SJ&E Ministry wants Niti Aayog to monitor SC sub plan

Citing shortage of staff, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (SJ&E) has said it is not advisable to shift the work of monitoring and reviewing implementation of Schedule Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP) to it from Niti Aayog.
At a time when the 12th Five Year Plan has only one year left and no final decision has yet been taken if the Plan system will continue thereafter, the Ministry said it was not advisable to shift the work of monitoring SCSP to SJ&E ministry
"The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment is rather understaffed. In future, if it is decided to shift the work with the approval of Cabinet, it may also be required to transfer the staff who now manage this work in NITI Aayog to this ministry," a letter written by the SJ&E Ministry Secretary said.

"It may also be mentioned here that at this juncture, when the 12th Five Year Plan has only one year left and no final decision has yet been taken if the Plan system will continue thereafter, it is not advisable to shift the work of monitoring the SCSP to this ministry," the letter said.
The letter said that due to its long experience in monitoring of SCSP, the erstwhile Planning Commission and now NITI Aayog would be a large repository of data and experience besides having the technical expertise and manpower to handle the subject.
"Further para (2)(III)(i)k of the notification dated 21.3.2015 while amending the government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 provided that NITI Aayog will actively monitor and evaluate the implementation of programmes and initiatives, including the identification of the needed resources so as to strengthen the probability of success and scope of delivery," the letter said.

"I would like to emphasise that this work has been done first by erstwhile Planning Commission and then by NITI Ayog quite efficiently. Though allocation of Plan fund is no longer with NITI Aayog, it also does not reside with this Ministry, in the present scheme of things," it added.
NITI Aayog had last month written to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and SJ&E ministry expressing its inability to monitor and review the implementation of Tribal Sub-Plan and Schedule Caste Sub-Plan and asked the two ministries to conduct the exercise citing lack of mandate.