The Congress government in Karnataka on March 7 allocated a total budget of Rs 42,018 crore towards the Karnataka Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan. While Rs 29,992 crore has been earmarked for the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan, Rs 12,026 crore has been allocated for the Tribal Sub-Plan. The budget includes allocations for education, employment, social welfare, and infrastructure development of Dalits and ST communities.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also announced that the reservation for SC, ST, Category-I, Category-IIA, and Category-IIB contractors in public works projects will be increased to Rs 2 crore under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act. The government will also extend reservation in procurement of goods and services up to Rs 1 crore for suppliers from these communities, the CM said.
Under the Pragati Colony Scheme, Rs 559 crore has been allocated for infrastructure development in Scheduled Caste colonies during 2024-25, with Rs 222 crore set aside for FY 2025-26. To prevent atrocities against SC/ST communities, 33 special police stations have been established under the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement.
In the education sector, 31 residential schools, one in each district, will be upgraded into Pre-University (PU) colleges for SC/ST and Backward Class students. 26 new residential schools will be set up in hoblis (a cluster of adjoining villages administered together for tax and land tenure purposes in the states of Karnataka India) that currently lack such institutions. To support educational infrastructure, Rs 1,292 crore will be spent on constructing buildings for 61 Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society (KREIS) residential schools, and Rs 213 crore has been allocated for providing desks and benches.34 hostels functioning in rented buildings will get permanent facilities at a cost of Rs 238 crore.
Under the Dr BR Ambedkar Fellowship Scheme, Rs 1 crore will be granted to two students admitted to the London School of Economics and Columbia University. Fast food truck trailer/mobile kitchen facilities will be introduced under the entrepreneurship scheme for unemployed SC youth.
To promote dairy farming among SC/ST communities, 50% subsidy or up to Rs 1.25 lakh will be provided for two cows or buffaloes. Loans and financial assistance to SC/ST women’s self-help groups will be increased from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. Rs 488 crore has been allocated to corporations under the Social Welfare Department to support entrepreneurship and economic upliftment.
Under the Student Scholarship Programme, Rs 120 crore has been sanctioned for 3,67,281 pre-matric and post-matric students, with continuation planned. Scholarships will also be provided to SC students admitted to 100 prestigious national institutions for higher education. Rs 3,500 per month will be provided to SC/ST and Backward Class students residing in hostels of government and private medical and engineering colleges.
For tribal welfare, 78 tribal residential schools will introduce 7th standard classes from 2025-26, with five schools in Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, and Kodagu upgraded to class 12. 20 new post-matric hostels for Scheduled Tribes will also be established. A working capital subsidy of Rs 5 lakh will be given to Large Area Multi-Purpose Societies (LAMPS) for minor forest produce procurement. Additionally, a Tribal Museum will be set up at the Tribal Research Institute in Mysuru to showcase tribal culture and heritage.
To improve living conditions for tribal communities, Rs 200 crore has been allocated for basic infrastructure such as roads, electricity, and water in tribal hamlets. Special direct recruitment will be conducted for 13 forest-dwelling tribal communities to ensure their representation in state civil services.
Ahead of the budget presentation, the opposition BJP staged protests, accusing the government of betraying SC/ST communities by diverting funds meant for their welfare to to spend on the guarantees . The Congress returned to power in Karnataka in 2023, driven by its promise to implement the “five guarantees”—a set of welfare schemes. After securing a landslide victory, the government rolled out these initiatives, which include 200 units of free electricity for every household under Gruha Jyothi, Rs 2,000 per month for women heading BPL (Below Poverty Line) households under Gruha Lakshmi, and 10 kg of rice per person for BPL families through Anna Bhagya. The Yuva Nidhi scheme provides Rs 3,000 per month to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders, while Shakti ensures free bus travel for women on public transport.
In the 2024-25 budget, Rs 14,730.53 crore was diverted from the SCSP/TSP corpus of Rs 37,648.72 crore to fund these guarantees. The government justifies this move under Section 7C of the 2013 Karnataka Scheduled Castes Sub-Allocation and Tribal Sub-Allocation Act, which allows the SCSP/TSP corpus to be used for general social sector schemes.
However, Dalit groups have protested against this decision. They accuse the government of violating the Act, which mandates that a portion of the budgetary expenditure be spent exclusively on SC/ST welfare in proportion to their population share (24.10% in Karnataka).