| Mayawati govt eyes Dalit vote bank, showers sops | |
| Press Trust Of India / Lucknow June 26, 2009, 0:39 IST | |
The Uttar Pradesh government today decided to give 21 and two per cent quota for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in contracts for construction work worth up to Rs 5 lakh each of various authorities and corporations in the state.
The move, seen as an initiative to woo the Dalit vote bank, was announced by Chief Minister Mayawati.
Mayawati, who presided over a cabinet meeting earlier in the day, said a similar arrangement was being implemented in other government departments and the education sector.
She said the 21 per cent reservation for the SCs and the two per cent to STs would be extended in construction contracts worth up to Rs 5 lakh being carried out by working divisions of various departments, corporations, enterprises, authorities and parishads.
The chief minister, who has been working for development of identified Ambedkar villages all over the state, further said her cabinet had also decided to do away with the earlier practice of identifying new villages every year.
The government would concentrate on maintenance and upkeep of the 2,000 identified Ambedkar villages, she said.
“It has been seen that despite taking up the development of the Ambedkar villages, their maintenance and upkeep had not not been up to my expectations,” Mayawati said.
Emphasis would be given to Dalit localities while constructing roads and taking up other development activities, she said.
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