Haryana govt announces incentives for SC students

The Haryana government today decided to increase the monthly incentive of the poor students from the Scheduled Caste community, ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 200.
"The step will benefit 11 lakh such students, both boys and girls, and for which the government will provide additional Rs 150 crore in this regard," Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said while addressing a state level function organised here to commemorate the 122nd birth anniversary of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
Announcing the hike in monthly incentives, Hooda said that the Scheduled Caste boys, studying in classes XI and XII would now get Rs 400 instead of Rs 300 and for girls of the same classes, it would be Rs 600 instead of Rs 400 earlier.

Similarly, he said that the SC boys studying in classes IX and X would now get Rs 250 instead of Rs 200 earlier, whereas for girls, it would be Rs 400 instead of Rs 300 earlier.
The state government had started this scheme in financial year 2008-09 to check the dropout rate among the weaker sections of the society. A sum of Rs 300 crore were spent by the state government to give monthly incentives to 10.72 lakh SC students during the last financial year.
While paying rich tributes to Dr Ambedkar, the chief minister described him as great scholar, patriot, economist, jurist and historian, who rendered right of franchise to every person.

"All his life, Dr Ambedkar struggled to promote self respect among the poorest of the poor. In the history of India, his name will always be written in golden letters," he added.