In its election manifesto for the 2009 general elections, Congress had promised that it would ensure that allocations made under the Special Components Plan (SCP) for scheduled castes and the Tribal Sub-Plan for scheduled tribes are in accordance with their proportion in the total population.

These two crucial schemes ensure that a proportion of all plan spending has to go towards the most marginalised and deprived sections of Indian society dalits and adivasis.

Funds routed under these schemes are non-divertable and non-lapsable. Such a promise was necessary because over the years, it had become almost customary to spend only a small amount under these schemes despite clear mandate that expenditure has to be about 16% for dalits and about 8% for adivasis. When UPA came to power for first time in 2004, only 5 out of 104 departments/ministries were showing such expenditure. Addressing the 51st National Development Council meeting in 2005, PM Manmohan Singh said that within 10 years expenditure would be brought in line with population proportions. Since then, this promise has been repeated several times, and all parties have voiced support to it.

Yet reality is quite the reverse. Not only is the allocation under SCP and TSP below the target, it has actually declined in past three years, according to research done by the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), a Delhi-based think tank. Spending for dalits under SCP increased from 4.25% in 2004-05 to 8.12% in 2007-08, but then declined to 6.49% in 2009-10. By law it should be at least 16%, that being the proportion of dalits in the Indian population. Similarly, spending for tribals under TSP increased from a puny 2.8% in 2004-05 to 4.89% in 2007-08, but then declined to 4.1% in the last budget. Again, legally, it should be 8%, which is the share of tribals in India's population.

This shocking truth emerged from CBGA research on expenditure details under SCP and TSP by 18 ministries/departments which had undertaken such allocation. These include some of the major ministries handling matters that relate to dalit and adivasi communities, like education, rural development, tribal affairs and social justice and empowerment. In 2009-10, total plan expenditure was Rs 243,893 crore. Out of this, Rs 15,832 crore was spent through SCP for dalits. By statutory requirement, it should have been 16% of total expenditure, that is, about Rs 39,514 crore. So, just in one year, dalit communities in India were short-changed for a whopping Rs 23,682 crore. Expenditure on adivasis was pegged at Rs 9,995 crore, whereas it should have been 8% of total, that is, about Rs 19,751. They were deprived of Rs 9,756 crore in 2009.