An allocation of Rs. 48,638 crore has been made for the scheduled caste sub- plan and Rs. 30,726 crore for the Tribal Sub-Plan. Announcing this in the Interim Budget in the Parliament today the Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambram said, if there are any shortcomings they can be addressed when the regular budget is presented. The Minister said that it is also heartening to note that an allocation of Rs. 97,533 crore has been made towards the gender budget and an allocation of Rs. 81,024 crore towards the child budget. He said, there is enough flexibility in the expenditure budget to make changes in the allocations within the overall resource envelope, if there is a need.

Sub-plan allocations allow adjustment within the expenditure envelope; gender and child budgets also funded in interim budget. Interim budgetary provision allocates funds to Scheduled Caste and Tribal sub-plans and earmarks amounts for gender and child budgets; these allocations are provisional and may be adjusted in the regular budget, with flexibility within the overall expenditure envelope to rebalance funding between heads if necessary.