Ranchi, February 26 Jharkhand Minister Chamra Linda announced on Thursday that the state government would enact a law to prevent the diversion of funds 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, the Minister for Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, Minorities, and Backward Classes, Linda, said that there is no monitoring agency for TSP funds in the state, which has led to some departments misusing them.
"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. However, other departments have misused funds by diverting them to non-scheduled areas. There is no monitoring agency in our state to look into these irregularities," Linda said.
He said 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, ensuring rapid development, reducing poverty, and protecting against exploitation.
Congress MLA Rajesh Kachhap raised the issue of TSP funds during Question Hour and wanted to know 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 and sought a government reply on whether it was considering paying the scholarship from the state fund.
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 issue. 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 share until the Centre releases its funds," Linda said.
Giving a figure, the minister said 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.
BJP legislator Amit Yadav alleged that the government is not purchasing seeds from farmers of the state but importing from other states.
"The environment and soil conditions in Jharkhand are different. Seeds brought from other states could cause loss to farmers," he said.
Responding to the question, Agriculture Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey said that there has been a memorandum of understanding with the Jharkhand State Agriculture Development Corporation Limited for seed villages.
"The corporation will purchase seeds from the seed villages in the next two months, on the condition that they fulfill all the parameters set for quality seed production," Tirkey said.
Congress MLAs Naman Bixal Kongari and Rajesh Kachhap raised the issue of violation of the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act.
Kongari questioned how building maps are approved on lands protected under the CNT Act.
State Minister Deepak Birua said that the government takes action as per the law when a violation of the CNT Act is reported.