Rajasthan Assembly passes SC, ST development fund bill by voice vote

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], March 24 : The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed the Rajasthan State Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development Fund (Planning, Allocation and Utilization of Financial Resources) Bill, 2022 by voice vote.
"According to Article 46 of the Constitution, the State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs) and protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Kumar Dhariwal while highlighting the objectives of the bill during discussions in the house.
"In the Fifth Five-Year Plan, a Tribal Sub-Plan for STs and in the Sixth Five-Year Plan, Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan for SCs has been prepared so that the benefits and outlays of the scheme are adequately distributed to these sections. Accordingly, provisions are made in the state budget in proportion to the population of SCs and STs," he added.
According to Dhariwal, 17.87 per cent budget has been allocated for the welfare of the SC population and 14.82 per cent for STs.
He further added that the previous government could spend only 72.85 per cent of the Tribal Sub Area Plan (TSP area) and 76.63 per cent of the SC-ST area, while the present government has spent 90.70 per cent of the TSP area and 89.74 per cent of the SC-ST area in the year 2020-21.
The minister assured that a certain amount would be earmarked as outlays for Scheduled Castes Development Fund (SCDF) and Scheduled Tribes Development Fund (STDF).