Bhubaneswar: Shri Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, MLA for Balangir, raised a comprehensive query in the Odisha Legislative Assembly today, demanding a detailed status report on all schemes implemented by the ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department over the past three years.
Shri Singh Deo sought specifics on funds allocated versus utilized, targets versus achievements in sectors like education and skill development, measures to address regional disparities, and monitoring mechanisms for schemes benefiting Scheduled Tribes (STs), including Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), and minority communities.
Minister Shri Nityananda Gond provided an initial response, confirming that the department has implemented several development initiatives with a special emphasis on education, infrastructure, skill development, and employment generation, with the aim of lessening regional disparities in remote hilly, tribal, and minority belts. The Minister annexed detailed financial and physical achievement reports for major scholarship schemes.
The annexed data for the Pre-Matric Scholarship to ST students indicated significant expenditure and beneficiary numbers over the three years (2022-23 to 2024-25). For the financial year 2024-25 alone, the department provisioned a total budget of ₹787.46 crore, with an expenditure of ₹722.75 crore, benefiting 1,125,057 ST students across schemes like the State Sector, Centrally Sponsored Scheme, and the Shahid Madho Singh Haath Kharcha Yojana. District-wise details showed Mayurbhanj having the highest number of beneficiaries under the Mukhyamantri Medhabi Chatra Protsahan Yojana (State Sector) in 2024-25 with 87,032 students.
Similarly, the Post-Matric Scholarship for ST students showed substantial disbursements, with a total expenditure of ₹314.68 crore for 216,895 students in 2022-23. This expenditure was highest in Khurdha district across all three years, reaching ₹57.55 crore for 16,493 students in the financial year 2024-25.
Addressing the question of regional disparity, the report highlighted the Odisha Tribal Empowerment and Livelihoods Program Plus (OTELP Plus). This program, aimed at sustainably improving the livelihoods and food security of poor tribal households through natural resource management and enterprise development, is operational in 18 backward blocks across five districts: Malkanagiri, Rayagada, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, and Sambalpur.