THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Social Justice Department's sheer inability to sense the needs of the marginalised has been causing alarming underutilisation of budget resources. Nearly 80 per cent of funds allocated in the 2015-16 Budget for the welfare of the most needy — for the mentally-challenged, for the old and abandoned, for the vocational training for differently-abled kids, for the shelter and education of destitute children, for paraplegics, for sexually-abused women — has been left untouched.
Latest Finance Account figures show that this virtual non-utilisation was considerably worse than in the two previous fiscals: 2014-15 (35 percent), and 2013-14 (39 percent). Take for instance the "model programme" for the support and rehabilitation of adult mentally challenged persons. During 2014-15 and 2015-16, not a single rupee was utilised though Rs 7 crore and Rs 2 crore were earmarked respectively; meaning 100 percent underutilisation. Not one suitable proposal came the way of the 'model programme', which was to be implemented with the active involvement of NGOs.
'Ente Koodu', an ambitious project for constructing shelter homes for destitutes, had suffered almost the same fate, with just about two percent utilisation. "The plan to start a new 'Ente Koodu' project in Thiruvananthapuram could not go ahead since no suitable places were located for the project," a top Social Justice official said. The only expenditure incurred was for renovation of a government building to make it into a shelter home in Kozhikode and for meeting other running expenses.
If 'Ente Koodu' and the programme for adult mentally-challenged suffered from poor pre-project planning, the scheme to provide vocational training to mentally-challenged students was defeated by sheer official apathy. Budget allocation was made for the scheme in two Vocational Training Centres located in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, and also to arrange hostel facilities to students. Authorities in both the training centres refused to put up a proposal.
And in cases where proposals were received, the Department rejected them. Take for instance the Model Rehabilitation Centre for Paraplegic patients. Several local bodies came up with proposals but the Department rejected them as the locations were found "inappropriate". If at all proof was needed that the state was only paying lip service to sexual abuse victims, the fate of Nirbhaya homes would suffice. Rs 20 crore was allotted since 2013-14 fiscal for the construction of homes but the PWD Department has till date not laid the foundation stone of even a single proposed building.
