Chandigarh, July 29:
In a landmark movethat will earmark a part of the state’s annual budget for the welfare of theScheduled Castes in proportion to their population in Punjab, Chief Minister CaptainAmarinder Singh on Thursday gave the go-ahead for putting a new Bill before theCabinet, thus paving the way for its enactment in the next session of theVidhan Sabha.
The ‘Punjab StateWelfare and Development of Scheduled Castes (Planning, Earmarking andUtilization of Financial Resources) Sub-Allocation Bill, 2021’ will also enablethe government to put in place an institutional mechanism to formulate andmonitor the implementation of the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP), and mattersconnected with it.
The legislation, whenpassed in the Assembly, will provide the state government a platform to ensurethe overall development of Scheduled Castes through effective implementation ofvarious welfare schemes under SCSP.
Notably, Punjab hasthe highest percentage of SC population in the country, at 31.94%.
Reiterating hisgovernment’s firm commitment to the socio-economic and educational developmentof the SC population in the state, the Chief Minister said the Bill will give abig boost to his government’s efforts to ensure the welfare of this segment.
An officialspokesperson said the Directorate of Scheduled Castes Sub Plan would be thenodal agency to ensure formulation of SCSP, besides monitoring itsimplementation. The authority competent to approve State Annual Budgetestimates would also accord approval to the SCSP simultaneously with the StateAnnual Budget of the relevant financial year, before submitting it to thePunjab Vidhan Sabha. There would be a single mechanism for flow of funds underSCSP, and the Finance Department would remain the controlling authority forthis purpose.
The progress of SCSPwould be reviewed and monitored at State, District and Block levels, as perprocedure and by the Committee as prescribed. Each Department shall ensuretransparency and accountability at all levels in the implementation of theSCSP.
The efficacy of thelegislation would be ensured by the systematic and exhaustive procedures on allaspects with respect to the formulation and implementation of SCSP in thestate. Moreover, the departments implementing SCSP would become liable toimplement it in its true spirit for the benefit of stakeholders i.e. ScheduledCastes population in the State. The new law would ensure transparency andaccountability at all levels in the implementation of SCSP. There will also bea provision of incentives for commendable performance and penalties for willfulneglect of any rule under the law by a Government functionary.