(a) the total number of people belonging to SCs and Other Backward Classes living below poverty line in the Country, State/Union territory-wise;
(b) whether the percentage of people belonging to SCs and OBCs living below poverty line has been reduced;
(c) if so, the facts thereof;
(d) the measures taken by the Government to bring the SCs and OBCs at par with main stream of the country; and
(e) the details of success achieved by the Government in its efforts, State/Union territory-wise?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EMPOWERMENT (SMT. SUBBULAKSHMI JAGADEESAN)
(a) As per estimates of poverty made available by the Planning Commission, 36.25 % of the SC population in the rural areas and 38.47% in Urban areas were living below poverty line in the year 1999-2000. The estimates for level of poverty among Scehduled Castes in 16 major States, is given in Annexure-I.
The poverty data about OBCs is not separately available.
(b)&(c) Yes Sir. The percentage of Scehduled Castes living below the poverty line has reduced from 48.11% in 1993-94 to 36.25% in 1999-2000 in rural areas. In Urban areas the percentage has reduced from 49.48% to 38.47% during the same period.
(d) Under the Special Component Plan (SCP), the States are required to channelise flow of funds and associated benefits from their Plan budgets for the benefit of Scehduled Castes, Central Government provides Special Central Assistance as an additive to Special Component Plan for implementing Family Oriented Income Generating Schemes to enable SC beneficiaries to cross poverty line. Concessional credit facilities for taking up viable self-employment projects are provided through National Scehduled Castes Finance & Development Corporation, National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation and Scheduled Castes Development Corporations.
Concessional Credit facilities to OBCs is provided through National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporations
(e) Due to various measures taken by the Government for economic development, the incidence of poverty among Scehduled Castes has gone down in all the major States, except in Orissa and in Urban areas of Assam and Haryana (Annexure - I).
State wise disbursement of credit and number of backward classes beneficiaries assisted during 2003-04 and 2004-05 by National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation is at Annexure -II.
ANNEXURE -I
Statement referred to in Part (a) and (e) of the reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1833 for 4.8.2005 by Shri Hemlal Murmu, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Shri Dalpat Singh Parste M.Ps regarding development of S Cs and OBCs
Percentage of Scehduled Castes living Below Poverty Line
States 1993-94 1999-2000
Rural Urban Rural Urban
Andhra Pradesh 26.02 43.82 16.49 41.42 Assam 45.38 14.34 44.00 19.99 Bihar 70.66 55.16 59.81 51.91 Gujarat 32.26 44.99 17.77 29.13 Haryana 46.56 23.58 19.03 25.38 Himachal Pradesh 36.89 18.52 13.15 6.74 Karnataka 46.36 61.59 26.22 47.01 Kerala 36.43 31.59 14.64 24.15 Madhya Pradesh 45.83 65.00 41.29 54.24 Maharashtra 51.64 52.56 33.27 39.88 Orissa 48.95 47.45 51.83 70.59 Punjab 22.08 27.96 12.39 11.30 Rajasthan 38.38 48.63 19.62 41.82 Tamil Nadu 44.05 61.50 32.59 44.94 Uttar Pradesh 58.99 58.02 43.65 43.51 West Bengal 45.29 37.73 35.10 28.15 All India 48.11 49.48 36.25 38.47
ANNEXURE -II
Statement referred to in Part (e) of the reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1833 for 4.8.2005 by Shri Hemlal Murmu, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Shri Dalpat Singh Parste M.Ps regarding development of S Cs and OBCs
State wise disbursement and No. of BC beneficiaries assisted during 2003-04 & 2004-05.
(Rs. in lakhs)
Sl.No Name of States 2003-2004 2004-05 Provisional
Disbursement Benefi- Disbursement Beneficiaries ciaries
1 Andhra Pradesh 1150.00 24065 250.00 135
2. Assam 95.68 274 80.20 220
3. Bihar 7.50 10 170.00 523
4. Chattisgarh 25.00 40 108.19 137
5. Chandigarh (UT 15.00 25 24.70 72 6. Delhi (UT) 50.00 55 50.00 78
7 Gujarat 350.00 615 350.00 980
8. Goa 46.67 26 28.45 15
9. Haryana 200.00 940 175.00 769 10. Himachal Pradesh 182.84 256 250.00 500 11. Jammu & Kashmir 15.00 30 40.60 57 12. Jharkhand 270.30 540 0.00 0 13. Karnataka 1690.77 7757 1000.00 6528 14. Kerala 3067.50 11900 1697.50 5362 15. Madhya Pradesh 492.50 1292 148.75 507 16. Manipur 0.00 0 0.00 0 17. Maharashtra 2684.00 5570 1950.00 5941 18. Orissa 50.00 105 50.00 495 19 Punjab 43.00 629 200.00 321 20. Pondicherry (UT) 50.00 173 50.00 176 21. Rajasthan 114.68 278 293.40 792 22. Sikkim 125.00 170 257.90 300 23 Tamil Nadu 1075.00 28717 800.00 29799 24. Tripura 0.00 0 99.03 190 25 Uttar Pradesh 550.00 1138 616.00 4710 26 Uttaranchal 9.00 40 52.75 74 27. West Bengal 750.00 1675 600.00 2857 Total 13109.44 86320 9342.47 61538
Note: Funds have been released to State Channelising Agencies (SCAs) on the basis of demand projected by them and availability of funds with the National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation.