DAPSC guidelines (NITI Aayog, 2017): allocation by obligated ministries and reflection in Union Budget Statement 10A

What happened: DAPSC funding follows 2017 earmarking guidelines and is shown in Union Budget Statement 10A

The Government stated that NITI Aayog issued DAPSC guidelines in 2017 for earmarking funds under the Development Action Plan for Scheduled Castes (DAPSC). Under these guidelines, DAPSC funds are allocated by each obligated Ministry/Department for the socio-economic development of Scheduled Castes through the concerned Ministry/Department’s schemes.

The Government also stated that the schemes associated with DAPSC are implemented by the concerned Ministries/Departments. Allocation of DAPSC-linked funds to States and Union Territories, including Karnataka, is undertaken by the respective Ministries/Departments in line with the guidelines of their respective schemes. Finally, the funds allocated by obligated Ministries/Departments under DAPSC are reflected in Statement 10A of the Expenditure Profile of the Union Budget.

Background and earlier position: DAPSC is implemented through schemes of multiple Ministries

A core idea behind DAPSC is that Scheduled Castes socio-economic development is delivered through schemes. In the Government’s stated model, no single ministry manages the whole set of DAPSC funds end-to-end. Instead, obligated Ministries/Departments allocate DAPSC funds within their own scheme frameworks.

In this multi-ministry setup, fund flow to States and Union Territories happens through the respective Ministries/Departments. Hence, DAPSC funds at the state level depend on the scheme-specific guidelines followed by the Ministries/Departments.