Funds not fully spent on SC/ST welfare: RTI
Saturday, 04/10/2014
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20141004/punjab.htm#5
Chandigarh : An RTI query has exposed the state government's claims of working for the betterment of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe community. It is revealed that the government has been spending less than the budget allocated for the community.
Besides, the government is yet to fill 14 posts of district SC/ST welfare officer. The posts of three deputy directors and a director are also vacant.
Information procured under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by advocate Manoj Bhushan reveals that it was in 1993-94 that the Centre appointed six district welfare officers through the Punjab Public Service Commission. Their posts are lying vacant in Barnala, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar, Mohali, Sangrur, Roopnagar, Pathankot and Fazilka.
The government had planned to spend Rs 7.82 crore on the welfare of the SC/ST community. Last year, Rs 7.35 crore was sanctioned, but Rs 6.46 crore was spent. The capital outlay for last year was kept at Rs 1.03 crore, but only Rs 48.45 lakh was spent.
Seema Jain, Secretary, Social Welfare, said the government had started the process to recruit 43 tehsil welfare officers. For the appointment of district welfare officers, a requisition had been sent to the Punjab Public Service Commission, she said.
She claimed the SAD-BJP government was spending a lot on the welfare of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe community, which could only be judged through exact figures.
