How Fair is Budget 2018-19 For SCs And STs?

In the Budget for 2018-19 tabled on 1 February, while there has been an increase of 10.1% in the total expenditure from 2017-19, the increase in expenditure on Dalits and Adivasis has been 7.45%, which shows their reduced share in the total budget estimate. In fact, the percentage of allocation for SCs has reduced from 2.82% in 2014-15 to 2.32% in 2018-19. In the case of STs, there has been a decline from 1.8% in 2014-15 to 1.6% in 2018-19.

The Finance Minister has said in his Budget speech that the economic and social advancement of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has received core attention of the government. Jaitley said that the current dispensation has ensured that there will be a continual increase in the budget allocation for the socially marginalized and so, he said, that while it was Rs 34,334 crore in 2016-17, it has increased to Rs 52,719 crore in 2017-18 and is now to Rs 56,619 crore in 2018-19. But if you take a look at the data compiled by NACDAOR, you can see through the "jumla" of five years of NDA Government's budgetary allocation. While the original budget allocation of SCs in 2014-15 had been 2.82%, the actual expenditure was 1.81%. In 2015-16, the actual expenditure on SCs was 1.71% as against 1.74% of original allocation. In 2016-17, the actual expenditure was 1.74% as against 1.96% allocation. The actual expenditures of 2017-18 and 2018-19 will come out next year but we are quite sure that the pattern will remain intact.

Similarly, in the case of STs, the original allocation in 2014-15 had been 1.8% and the actual expenditure was 1.2%. In 2016-17, the original allocation was 1.96% and the actual expenditure was 1.74%. In the case of OBCs, in 2016-17, the original allocation was 0.060% and the actual expenditure was 0.059%. It is also to be noted here that it has taken two years for the NDA Government to allocate a minimal budget of 1% for the OBCs! In the case of minorities too, while the original allocation in 2015-16 was 0.21%, the actual expenditure was 0.20%. In 2016-17, while the original allocation was 0.19%, the actual expenditure was 0.14%.

Scheduled Castes

The Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP), introduced in 1979, stipulates earmarking Plan outlays for SCs in proportion to their share in the total population of the country (16.6% as per Census 2011). For the very first time, in the Union Budget 2017-2018, the Plan and Non-Plan heads of government were merged and the structure of the sub-plan was replaced by 10A statement giving "Allocations for Welfare of Scheduled Castes" segregated as Revenue and Capital Expenditure. While Statement 10A remains important from the perspective of ensuring budgetary outlays for SCs across sectors, in absence of any reference to SCSP, there is no clarity on parameters for assessing the allocations reported by different ministries/departments in this statement.

A study of Statement 10A shows that the increase in allocation has not been due to introduction of new schemes for SCs in the budget, rather due to inclusion of certain schemes like Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana which do not directly benefit SCs and certain ministries such as Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, which is not Scheduled Caste-specific. Secondly, if one looks at the total sectoral composition of allocations under Statement 10A, it reveals that out of all the departments, the nodal department for development of SCs, that is, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DSJE) has only 9.82% of a total budgetary allocation.

It is incumbent that the DSJE not be reduced to just an outcome-based monitoring mechanism of expenditures but also be made to develop a revised framework of earmarking under SCSP. A comparative analysis of 2017-18 and 2018-19 data under DSJE reveals that allocation for post-matric scholarship for SC students have been reduced from Rs 3347 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 3000 crore in 2018-19. No new budgetary allotment has been done for National Overseas Scholarship for SCs (it remains the same at Rs 25 crore since 2017); similarly, no new budgetary allotment has been done for SC boys hostels (it remains the same at Rs 5 crore since 2017). Budgetary allocation for Safai Karamcharis and Manual Scavengers has been reduced from Rs 50 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 30 crore in 2018-19. Even the allocation for State Scheduled Castes Development Corporation has remained unchanged at Rs 20 crore since 2017.

Scheduled Tribes

The Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) stipulates earmarking Plan outlays for STs in proportion to their share in the total population of the country (8.6% as per Census 2011). Since 2017-2018, like in SCP, the Plan and Non-Plan heads of government have been merged and Statement 10B giving "Allocations for Welfare of Scheduled Tribes" introduced.It suffers from the same weaknesses as Statement 10A.

Arun Jaitley in his recent Budget speech said that "the government is committed to provide the best quality education to the tribal children in their own environment. To realise this mission, it has been decided that by the year 2022, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an Ekalavya Model Residential School. Ekalavya schools will be on par with Navodaya Vidyalayas and will have special facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing training in sports and skill development." It is to be noted here that Statement 10B showing allocation for welfare of Scheduled Tribes has NO mention of this scheme! There is no declaration of even a notional budget allocation for Eklavya Model Schools for STs. Also, if one looks at the total sectoral composition of allocations under Statement 10B, it reveals that out of all the departments, the nodal department for development of STs, that is, Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has only 15% of the total budgetary allocation!

NACDAOR's inference

It is a proven fact that the allocation for welfare of SCs, STs, and also for OBCs and minorities are not exclusively earmarked for the target community. On most occasions, the government increases the budget allocation by introducing a new scheme which either does not directly benefit the socially marginalised or have nothing to do with them. Schemes like these are nothing but ways of channelizing funds for the general population of the country at the cost of Dalit-Adivasi welfare. At present, the Labour Ministry has a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the welfare of the socially marginalised only in terms of vocational guidance and training under National Career Service Centre for SC/ST. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has no Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Dalit-Adivasi women. The same can be said for Departments of Youth Affairs and Sports.

The Budget is a document that presents the thoughts and actions of a government. It has been 70 years since India gained independence, but the budget till today continues to remain insensitive and contemptuous towards the needs of the socially marginalised communities. It has failed to implement the underlying principles of population-proportional budgetary allocation as had been envisioned during the making of the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan and the Tribal Sub Plan and is an official record testifying violation of the Preamble and the fundamental principles of socio-economic-political justice of the Constitution. This is the last budget of Narendra Modi-led NDA government. With this, they complete their hollow promise of "sabka saath sabka vikas" with which they had come to power on May 26, 2014.

Ashok Bharti is the principle adviser and Srija Naskar is research & documentation officer with National Confederation of Dalit Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR).

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author's personal views, and do not necessarily represent the views of Newsclick.