A new social audit belies the government's claims of working towards social inclusion. A study by Delhi-based Social Equity Watch claims that dalits, tribal people and minorities are denied key infrastructure facilities at the village level itself. It also says that these facilities generally serve the general and backward castes (BC) people better.

“The schedule castes (SCs), schedule tribes (STs) and minorities are being fenced off from access to the functional infrastructure facilities by merely situating them in general or backward class habitations,” says the social audit released on Wednesday.

The social infrastructure audit which covered 124 gram panchayats in five states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Orissa and Rajasthan found that three-fourths of the gram panchayats (GPs) have the panchayat building only in general/BC localities. “Health sub centres, higher secondary schools, panchayat bhawans and post offices are available in habitations exclusively for general/BC in more than 60 percent of GPs,” said the audit conducted between February 21 and April 10, 2011.

The equity gap is severe in certain GPs, it said. Fair price shops and middle schools are accessible in habitations exclusively for general/BC in 46 and 44 percent while the same is available in SC/ST or minority habitations in 16 and 21 percent of the GPs. “Since the infrastructure is habitation specific and cannot be shared, this demonstrates complete exclusion of SC/ST and minority habitations,” the report held.

“Government does not have data to monitor its programmes, so the exclusion to SC/ST and minorities is happening," Kumaran of Social Equity Watch told Governance Now.

According to the social audit, Bihar and Rajasthan GPs have the poorest infrastructure access for SC/ST and minority populations. It also said that community centres were missing in most of the gram panchayats of Karnataka. “The facilities which were not available in more than 30 GPs included health sub-centre, electricity connection, community centre and higher secondary school,” the report noted.

The audit titled ‘National Infrastructure Equity Audit – Phase I’ added, “The primary health centre, agriculture office and police station were always located outside the GP at block headquarters.”

The audit also criticised government’s timebound rural infrastructure scheme, Bharat Nirman infrastructure plan. It said that roads and electricity were available to general/BC populations only in more than 10 percent of GPs.  

“As the planning commission is preparing a revised draft approach paper to the 12th five year, there should be proactive approach to include the excluded groups,” says Kumaran.

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