Budget 2019: For Welfare’s Sake - SC/ST budgetary allocation sees an increase of 35.6%

In the Budget 2018-19, the proposal to allocate for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/STs) increased from budgetary estimates of Rs 56,619 crore made in 2018-19 for SCs to Rs 76,801 crore in budgetary estimates for 2019-20, marking an increase of 35.6 per cent over budgetary estimates of 2018-19. The revised estimates in 2018-19 was Rs 62,474 crore.

For the Scheduled Tribes, the proposed allocation in budgetary estimates of 2019-20 is Rs 50,086 crore as against Rs 39,135 crore in budgetary estimates of 2018-19, marking an increase of 28 per cent.

In addition to that, the government announced a committee to identify denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes communities. ".. the condition of the de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic communities merits special attention. These communities are hard to reach, less visible, and therefore, frequently left out. The nomadic and semi-nomadic communities move from place to place in search of livelihood. The Renke Commission and the Idate Commission have done commendable work to identify and list these communities. A Committee under NITI Aayog will be set up to complete the task of identifying de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic communities not yet formally classified," Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said in his Budget speech.

Goyal added that the government will also set up a Welfare Development Board under the ministry of social justice and empowerment for the purpose of implementing welfare and development programmes for these communities. " The Board shall ensure that special strategies are designed and implemented to serve these hard-to-reach communities," said Goyal.

The budgetary allocation for the social justice and empowerment ministry, however, saw a hike of less than two percent. Under it, the allocation for the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment saw a rise to Rs 7,800 in 2019-20 crore from Rs 7,750 crore in 2018-19, a hike of 0.6 percent. And, the allocation for the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities saw an increase of 7 percent, from Rs 1,070 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 1,144.90 crore in 2019-20.

"The allocation of Rs 56,619 crore made in budget estimates (BE) of 2018-19 for scheduled caste, further increased to Rs 62,474 crore in revised estimates (RE) is proposed to be enhanced to Rs 76,801 crore in BE for 2019-20, an increase of 35.6 per cent over BE of 2018-19," stated a release from the ministry.