Bengaluru: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy cautioned to file criminal suit against the officials for failing to utilise the funds sanctioned for the welfare of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) within set deadline. He was speaking to reporters after chairing the meeting of the State Council that oversees the implementation of “Karnataka Scheduled Castes Sub Plan and Tribal Sub Plan (Planning, Allocation and Utilisation of Financial Resources) Act, 2013” at Bengaluru yesterday.
The Chief Minister has warned officials of imprisonment if funds earmarked for the empowerment of SC/STs are not utilised properly. There is a provision under this Act to send officers to jail if they have not used the funds meant for development of these communities effectively. The State Government had earmarked Rs.29,000 crore for development of these communities in the current fiscal year. State had allocated Rs.2,000 crore more amount this year when compared to previous year’s allocation. In 2013-14, the total allocation was Rs.8,616 crore.
