Opposition demands increased budgetary allocation for SC/STs, OBCs

Opposition members in Lok Sabha on Wednesday attacked the BJP for not providing adequate allocation for SCs, STs and OBCs in the 2020-21 Budget.

During the discussion on Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, members also demanded that in the upcoming census the population count of OBCs should be undertaken.

Initiating the debate, K Suresh (Congress) said the government has applied "dubious and clever method" for allocation of resources to SC/STs in the Budget.

"The government has been ignoring SC/ST in a systematic manner... This is not a pro- SC/ST budget, this is a assault on their existence," Suresh said.

The SCs, STs and OBCs are living with fear in their minds, he said, adding that the BJP government has been diluting the reservation norms and denying them their rights.

Pritam Gopinath Munde (BJP) demanded that OBCs constitute a substantial portion of the population and hence their allocation should be hiked.

She said the census should also count the population of Other Backward Castes (OBCs) in the country.

Amol Kolhe (NCP) said in the next census there should be a separate column for OBCs so that there is a population count.

Ganesh Singh (BJP) said the government has been hiking allocation for SC/STs and OBCs every year while Congress reduced the allocation.

He demanded that the government conduct OBC census this year.

There should be an increase in allocations for people from OBCs, he said, adding that the concept of creamy layer should not be there till all the vacant seats are filled.

T Sumathy (DMK) said the government should take steps for implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament.

"We are still fighting for this. Reservation is our birth right," she said.

Talking about social justice, Sumathy raised questions on whether all people have access to protect their lives and wealth after last month's Delhi riots.

She demanded that justice should be given to all people and also said that great injustice has been done to OBC students by Medical Council of India as they are not properly implementing the 27 per cent reservation for OBC students.

A Samanta (BJD) said the Budget gives a decisive push to the social sector and demanded that the post-matric scholarship for SCs/STs should be hiked.