New Delhi: The Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC), which sets the social agenda of the Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, has made a fresh set of recommendations to strengthen the implementation of the scheduled caste sub plans (SCSP), including strengthening the national commission for scheduled castes (SCs).
At a meeting on Friday, the council approved the recommendations by its working group on Dalit issues.
“The SC sub plans at the Centre and the states should include only such existing schemes (including additional components to existing schemes) or new proposed schemes that fulfil the following criteria that benefits to SCs are quantifiable and the scheme has the potential to bridge the gaps in development between SCs and others,” said one of the recommendations cited by a release from the council. “Schemes where benefits to SCs are merely notional are not to be included in the sub plans.”
Other recommendations include a “pro-active planning approach” for inclusive growth and quantifiable benefits to the SC population. It also suggested that the sub plans for the SC population should be appraised by the Planning Commission.
In November last year, the council had made a set of recommendations to revamp the SCSP. It had then sought to reform the Centre’s pre-matric and post-matric scholarship schemes, setting aside a portion of Plan outlays for welfare schemes of scheduled castes and setting up two residential schools in each block in rural areas.
