‘Budget for welfare of SCs & STs should be completely spent’

Musheerabad: The Budget allocations set apart for the welfare of SCs and STs should be completely spent, stressed a retired IAS officer Gopal Rao on Monday. Speaking as the chief guest at a State-level seminar on ‘Social sector, Buget allocations’ organised by the People’s Monitoring Committee at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram, he criticised the State government for ‘totally’ failing to spend the amounts provided for the development of SCs and STs.

Rao pointed out that had the government spent the funds with commitment at least 50 per cent of the people belonging to these communities would have benefited. ‘At least now it should utilise the current Budget provisions for the purpose’, the former IAS officer remarked.

State convener of the Monitoring Committee Sivalingam presided. Among the participants were Sudhakar David, KVPS State secretary ’Skylab’ Babu, Bathula Ramprasad, Venkatramulu, Narsimham, Rama Devi, Krishnaveni.