Guj to provide support for Centre's SC/ST Hub plan: Official

The Gujarat government will give full support for the creation of an SC/ST Hub in the state, senior officials said Sunday.

The National Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes (SC/ST) Hub is a scheme under the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) to provide professional support to SC/ST entrepreneurs.

It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 18, 2016 in Ludhiana in Punjab.

Speaking at a conclave here Sunday, Manoj Aggarwal, principal secretary, Gujarat Social Justice and Empowerment department, said the state has about 90 lakh people hailing from the SC/ST communities.

He said Public Sector Units, which have been given a target of procuring at least 4 per cent of their requirements from MSMEs owned by SCs and STs, had managed only 0.05 per cent of this target in Gujarat.

This, he said, needed to be rectified and awareness among PSUs and MSMEs will be increased to ensure the 4 per cent target is achieved.

The SC/ST Hub's functions include collection, collation and dissemination of information regarding SC/ST enterprises and entrepreneurs as well as capacity building among them through skill training.