Special Component Plan For Scheduled Castes Annual Plan 1981-82 and Sixth Five Year Plan 1980-85

Abstract

From Foreword: Total population of Scheduled Castes in Himachal Pradesh is 7.70 lakhs which constitutes 22.2 % of total population of the Pradesh, according to 1971 census. They account for 1.62 lakh families out of an all India total of 171.47 lakh Scheduled Caste families. Of these 1.62 lakh Scheduled Caste families in the State, about 1,25 lakh families are marginal farmers and agricultural labourers. They mostly follow traditional occupations and constitute the poorer and more vulnerable section of the community. Attempts made in the earlier plans to quantity financial and physical benefits to Scheduled Castes did not achieve the desired results. The concept of Special Component Plan was, therefore, evolved and a modest plan of the size of Rs. 4.61 crores was prepared for the first time in 1979-80 against which Rs. 2.98 crores were spent. During 1980-81 Special Component plan outlay was Rs. 7.64 crores (State plan: Rs. 6.80 crores ; Special Central Assistance: Rs O.83crore). This much-enlarged plan was implemented for the purpose of reducing the socio economic cleavages between the scheduled castes and other communities.