Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Thawar Chand Gehlot on Friday directed the Ministers and officers concerned of all northern states to prepare a report of financial assistance being given by all National Financial Corporations as well as others schemes and send it to his Ministry within a month.
Gehlot chaired a regional conference of Social Welfare Ministers of Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Union Territory of Chandigarh here. The Union Minister reviewed implementation of various central schemes in five states and union territory of Chandigarh.
During the meeting, he said that Union Government proposes to introduce a centrally sponsored scheme of “Residential Schools for Scheduled Castes Girls Studying in Class VI to XII, wherein 70 per cent seats would be reserved for SC girls and the remaining seats would be open to BPl girls of other categories.
The residential schools would be opened in educationally backward districts. Similarly, Rashtriya Vayoshree Yojana for senior citizens is also being implemented. These schemes would be based on first come-first serve basis, said he.
The Union Minister urged the Ministers and officers to send the suggestions and plans on these schemes at the earliest.
Appreciating the Haryana Government initiative of making provision for self-generating scholarship forms along with online admission to post-matriculation classes for SC students, Gehlot said that other states should follow this practice. With this, the scholarship money will be delivered to the eligible on time as well as it will help to avert any kind of duplication, he said.
Gehlot, while addressing the mediapersons later, said that the Central Government is fully committed and devoted to ensure the welfare of SC/ST/OBC and BPl families throughout the country through proper implementation of all centrally sponsored social security, social welfare schemes with a pro active cooperation of the State Governments.
He expressed his satisfaction on the performance of these states in the proper implementation of social justice and empowerment schemes for the deprived section of the society. The Minister also gave away cheques to the SC entrepreneur beneficiaries.
The Union Minister also launched a website of Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes (VCF-SC) and brochure on the subject.
He said that in the annual budget of 2014-15, Government of India had announced the Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes (VCF-SC’ or ‘Fund’), sanctioning an amount of `200 crore for providing concessional finance to the companies promoted by Scheduled Caste entrepreneurs.
Union Ministers for State for Social Justice & Empowerment, Vijay Sampla and Ramdas Athawale, Social Welfare Ministers of Himachal Pradesh, Col. Dhaniram Shandil, Punjab Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Haryana Minister Krishan Kumar Bedi and senior officers of the Centre and concerned states attended the meeting.