CHENNAI: The union government has allocated Rs 6.59 lakh-crore under the Development Action Plan for Scheduled Castes (DAPSC) since the fiscal year 2020-2021.

Of this, Rs 5.83 lakh-crore has been utilised for social welfare schemes for SCs, according to Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar.

As per the guidelines issued by NITI Aayog in 2017, diversion of funds under DAPSC is not permissible, said the minister in a written reply to a question raised by Chidambaram MP Thol Thirumavalavan.

Listing the fund allocation over the past five years under DAPSC, which is designed to improve socio-economic conditions and reduce poverty, the minister stated that the union government had allocated Rs 82,707 crore in 2020-2021.

The following year, the government increased the allocation to Rs 1.39 lakh-crore, and it further rose to Rs 1.52 lakh-crore in 2022-2023.

In the subsequent years, Rs 1.46 lakh-crore was allocated in 2023-2024 and Rs 1.38 lakh-crore in 2024-2025.

A total of Rs 5.83 lakh-crore has been utilised during this period, with fund utilisation ranging between 75.91% and 92.15%.

The minister also responded in the negative to the question of whether funds allocated for the welfare of SCs had reportedly been diverted for other purposes.