SCHEDULED CASTES, SCHEDULED TRIBES AND OTHER BACKWARD CLASS

This paper is an attempt to look into the programmes that are implemented in the country for the children of Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) with reference to the special status as conferred by the Constitution as well the provisions that are being created time to time for development of children belonging to socially disadvantaged groups. It also looks into the allocations made under such schemes by various ministries.

GIRL CHILD BUDGET

Girl child constitute 47.5 of the total population within 0-18 years age group. Even with the recognition of the fact that the girl child has special needs that must be promoted, most schemes fail to specifically provide for these special needs and therefore the girl child often gets subsumed under the wider canvass of schemes forwomen and children. One way to express commitment to the girl child is to have schemes exclusively for them, but often these schemes suffer major setbacks for want of adequate resources. Our effort here is to emphasize on such schemes which are meant to give an impetus to the all round development of girl child

YOUNG CHILD

Picks the lacunae in the budget allocation for the young child. Even the much touted RTE ( Right to Education) Act is mum on this aspect and says "appropriate government may make the necessary arrangements for the 3-5 yr old".