By Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
 
Panaji, Jun 9: Goa’s social welfare department today assured the ad hoc committee of the state legislative assembly that it will monitor and compile the data of reservation given to Scheduled Tribes (ST) in various departments.
 
“In the past Chief Secretary was monitoring the implementation of reservation policy. We had even issued circular that all the departments should maintain the rosters,” Diwan Chand, secretary social welfare department, told the ad hoc committee chaired by legislator Dipak Dhavalikar.
 
Chand said that the department will compile the data of how many ST people work in various government departments as according to the rules, they are supposed to give 12 per cent reservation.
 
The issue was strongly raised by ST rights activist U P Gaonkar who said that ST candidates are not given proper representations in the department and few of the departments are on the spree to de-reserve posts giving various excuses.
 
He also said that out of the mandatory 12 per cent spending of the budget for the ST purpose, the departments are hardly spending four to six per cent for the community.
 
Backing up Gaonkar’s contention, BJP legislator Fransic D’Souza said that there is a huge backlog of the reserved vacancies which is left to be filled by various government departments.
 
He said that according to tribal sub plan 12 per cent reservation should mandatory be allotted to the ST community.
 
BJP legislator Damodar Naik participating in the meeting stated that the social welfare department, which is a monitoring agency, itself should ensure that it itself is utilizing the 12 per cent of the budget for tribal welfare.
 
Dhavalikar, who chaired the meeting, said that the health department can use the fund reserved for ST welfare for upgrading infrastructure in the areas which have thick tribal population.
 
Pointing out to his own assembly constituency, Dhavalikar said that the primary health centre building is collapsing and the health department has apparently left it unattended for want of funds.