From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jun 18: The Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, which is in the media spotlight over the alleged illegal transfer of Rs 287 crore of funds resulting in the suicide of an officer, has credited Rs 263 crore of unutilised funds into the state treasury for the year 2023-24.

This information was furnished to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah by the officials of the State Scheduled Tribes Welfare Department during the annual review of its functioning in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

When Siddaramaiah asked the officials as to how the money was credited into the State Treasury for the year 2023-24, he was informed that the beneficiaries were not selected and the money remained unutilised, which resulted in the Finance Department to remit the money into the Treasury.

Siddaramaiah wanted to know why the beneficiaries were not selected every year for the developmental works by the Valmiki Corporation, he was informed that the MLAs were “uninterested in selecting the names of beneficiaries” as there were “insufficient number of beneficiaries.”

The Chief Minister directed the officials to take steps to increase the number of beneficiaries and utilise the funds available for the development of the ST community.

99.75% achievement

Officials informed the Chief Minister that the entire department has utilised Rs 1879.35 crore out of the Rs 1884.01 crore allocated under the budget for the financial year, which was 99.75 per cent achievement.

The Chief Minister directed the officials to visit all the hostels for he ST students during evenings and check the cleanliness and proper distribution of foodgrains.

Siddaramaiah said the officials must procure their requirements such as beds, bedsheets and other essentials by inviting tenders instead of making direct purchases to avail small discounts.

“The focus of the department must be to ensure that the ST and other tribal communities, especially those in the hostels, are able to compete with other students,” he said warning the officials that they must take proper care of the poor and dalits. The objective should be to provide quality education and good facilities to the poor in all residential schools,” he said.

“There is no point in merely striving to make the smart and intelligent students more smart and intelligent but ensure that the poor, backwards and SC/STs are able to come up on equal footing,” he said emphasing the need to appoint local person from the community as caretaker of ashram schools and hostels for better management.

Chief Ministers Additional Chief Secretary L K Atiq, Political Secetary Govinda Raju, ST Welfare Department Additional Chief Secretary N Majunath Prasad and others attended the meeting.