Plan panel for 15% of funds for minorities in all schemes

NEW DELHI: The Planning Commission is likely to ask all ministries to step up allocation — to over 15% of funds — under all central schemes for the minority-concentrated areas.

With concern being expressed that UPA II’s minority outreach schemes were faltering, the plan panel is considering a proposal framed by its steering Committee on Empowerment of Minorities.

The committee had suggested that spending should be in sync with the presence of minorities in the overall population, a move the government is considering given its political implications.

Members of the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council have criticized the slow progress of minority-oriented schemes and Muslim organizations have said the follow up action on the Sachar Commission findings has been poor.
After failing to turn the minority vote towards it in the recent UP election, Congress is keenly aware that the competition for the minority vote is only likely to increase as more state elections approach in the run up to the 2014 general election.

“There is a need to revise the existing guidelines of earmarking ‘15% of funds wherever possible’ to ‘15% and above’ in proportion to the size of the minority population and prevailing backwardness and deficits. This would facilitate a larger minority population and concentrated areas to be covered under the development programmes , which otherwise stand excluded due to restricted 15% coverage,” the committee said in its report.

Once the plan panel incorporates the suggestion, it would be binding on ministries to at least spend the amount earmarked on schemes that benefit the minorities . This would be akin to the 10% allocation made for the northeast. The panel has also said that 15% should be the floor for ministries and should not be seen as a cap. The prescriptionwould mean the government will have to earmark Rs 42,000 crore during the 12th five year plan for minority concentrated areas.