Ranchi, February 26 Jharkhand Minister Chamra Linda announced on Thursday that the state government would enact a law to prevent the diversion of funds allocated for the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP), so that they could be used entirely for the benefit of the tribal population.
Responding to a question in the Jharkhand Assembly, Minister for Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, Minorities, and Backward Classes, Linda, said that there is no monitoring agency for the TSP funds in the state, which has led to their "misuse" by some departments.
"Besides our department, other departments also receive TSP funds. The record of fund usage is maintained only by the respective departments. Since we receive funds for targeted schemes, there is hardly any chance of diversion. We have instances of other departments diverting funds to non-scheduled areas. In our state, there is no monitoring agency to address these irregularities," Linda said.
He stated that a law is needed to prevent the diversion of TSP funds, as it has been done in Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
"The Andhra Pradesh government introduced an Act in this regard in 2013. We have decided to visit Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh to study their Acts, so that a similar law can be framed for Jharkhand," the minister added.
The TSP funds aim to bridge the socio-economic gap between Scheduled Tribes and the general population, promoting rapid development, reducing poverty, and protecting against exploitation.
Congress MLA Rajesh Kachchap raised the issue of diversion of TSP funds during Question Hour, asking if the funds were being diverted and used in non-scheduled areas.
Dumri MLA Jairam Mahto raised the issue of OBC students not receiving scholarships, seeking a government reply on whether the state is considering providing scholarships from its funds.
Responding to this, Linda accused the Centre of not releasing funds for OBC students' scholarships.
"For students in classes 1 to 8, there is no problem. The main issue we are facing is for students in classes 9 to 12, as we are not receiving funds from the Centre. The scholarship amount is given to students by the state and Centre in a ratio of 60:40. According to a clause, the state cannot release its part until the Centre releases its funds," Linda said.
Giving a figure, the minister said that they had demanded Rs 67.88 crore in 2023-24, Rs 66.24 crore in 2024-25, and Rs 45.91 crore in 2025-26 from the Centre for OBC scholarship for pre-matric students, but received Rs 60.35 crore, Rs 12 crore, and Rs 3.95 crore in the respective years.
Similarly, the state demanded Rs 271 crore, Rs 325 crore, and Rs 370 crore in 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26, respectively, from the Centre for post-matric students, but received Rs 77 crore in 2023-24, Rs 33 crore in 2024-25, and not a single penny in 2025-26, the minister claimed.
"The government is concerned about the scholarship issue. So, we are working to abolish the clause, so that the state government can release its funds under the scholarship head," Linda said.