GUIDELINES ON UTILISATION OF SPECIAL CENTRAL ASSISTANCE TO SCHEDULED CASTES SUB PLAN
TEL NO. 23381643
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE
SHASTRI BHAWAN, NEW DELHI
DATED 6TH OCTOBER 1998.
Subject: Special Central Assistance (SCA) to Special Component Plan (SCP) for Scheduled Castes (SCs) - Modifications in the criteria for release of SCA to States/UTs, utilization etc.
As you are aware, Special Central Assistance is provided to State Governments/UT Administrations as an additive to their Special Component Plan for Scheduled Castes. Its main objective is to give a thrust to the development programmes for Scheduled Castes with reference to their occupational pattern and the need for increasing the productivity of and income from their limited resources. It will help in bringing about occupational diversification in the labour surplus economy. SCA is expected to give thrust to family oriented schemes of economic development of SCs below the poverty line, by providing resources for filling he critical gaps and for providing missing vital inputs so that the schemes can be more meaningful. Since the schemes/programmes for SCs may be depending upon the local occupational pattern and the economic activities available, the Sates/UTs have been given full flexibility in utilizing SCA with the only condition that it should be utilized in conjunction with SCP and other resources available from other sources like various Corporations, financial institution etc.
2. An illustrative list of areas under various sectors of development where SCA could be utilized has already been circulated vide this Ministry's d.o. letter No.19020/35/93-SCD-VI dated 29th July, 1993 (copy enclosed as Annexure I (-1 ) (PDF file that opens in a new window) ). The condition of blocks having 50% or more of SC population for use of SCA for infrastructural development programmes has been relaxed and villages having 50% or more of SC population can now be considered for infrastructural development programmes with the support of SCA funds. Only 10% of the total SCA released to the State Government/UT Administration in a year should be utilized for infrastructural development programmes. Copy of the d.o. letter No.19020/35/93-SCD-VI dated 7th September, 1998 issued in this connection is enclosed as Annexure-II (-1 ) (PDF file that opens in a new window) .
3. The continuation of the Scheme of Special Central Assistance to Special Component Plan for SCs during the IX Five Year Plan has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs with the following modifications and conditions: -
(i) The SCA will be released to the state Governments/UT Administrations on the basis of following criteria:-
|(a)||On the basis of SC population of the States/UTs.||40%|
|(b)||On the basis of relative backwardness of he States/UTs (inverse of State Per Capita Domestic Product)||10%|
|(c)||On the basis of the percentage of SC families in the States/UTs covered by composite economic development Programmes in the Plans to enable them to cross the Poverty line.||25%|
|(d)||On the basis of the Special Component Plan to the Annual Plan as compared to the SC population percentage in the States/UTs||25%|