Broad Objectives and Strategy of SCSP

Perspective

    The scope of land based activities for Scheduled Castes in the State is very limited due to small size land holdings. Land being a scarce commodity has a very high price. Therefore, there is hardly any scope to increase the size of the holdings of Scheduled Castes. Since, major bulk of these holdings is un-economical, un-viable and also spread over the State and interspersed with the non-SC holdings, the main thrust for the development of Scheduled Castes is, therefore, economic development through education, training, skill development, providing necessary linkages and basic infrastructure development facilities on priority basis in the areas predominantly inhabited by the Scheduled Castes to enable them to settle in employment/self employment ventures. Broad objectives for the socio-economic development of SCs are as follows :

Objectives
  • Conservation of whatever assets the Scheduled Castes have;
  • Updating and/or providing of new skills to improve their employability or productivity;
  • Enabling them to acquire special education/technical qualifications and avail existing as well as the newly emerging opportunities etc;
  • Economic development through comprehensive and integrated beneficiary oriented programmes for individual/families/group of families for raising their income;
  • Ensuring minimum wages of agricultural labour, preventing their exploitation by others in any way;
  • Basti/cluster oriented schemes to bring about significant and tangible improvement in the working and living conditions in SC inhabitations;
  • Substantial reduction in poverty and un-employment;
  • Human Resources Development of Scheduled Castes by providing adequate educational and health Services;
  • Diversification of occupation, up-gradation of skills and promotion of occupational mobilities to remove disproportionate burden on them in occupations like agriculture labour and other unpleasant and strenuous works so that human resources are optimally developed and utilized;
  • Elimination of layer of exploitive middlemen by providing marketing facilities to ensure better prices of products for artisans and other occupational group;
  • Provision of physical and financial security against all types of exploitation and oppression; and
  • Doing all what is necessary to tackle and eradicate the social problem i.e. atrocities against the Scheduled Castes.
Strategy
  • Pursuing the indicated objectives, ensuring adequate thrust on economic and educational development of Scheduled Castes;.
  • The Scheduled Castes Sub Plan of the State should provide for fully meeting the minimum needs/basic amenities of all the Scheduled Castes habitations with a view to improve their standard of life;
  • The Scheduled Castes Sub Plan should also provide for a judicious mix of beneficiary oriented programmes and human resource development for SCs;.
  • The schemes taken up should be viable and as far as necessary innovative in a way to diversify Scheduled Castes into newer areas of economic activities;
  • There should be provision for meeting the backward and forward infrastructure needs;
  • The delivery systems have to be effective;
  • The organization and association of the beneficiary groups should be given the preference;
  • One of the identified gaps has been the need for inculcation a sense of commitment and urgency in the policy making and implementing machinery to fulfilling the objective of development of Scheduled Castes on the desired lines and their integration with the main stream; and
  • The Voluntary Agencies/Registered Societies should be suitably associated to supplement the efforts of the State Govt. for the development/upliftment of SCs in the State.