MUMBAI, May 6 -- Although the recent diversion of Rs.746 crore meant for the scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs) to the Ladki Bahin scheme has stirred up a controversy, data shows that diversion and short spending in the social justice and tribal development departments is a routine affair. The order to divert Rs.410.30 crore of the social justice department and Rs.335.70 crore of the tribal development department to the Ladki Bahin Yojana was given by the government on Friday. This angered the SCs and STs, as the budget meant for these communities is in proportion to their population and cannot be diverted to other departments. The government's move led to social justice minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat calling Ajit Pawar the "finance department's Shakuni" without naming him. While the diversion of SC-ST funds has led to fireworks in political circles, budget data shows this has been happening for quite some time. The spending on SCs in 2024-25 was Rs.21,122 crore out of a budgetary allocation of Rs.28,118, and Rs.16,948 crore for STs against an allocation of Rs.22,208. Similarly, in 2023-24, Rs.20,672 crore was spent on SCs against an outlay of Rs.28,831 crore while Rs.15,315 crore was spent on STs against an allocation of Rs.21,013 crore. Expenditure, thus, has been ranging between 72% and 75% of the allocation to the two departments. "The social justice department should get 11.8% of the development budget without any cuts and diversions," said an official. "Similarly, the STs should get 9.4% outlay. But the actual expenditure is far less, as the full allocation is never released by the finance department. This largely affects scholarships and the construction and upkeep of residential schools. This year, we had decided to spend Rs.1,200 crore on the construction of hostels, but the diversion of Rs.410 crore in the first month of the financial year may affect our ambitious programme." Shirsat admitted that the release of money for scholarships gets routinely delayed due to diversions. "We are not opposing the Ladki Bahin Yojana, but we want the chief minister to make a full allocation as per the norms for SCs," he said. Rupesh Keer of Samarthan, an NGO which studies the state budget, said, "Even the CAG, in its report last year, rapped the government for not releasing the budget meant for the backward classes."...