Projects exclusively for SC/ST development formed just 0.18% of KIIFB’s total outlay: expert committee
A mere 0.18% of KIIFB’s approved outlay and 0.21% of the amount released were allocated to projects exclusively for SC/ST development, says panel.
A committee, led by former bureaucrat Sudha Pillai, has revealed that the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) has allocated an abysmally low 0.18% of its total outlay to projects exclusively for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) development. The report, presented in the Assembly by Chief Minister V.D.
Satheesan on Thursday, found that only 0.21% of the amount released by KIIFB was directed towards such projects as of June 30, 2026. The committee discovered that KIIFB had approved ten projects for SC/ST development, amounting to ₹182 crore, which constituted roughly 0.18% of the total approved amount. However, only ₹87 crore had been released, representing around 0.21% of the total amount released by KIIFB for these projects.
This amount falls far short of the statutory benchmark of 12.64% for the combined Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP), highlighting a significant policy gap that requires attention from the Finance department and the State Planning Board. The committee noted the absence of an explicit and enforceable equity safeguard similar to the SCSP/TSP mechanism, which could have ensured a larger share of KIIFB's resources went towards SC/ST development.
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