Bhubaneswar: The utilization of funds meant for Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) development, revealing a significant gap between budgetary allocations and actual expenditure over the past three years.
The data was provided by the ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Minister Shri Nityanand Gond in response to an Un-Starred Question raised by Balangir MLA Shri Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo in Odisha Legislative Assembly.
Shri Singh Deo in the question sought a detailed status report on all schemes for ST and minority communities, specifically asking for a breakdown of “Funds allocated versus utilized”.
The State Government’s answer, presented by Minister Shri Gond , included financial details that show a substantial amount of money went unspent, particularly in key educational schemes.
A closer look at the scheme for Post Matric Scholarship to ST Students reveals pronounced under-utilization. In the financial year 2023-24, the government allocated a budget provision of over ₹414.93 crore (₹4,14,93,14,000) for the scheme, but the actual expenditure stood at only over ₹302.89 crore (₹3,02,89,12,214).
This demonstrates an unspent amount of over ₹112 crore in a single year for a vital scholarship program. Similarly, in the financial year 2022-23, the budget was over ₹398.99 crore (₹3,98,99,89,000), while the expenditure was over ₹314.68 crore (₹3,14,68,09,901), leaving approximately ₹84 crore unspent.
The Pre-Matric Scholarship to ST Students also saw a considerable portion of funds unutilized. In the financial year 2022-23, out of a total budget provision of ₹723.55 crore, the department spent ₹654.31 crore, showing a non-utilization of approximately ₹69.24 crore.
For the year 2023-24, a total budget of ₹687.67 crore was followed by an expenditure of ₹624.01 crore, with over ₹63 crore remaining unspent.
The persistence of unspent funds year after year, especially in schemes directly tied to the education and welfare of tribal and backward communities, raises serious questions regarding the efficiency of the department and its capacity to execute development initiatives.
The unspent allocations undermine the government’s stated aim to lessen regional disparities and boost education, skill development, and employment generation in remote hilly and tribal belts.