From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Sep 28: In a major boost to the development of people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and virtually promising a better deal for their welfare, the HD Kumaraswamy-led JD(S)-Congress coalition regime has set aside a whopping Rs 29,0000 crore for more than three dozen departments for implementing hundreds of programmes during 2018-19.

The allocation will be utilised under the Karnataka Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (Planning, Allocation and Utilisation of Financial Resources) Act, 2013.

There has been delay in the approval of the plan owing to late presentation of the State budget by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.

At a high level meeting presided by Kumaraswamy and attended by Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara, Social Welfare Minister Priyank Kharge and senior Cabinet ministers, the Chief Minister told the officials to utilise the fund effectively by expediting implementation of works under the plan.

The fund utilisation during the Siddaramaiah government was more than 90 per cent.

The fund was effectively used and good works were done in rural areas compared to urban centres during the previous Congress regime, sources in the government said.

Meanwhile, a five-member Cabinet sub-committee headed by Social Welfare Minister Priyank Kharge has been constituted for filling backlog vacancies for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in various government undertakings and universities.

More than 7,000 backlog vacancies to be filled in various departments.

A cabinet meeting held on September 20 has taken a decision to set up the committee for filling backlog vacancies in government owned boards/corporations, aided educational institutions, universities and cooperative societies.