The government claims about working towards the empowerment of scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) populations are not backed by action, says a new report.

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) has no policy provision to address the development deficits of SCs and STs, says a the report released on Friday.

“Union budget 2011-12 has not made any provision to allocate funds for SCs and STs in JNNURM,” says the report by Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) and National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR).

The JNNURM was launched in 2005-06 with an aim to develop urban areas. “How can government improve the conditions of people from marginalised section of society, when the funds are not especially allocated to them. How can gaps be bridged between haves and haves not,” says Paul Divakar, convenor of NCDHR.

“According to 2001 census, 20.2 percent and 8.3 percent of SCs and STs in the total population live in urban areas but the government has not made any special provision for them,” the study added.

The report also said that the ministry of urban development does not give any information on fund allocation and beneficiary data on SCs and STs except for a provision for 10 percent beneficiary contribution in house construction under basic services for urban poor (BSUP) and integrated housing and slum development programme (IHSDP).

The report said, “The department related standing committee on urban development was very critical about the dismal performance under all components of JNNURM.”

The report also added that plan allocation for the SCs and STs was not in tune with their respective populations. “Plan allocation and release of funds by the union governments and states of Bihar and Rajasthan have not been made in proportion to the population of SCs and STs till 2010-11,” it held.

The report mentioned that the situation has been corrected only marginally in the current budget. In Bihar, only 1.2 percent of funds were allocated for the scheduled castes as per budget estimate in 2010-11.

Criticising the project plan earmarked for the dalits and tribals, the report explains, “The plan allocation by various line departments meant for SCs and STs does not have the enough scope for tailor-made projects suitable to their specific needs.”

The report noted that even schemes like Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF), member of parliament local area development scheme (MPLADS) are not allocating funds for SCs and STs.

“It shows that there are serious gaps in policy making from the politicians and bureaucrats,” Subrat Das, executive director of CBGA told Governance Now.