Why Bahujan entrepreneurs excluded from top public contracts: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has raised concerns over the lack of data on the participation of Dalit, Adivasi and Other Backward Class (OBC) entrepreneurs in India’s public works and infrastructure contracts, questioning the government’s commitment to inclusive growth.

In a Facebook post, Rahul Gandhi pointed out that despite thousands of crores being spent on public works, the government does not maintain records on how many contracts are awarded to businesses owned by Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and OBCs. “Last year, out of Rs 16,500 crore worth of public works contracts, how many went to Dalit, Adivasi and backward class businesses? The answer is deeply worrying — the government has no data,” he said.

The issue stems from a question Rahul Gandhi raised in the Lok Sabha (Unstarred Question No. 6264), seeking details on the total number and value of contracts awarded by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs over the past five years, along with a breakdown of contracts given to SC, ST and OBC-owned enterprises.

Responding to the query, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu said that while aggregate data on contracts is available, there is no mechanism to track the social category of contractors. He clarified that such tracking is not mandatory in the case of construction and infrastructure contracts.

Rahul Gandhi also asked whether the government had met its target of procuring at least 4 per cent from SC/ST-owned enterprises and whether similar provisions were being considered for OBC businesses. However, the absence of category-wise data leaves these questions effectively unanswered.

Highlighting existing policy, Rahul Gandhi noted that government rules mandate 25 per cent of public procurement from MSMEs, including 4 per cent from SC/ST-owned enterprises, but argued that these norms are not enforced in large-scale public works contracts. He alleged that this gap reflects a systemic issue that undermines social and economic justice.

Parliamentary data shows that public works spending has increased steadily in recent years. In 2025–26 alone, 8,402 contracts worth Rs 16,587 crore were awarded, underscoring the scale of government spending in the sector.

The controversy has renewed debate over transparency and inclusivity in public procurement, particularly as infrastructure spending continues to be a key driver of economic growth.

With IANS inputs