VBA strongly objects: Dalits’ budget worth crores diverted to other schemes, scholarships and welfare schemes still pending
Mumbai – The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) has strongly protested the Maharashtra government’s decision to approve financial assistance of ₹2.80 crore from the Social Justice and Special Assistance Department’s budget for the Ashadhi Ekadashi festival through the Chief Minister’s Warkari Mahamandal. The party alleges that the budget earmarked for the welfare of the Scheduled Caste community is being continuously diverted to other schemes, adversely affecting the rights and development of the Dalit community.
Through a Government Order issued on July 2nd, the Maharashtra Government has granted administrative and financial approval of a total of ₹2.8 crore (280 lakh rupees) to the Chief Minister’s Warkari Mahamandal to provide assistance of ₹20,000 per Dindi to 1,400 Dindis accompanying 10 palanquins of Maan during the Ashadhi Ekadashi Wari in Pandharpur. According to the Government Order, this amount will be provided from the “Chief Minister’s Warkari Mahamandal’s Assistance Grant (2235D963)” under the Budget Head 2235 – Social Security and Welfare of the Social Justice and Special Assistance Department. The order also states that this amount will be distributed through the Chief Minister’s Warkari Mahamandal, with the Divisional Commissioner, Pune, designated as the Controlling Officer and the Tehsildar (General Administration), Office of the Divisional Commissioner, Pune, as the Drawing and Disbursing Officer. Discrimination and Identity Relationships
Criticizing the order, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi’s State General Secretary, Rajendra Patode, alleged that the Social Justice Department’s budget, especially funds earmarked for the Scheduled Castes, is being continuously used for schemes that are not directly related to the social, educational, and economic empowerment of the Dalit community. He stated that previously, similar funds were used for the Kisan Samman Yojana, the Chief Minister’s Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, and the Chief Minister’s Tirtha Darshan Yojana, and now, in the same vein, Rs. 2.80 crore has been allocated to the Chief Minister’s Warkari Mahamandal.
Patode stated that if the government wishes to implement these schemes, separate provisions should be made for them from the general budget. He alleged that shifting the budget earmarked for the Scheduled Caste community to other items violates constitutional rights. According to him, numerous schemes related to scholarships, education, economic development, and social justice for Dalit students are still pending, while crores of rupees are being spent for other purposes.
Diverting the budget allocated for the Scheduled Caste community to other items violates the rights granted by the Constitution. Previously, funds from the Social Justice Department were similarly used for the Kisan Samman Yojana, the Chief Minister’s Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, and the Chief Minister’s Tirtha Darshan Yojana.
– Rajendra Patode, State General Secretary, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi
The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi also stated that due to the lack of a separate and effective legal framework for the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan, governments are arbitrarily using this budget. The party alleges that this is why the actual benefits of the funds allocated for the Scheduled Caste community are not reaching the targeted groups. Patode described this as a “financial emergency”-like attack on the rights of the Dalit community and called for a widespread public movement on this issue.
However, the Maharashtra government’s administrative decision states that the purpose of this assistance is to provide ₹20,000 per Dindi to the 1,400 Dindis accompanying the 10 palanquins of Maan participating in the Ashadhi Ekadashi Wari in Pandharpur. The preamble states that the Warkari tradition is an important cultural heritage linked to Maharashtra’s social harmony, saint tradition, and public awareness, and given the growing numbers, this assistance is considered necessary for management and facilities. According to the government, the Chief Minister’s Warkari Mahamandal was established to carry out welfare programs for the Warkari community and kirtankars, and as in the past two years, it has been decided to provide grants to the Dindis this year as well.
Currently, this decision has sparked political debate over the use of the Social Justice Department’s budget. The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) has demanded that the budget allocated for the Scheduled Caste community be used only for schemes related to the social, educational, and economic development of that community, and that legal safeguards be ensured to prevent the diversion of such funds to other schemes.
Geetha Sunil Pillai
Courtesy: Hindi News