BC panel plans survey on efficacy of schemes

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, SEPT. 26. The State Backward Classes Commission intends to conduct a comprehensive social and educational survey to determine the condition of the beneficiaries of the various welfare schemes of the Government.

The announcement was made here on Wednesday by Mr. S. Muniraju, Chairman of the commission.

He said that a proposal for conducting such a survey, which would secure information caste-wise, had been sent to the Government. The proposed survey could be completed in one year as information on most of the 27 parameters had already been collected during the recent Census, he added.

Mr. Muniraju, who was addressing a press conference, said a preliminary meeting had been held with agencies which had expertise in conducting surveys, such as the Directorate of Census Operations, the Bureau of Economics and Statistics, and the National Sample Survey. There was no shortage of funds, and they would be provided from outside the budget of the commission. He added that the cost of the survey was yet to be determined.

The survey was expected to help the commission examine whether a community should be excluded from the list or retained, depending upon whether its condition had improved as a result of various facilities offered by the Government.

Mr. Muniraju said that one of the objectives of the commission was to supervise the implementation of welfare measures initiated for the backward classes and the minorities, with the ultimate aim of making them self-reliant and bringing them into the mainstream.

The previous commissions could not examine whether the benefits had reached the people for whom they were intended. This was because the thrust was on providing benefits to more communities. The commission, therefore, wanted to take up a district-level review of the implementation of various welfare programmes for the backward classes implemented by the departments. Such a review had already been held in Mysore and Bangalore Urban districts, Mr. Muniraju said.

It was also proposed to conduct surprise visits to facilities. A recent inspection had disclosed serious irregularities in a hostel for the backward classes and the minorities in Bagepalli taluk, Mr. Muniraju said.

He pointed out that all these days, the emphasis was on reservation of posts for the backward classes. The time had come to look into other aspects, he said.

Making a specific reference to the effect of globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation, Mr. Muniraju said they had led to closure of many cottage industries. A study was being conducted on the consequences of globalisation and privatisation for the backward classes.

The commission would also formulate programmes aimed at making the various sections of society take keener interest

in ensuring greater spread of the benefits of the facility of reservation for the backward classes and the minorities.

Mr. Mohammed Sanaullah, Member-Secretary of the commission, and Mr. H.S. Sridharamurthy, Secretary, were present.

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