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RAS question

The Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) strategy in Rajasthan requires that funds be earmarked for tribal areas. Which of the following is the correct minimum threshold for TSP fund allocation?

Correct answer: (A) Funds proportional to ST population ratio in state budget.

Under the Tribal Sub-Plan strategy, Rajasthan must earmark TSP funds at least in proportion to the Scheduled Tribe share in the state population, not as a fixed percentage of the plan outlay.

  1. (A)

    Funds proportional to ST population ratio in state budget

  2. (B)

    Fixed 10% of the total state plan outlay

  3. (C)

    Fixed 20% of the total state plan outlay

  4. (D)

    Funds only for districts with more than 50% ST population

Explanation

The Tribal Sub-Plan is a planning strategy for the rapid socio-economic development of tribal people and forms part of a State or Union Territory's annual plan. The Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Ministry of Tribal Affairs sets out the core funding rule clearly: money provided under TSP has to be at least in proportion to the ST population of each State or UT. Rajasthan is therefore expected to earmark funds according to its ST population share of 13.48%, which translates to roughly 13-14% of development expenditure for tribal welfare. This makes option A correct because it captures the proportional allocation principle, while fixed 10% or 20% figures would ignore the state's actual ST population ratio.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (B) A fixed 10% allocation is wrong because TSP funds are required to be at least proportional to the state's ST population share of 13.48% for Rajasthan.
  • (C) A fixed 20% allocation is wrong because the TSP rule is not a uniform percentage of plan outlay; it follows the ST population proportion of the State or UT.
  • (D) Limiting funds only to districts with more than 50% ST population is wrong because the PIB rule links TSP earmarking to the ST population of each State or UT, not to a district-majority threshold.

Concept

This tests Rajasthan's tribal development planning, especially the funding logic of the Tribal Sub-Plan. It recurs in RAS because budget earmarking, regional equity and welfare planning are standard parts of Rajasthan geography and socio-economic policy questions.

Source

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