The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment reported to the Rajya Sabha that 38 Ministries/Departments of the Government of India are earmarking funds across various schemes for the welfare and development of Scheduled Castes under the Development Action Plan for Scheduled Castes (DAPSC), formerly known as the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP). This information was provided by Minister of State Shri Ramdas Athawale in response to questions from Shri Golla Baburao.
Actual expenditure under DAPSC has consistently remained below Revised Estimates from 2020-21 to 2025-26. The utilization rates were 81.61% in 2020-21, 91.22% in 2021-22, 91.90% in 2022-23, 93.83% in 2023-24, 92.57% in 2024-25, and 85.65% in 2025-26. The government attributed the underutilization to the general nature of schemes in some ministries, though all funds are specifically earmarked for Scheduled Caste welfare.
The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment oversees fund utilization through periodic review meetings chaired by the Minister and Secretary. Recent meetings were chaired by Minister of State Shri B.L. Verma on April 29, 2025, and by the Secretary on August 25, 2025, and April 16, 2026. All 38 implementing ministries have nominated nodal officers for financial and physical monitoring of DAPSC funds as directed by the Minister, strengthening the monitoring framework to ensure optimal fund utilization.