The State government has used a significant share of the amount earmarked for the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) towards implementing the five guarantee schemes of the Congress government since 2023.
According to statistics shared by Social Welfare Minister H.C. Mahadevappa, in response to a question by Hemalatha Nayak in the Legislative Council in Belagavi on Friday, of the total amount spent towards SCSP and TSP, as much as 31%, has been utilised for the guarantee schemes.
Money spent
The total amount for SCSP and TSP for the year 2023-24 was ₹35,221.8 crores, and of that, ₹34,369.85 cr was released, and finally, ₹34,245.76 cr was spent. In the year 2024-24, the total amount spent for SCSP and TSP was ₹38,717.74 crore. In the current year, up to November 2025, the government had spent ₹14,938.19 towards the SCSP and TSP.
Since the Congress party came to power in 2023, the government has spent a total of ₹87,901.69 crore for SCSP and TSP. This amount includes ₹27,630.2 crore spent towards the guarantee schemes.
The Minister, in his reply, defended the utilisation of SCSP/TSP funds for the guarantee schemes, stating that Section 7(C) of the SCSP/TSP Act allows utilisation of the funds in tune with the population of SC and ST.
He stated that the amount utilised for guarantee schemes reached the beneficiaries of the SC and ST communities.
Bus travellers
Interestingly, he stated that his department had sought information from the Transport Department about the number of SC and ST women who had benefited from the Shakti scheme, under which women passengers could travel free by KSRTC buses. Ms. Nayak, the MLC, wondered how the Transport Department could share the information of the SC/ST passengers, as they do not collect the caste details while issuing tickets.
Leader of Opposition Chalavadi Narayanaswamy appealed to Chairman Basavaraj Horatti to allot sa uitable time for a detailed discussion on the issue.
Published – December 12, 2025 09:32 pm IST
