Punjab govt has failed to use OBC grants: Bajwa

Congress today alleged that the SAD-BJP-led state government has failed to protect rights of the OBC people and most of the grants meant for their welfare either remained unused or were used for some other purposes.
Addressing a meeting of the party's OBC cell here, state Congress Chief Partap Singh Bajwa said that he would take up all their demands with the concerned ministry in the Centre.
He alleged that though, in the last two years Rs 214.27 crore was allocated for the Shagun Scheme to the SC, the Christians, backward classes and other economically weaker sections, only Rs 144.83 crore was released and Rs 136.79 was disbursed.

The Congress leader said that the Parliament had passed the Children's free and Compulsory Right to Education Act in 2009 but the Punjab government issued a notification in this regard in November 2010.
"But even three years after this notification, the state government has failed to get this Act implemented," he said.
According to the Act, 12.5 percent of seats are to be reserved for weaker sections, five per cent for SCs, five per cent for OBCs, 1.25 per cent for widows of freedom fighters and 1.25 per cent for children of handicapped parents.