Bengaluru: CM admits error in allocation of reserved funds, Pledges to correct it

Team Udayavani, Sep 16, 2024, 9:17 AM IST

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has acknowledged a mistake in the allocation of funds reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), after opposition parties accused the government of diverting these funds to other guarantee schemes.

Speaking at a Democracy Day event held outside Vidhana Soudha on Sunday, Siddaramaiah admitted the error and assured corrective measures would be taken.

Siddaramaiah highlighted that his government was the first in the country to introduce a law ensuring development funds proportional to the SC/ST population. “What have you done? Is mere criticism enough?” he asked the opposition, challenging the central government, which presented a Rs 48 lakh crore budget, to allocate funds in proportion to the SC/ST population, accusing them of setting aside only Rs 60,000 crore.

Responding to allegations from the BJP that funds reserved under the SC Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (SCSP-TSP) were misused, Siddaramaiah said, “A mistake has been made, let’s correct it.” He also pointed out that the government had allocated 24.1% of funds according to the population of these communities.

The CM questioned why the BJP, both at the center and in BJP-ruled states, had not implemented similar laws for SC/ST development. He also dismissed claims that funds for the state’s “Anna Bhagya” food scheme were solely provided by the center, stating that the funds came from state taxes, not from individual leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi or BJP President J.P. Nadda.