Scheduled Castes
and Scheduled Tribes, faith in Social
Justice and expertise and experience
in the development of Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes. This
Authority should be responsible
for formulating and approving national
and State Plans ---- annual plans,
five year plans and perspective
plans----based on the developmental
needs of SCs and STs and their priorities
from the point of view of SCs and
STs and keeping in view the vital
dimension of socio-economic liberation
and socio-educational equality and
parity. Further, this Authority
should have compact units with specialisation
in each area of development relevant
to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes |
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7.6.4 |
There
should be similarly constituted State
SC and ST Development Authorities
(SSDAs); |
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7.6.5 |
The
population-equivalent proportion of
the total Plan Provision of the Centre
and of each State and Union Territory
should, before sectoral allocations
are made, be set apart as the Special
Component Plan for SCs and Tribal
sub-Plan for STs and placed at the
disposal of the National SC and ST
Development Authority and State SC
and ST Development Authorities. These
Authorities should then make scheme-wise,
programme-wise and sector-wise allocations
of outlay for the plans under a SCP
and TsP formulated and approved by
them based on the developmental needs
and priorities of the Scheduled Castes
and Scheduled Tribes. The National
as well as State Authorities should
thereafter supervise, monitor and
direct the implementation of the developmental
plans so as to ensure the achievement
of their purpose of the socio-economic
liberation and socio-economic liberation
and socio-educational equality and
parity for the SCs and STs in relation
to the rest of the society and economy. |
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7.6.6 |
There
should be constituted District SCs
and STs Development authorities in
each District (DSDAs) consisting of
SC and ST Chairpersons and members
of district and intermediate level
Panchayat bodies, SC and ST Chairperson
and municipalities in the district
and SC & ST, MLAs and MPs, District
Collectors, Heads of Departments relevant
to SCs and STs development, experts,
representatives of NGOs who have been
working sincerely and honestly for
SCs and STs. These district SCs and
STs Development Authorities should
on the one hand provide the inputs
to the National and State SCs and
STs Development Authorities for planning
and monitoring purposes and on the
other hand be the main implementational
authority of the SCPs and TsPs so
as to secure their objective |
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7.6.7 |
The
Prime Minister should be the Chairperson
of the National SC and ST Development
Authority. Its Deputy Chairperson
should be full-time and should have
the rank of a union Cabinet Minister
and should invariably attend Union
Cabinet Meetings. Similarly, the State/UT
Chief Minister should be Chairperson
of the State SCs & STs Development
Authority and its Dy. Chairperson
should be full-time and should have
the rank of a State Cabinet Minister
and should invariably attend the State
Cabinet meetings. |
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7.6.8 |
In
addition SC and ST should be given
representation in all important decision-making
bodies in all sectors. |
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7.6.2.1 |
Meanwhile
even before such a structure is created,
Planning Commission can and should
revive and revitalise the SCP and
TsP, by setting apart the population-equivalent
proportion of the total Plan Provision,
before sector-wise allocations are
made, of the Centre and of each State
and Union Territory as the Corpus
of the Special Component Plan for
SCs and Tribal sub-Plan for STs; formulating
and approving national and State Plans
--- annual plans as well as five year
plans --- based on the developmental
needs of SCs and STs and their priorities
from the point of view of SCs and
STs and keeping in view the vital
dimension of socio-economic liberation
and socio-educational equality and
parity; then on the basis of such
Plans making scheme-wise, programme-wise
and sector-wise allocations of the
SCP and TsP outlays; arrange for issue
of separate sanctions for such allocations
and releases out of it; and closely
monitoring and ensuring implementation
of these Plans of the SCP and TsP
by the sectoral Ministries/ Departments. |
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7.6.2.2 |
Till
this system is established, the Planning
Commission must ensure all Ministries
earmark adequate proportion of their
programme and funds for the needs
of SCs and their habitations in areas
of amenities like electricity, roads,
drinking water, sanitation, health
and also every other sector and undertake
programmes to meet the needs of Dalits
and their bastis in full. The Planning
Commission has the duty, till the
new system is established to see that
every Central Ministry and every State
has its full SCP and TsP. |
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7.6.2.3 |
In
every item of Bharat Nirman proportionate
targets (which should be 2 to 3 times
the population proportion) for SCs
and STs should be set apart as the
SCP and TsP. |
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| 7.6.2.4 |
The
Planning Commission can and should
help retain the National Scheme for
Liberation and Rehabilitation of SK
as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS)
and keep it with the Ministry in charge
of SC with budgetary provisions on
a scale relatable to the budgetary
outlay in the BE 2003-2004. This important
scheme has been converted into a football
to be thrown from Ministry to Ministry
and from the Centre to the States.
Its fate causes resentment among safai
Karamcharis. |
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7.6.2.5 |
Another
contribution that the Planning Commission
can and should make is to retain all
CSSs for SC, ST and SEdBC or of benefit
to them slated to be discontinued
for transfer to States as CSSs; no
CSSs for them or beneficial for them
should be discontinued or transferred
to the States; such moves should be
precluded for all times to come. It
is deplorable from Dalit point of
view that the Planning Commission
periodically tries to do away with
CSSs pertaining to or beneficial to
Dalits. This is an old story which
should be brought to an end once for
all. |
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7.6.2.6 |
There
are certain areas pertaining to safai
karamcharis and employment in which
decisions are required from the point
of view of SCs and STs to be taken
by the Planning Commission and the
concerned Ministries. |
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(a) |
Contract
labour system should be eschewed in
services, where SCs and STs are numerically
large especially safai services. |
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(b) |
National
legislation for Agricultural Labourers
should be enacted incorporating all
aspects including living wages, gender-equal
wages, conditions of work, social
security, welfare etc., completing
the process started with the draft
of 1978-81; similar legislation for
other unorganized sector labourers
--- the two bills in this regard on
the anvil need to be tabled in Parliament
at the latest in the budget session
2007. |
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(c) |
Under
the NREGP recently launched there
should be a condition that works selected
should be works directly beneficial
to SC, ST and other workers, like
their own housing, economic infrastructure,
educational infrastructure, residential
area infrastructure etc. in the SC
bastis and tribal hamlets and isolated/separate
habitations like fisher-people’s
hamlets and Banjara Thandas. |
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7.6.2.7 |
Areas
of Special Concern for Scheduled Tribes |
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A.
Project Displacement |
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(i) |
Displacement
of STs and other weaker sections living
in tribal areas on account of projects
should be minimized. Where inevitable,
they should be taken up only after
prior consultation with and consent
of tribals and their neighbours. The
policy should ensure generous compensation,
share in value of appreciation of
lands acquired from STs for development;
full rehabilitation without breaking
up community; ensuring regular employment
and wages until alternative source
of rehabilitation is fully operational;
and best education for their children
including residential education at
appropriate stage. |
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(ii) |
Report
of the Commission for Scheduled Tribes
and Scheduled Areas submitted in July
2004 needs to be placed before the
Parliament and in public domain without
further delay and action undertaken
on its recommendations. |
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(iii) |
All
Fifth Schedule Areas should be converted
into Sixth Schedule Areas and all
unscheduled tribal areas should be
converted into Sixth Schedule Areas.
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(iv) |
There
should be focus on solving special
problems of STs in those States of
the North-east where they are in a
minority namely Assam, Tripura and
Manipur, and their aspirations, like
the desire for autonomy and integration
of contiguous home-lands split among
different States by accidents of political
history, should be met. |
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(v) |
Exploitative
systems like Mahal and Mahaldars in
Manipur should be put an end to. |
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