The Himachal Pradesh government has allocated Rs 1,949.15 crore under Scheduled Caste Sub Plan this fiscal, an increase of more than 100 per cent in the past four years, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said today.
The budget allocated for the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan was Rs 914.64 crore in 2012-13, he said while presiding over the meeting of the Scheduled Caste Welfare Board here.
"It is the duty of the government to create equal opportunities foruplifting of each community, especially the Scheduled Caste, and discrimination on any ground should be stopped and uprooted once for all," the Chief Minister said.
"Every section of the society should walk hand in hand so that dreams of the Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi come true," he said, adding it was a matter of great contentment that the age old caste-based discriminations and taboos were now being rejected.
The Congress leader said it was the constitutional duty of each government to help the society to develop and progress collectively.
Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil said 1,649 aspirants from the SC community were being helped in the current financial year by making them self-reliant through Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Application and Desktop Application.
A sum of Rs 357 crore is being spent on different social security pensions to provide succour to the rundowns of this community, the state minister said.
Shandil also briefed about the pre and post matriculation scholarship schemes run by the state government, adding that educational assistance and loans were being provided to eligible students from the community.
Vocational training is also being provided to the youth through Himachal Pradesh SC and ST Development Commission based at Solan.
Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Anuradha Thakur conducted the proceedings of the meeting.
Chief Parliament Secretaries Vinay Kumar, Nand Lal, Chairman, State Finance Commission Kuldeep Kumar and others were among the prominent persons present on the occasion.
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