The State SC and ST Cell convener and Planning Board Vice-Chairman Bishnu Das has said that the National SC and ST Commission chairman Dr Yogendra Paswan’s remark that Odisha’s BJD Government is anti-Dalit is unfortunate and reveals that Paswan has given an irresponsible statement.
Revealing that the Odisha Government is for SC and ST development, Das clarified that in last four years, the State Government has increased budgetary allocation for SCs and STs by 104 per cent. He stated that the Union Government has enhanced budget allocations by only 7 per cent.
He stated that as many as 6,375 hostels have been established for SC and ST students in the State for 5.50 lakh students but the Union Government has built 495 hostels for Dalit students. The students living in these State sponsored hostels are given free food and lodging, healthcare and living apparatuses, Das informed.
Moreover, the Odisha Government is giving Rs 750 to boys and Rs 800 to girls as stipend reading in schools and colleges across the State.
Das stated that the stipend given by the Union Government is insufficient and he further informed that Rs 226.40 crore is pending release as central assistance towards Dalit scholarship.