Budget Session: Congress alleges discrimination by BJP in fund allocation for backward classes, accused of divide and rule

Details tabled by the department for the year 2021-2022 revealed that the state government did not provide any financial aid to nine of the 10 such boards and corporations. Only Gujarat Safai Kamdar Development Corporation was granted financial aid worth Rs 15.53 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 23.60 crore in 2022-23. Loans worth Rs 9.71 crore and Rs 10 crore were provided to the corporation by the state.

Of the total loan and financial aid provided by the state to this corporation, Rs 9.71 crore and Rs 10.15 crore remained unutilised in the two years respectively.

Congress MLA Amit Chavda questioned the government on the “skewed allocation” and the non-utilisation of funds. “It must be said with sadness that the boards and corporations for the state’s marginalised population – SC, ST, OBC, minority community – are provisioning lesser amounts (in the Budget), and even of the amount provisioned, the unutilised amount is very high,” Chavda said.

“Of the 10 boards and corporations, eight are related to SC, ST, OBC, and minorities. What is the reason for allocating a lesser amount compared to the population? The Gujarat Unreserved Educational and Economic Development Corporation (GUEEDC) is allocated a much higher amount while SC, ST, OBC, and minority corporations are provisioned very less, what is the reason for this discrimination?” he said.

GUEEDC was provided a loan of Rs 450 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 500 crore in 2022-23 by the state government — the highest among the 10 boards and corporations. However, funds worth Rs 38.50 crore remained unutilised in FY 2021-22 while the funds were completely utilised in 2022-23.

Minister of State of Social Justice and Empowerment (SJE) Department Bhikusinhji Chatursinhji Parmar said that in 2021-22 and 2022-23, Gujarat Scheduled Caste Development Corporation (GSDC) spent Rs 5.84 crore and Rs 3.23 crore “so it is not that funds were not utilised”, adding, the unutilised amount “will be utilised soon”.

Further charging at the state government, Congress MLA Amrutji Thakor said, “In Gujarat, the unreserved population is 18 per cent while the Thakor-Koli population is 26 per cent. It is great that GUEEDC was provisioned Rs 500 crore (in FY 2022-23) but Gujarat Thakor and Koli Development Corporation (GTKDC) was provisioned Rs 50 crore (in FY 2022-23). Why such discrimination?” In response, Parmar said, “We are accepting all applications given by beneficiaries or students (applying to GTKDC) and subject to complete documentary proof we are giving Rs 15 lakh loan (as provisioned under the scheme of the Corporation).”

Congress MLA Imran Khedawala also questioned about the grant allocated to Gujarat Minority Finance and Development Corporation (GMFDC) in 2021-22. Seeking details on utilisation of provisioned funds, he also asked if the grant would be increased in the future. To this, Parmar replied that in the year 2023-24, Rs 11.25 crore was given as a loan to GMFDC of which Rs 8.40 crore was utilised.

Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar also alleged that of the 10 corporations and boards, nine were not given any aid by the state and demanded the reason for the same. Babariya defended the government, saying “In 2024-25, director of Developing Castes Welfare and director of Scheduled Castes Welfare Rs 2112 crore and Rs 1240 crores have been provisioned respectively. Moreover in the current financial year of 2023-24, developing castes welfare has spent Rs 1,543 crore as of January 2024 and Rs 891 crore was spent by SC welfare. This expenditure is over and above the loans and financial aids provided by the corporations/boards.”

Stating that the PM Narendra Modi-led government is concerned about the development of all sections of the society including the marginalised and the youth, among others, Babariya accused the Opposition of “following a divide and rule policy”.

Meanwhile, the state submitted that of the 264 sanctioned posts across the 10 boards and corporations, 44 posts are vacant. Of the 220 filled posts, 156 have been filled through outsourcing and three through contracts, leaving out only 61 posts filled by regularised government employees.