- Why in news
- On 9 August 2026 the Government told the Rajya Sabha that 38 Ministries/Departments earmark funds under DAPSC. It also gave utilisation data for 2020-21 to 2025-26 and described its review and monitoring steps.
- What it is
- The Development Action Plan for Scheduled Castes (DAPSC) is the framework under which Union Ministries set aside part of their scheme funds for Scheduled Castes. It was earlier called the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP). It aims to bring the development of Scheduled Castes up to the level of the rest of the population.
- Earlier name
- DAPSC was earlier known as the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP).
- Guidelines
- The current DAPSC framework follows NITI Aayog Guidelines of 2017. 38 Ministries/Departments earmark funds under it.
- Nodal monitoring body
- The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment oversees use of DAPSC funds through periodic review meetings.
- Utilisation trend
- Actual expenditure was below Revised Estimates every year from 2020-21 to 2025-26. Utilisation was lowest in 2020-21 (81.61%) and highest in 2023-24 (93.83%).
- Reason for underuse
- The Government says the general nature of some Ministries' schemes leads to incomplete use of funds.
- Nodal officers
- All 38 Ministries/Departments have nominated a nodal officer for financial and physical monitoring of DAPSC funds.
Don’t confuse with DAPSC vs Tribal Sub-Plan: DAPSC is for Scheduled Castes and is monitored by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. The parallel plan for Scheduled Tribes is the Tribal Sub-Plan, now called the Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes, and is monitored by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Earmarking makes Ministries with general schemes direct a share of funds to Scheduled Castes.
- Regular reviews and nodal officers improve accountability for spending.
Problems
- Spending stayed below revised estimates every year, and fell to 85.65% in 2025-26.
- General schemes make it hard to target and track funds meant only for Scheduled Castes.
Way forward
- Design schemes with clear Scheduled Caste components and outcome indicators.
- Link physical and financial monitoring, and publish Ministry-wise utilisation.
Put in your answer
DAPSC utilisation data: Utilisation of revised estimates ranged from 81.61% (2020-21) to 93.83% (2023-24), and was 85.65% in 2025-26.
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UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting topic with utilisation data and NITI Aayog 2017 guidelines. Fits the syllabus, but UPSC rarely sets questions on such budget-tracking mechanisms.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.