HP committed to safeguard interests of minorities: CM

Shimla, Sep 7 (UNI) Reiterating the resolve to safeguard the interests of the minorities in the state, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said his government has taken several steps in this regard.

Presiding over the fifth meeting of the Kabir Panthi Welfare Board here, he said his government has constituted high-powered Scheduled Caste Sub Plan Implementation Review Committees at district level under the chairmanship of senior minister of every district.

Mr Singh said every issue raised by the non-official member of the minority communities were being examined and remedial steps initiated to provide them relief.

The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation had provided Rs 15.58 crore loan at low-rate of interest to 5,757 eligible beneficiaries in the state, he said.

He said special attention was also being paid towards the educational needs of the members of the community to bring them at par with other communities.

The Chief Minister said Rs 39 crore were being spent over the construction of 27 new hostels for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students to facilitate them in their academic pursuits.

Seven such hostels had been constructed at different places of the state, while six more hostels were under construction, he said.

He said a number of scholarships were also being provided to the students of the community.

Mr Singh said the government had enacted the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 to check cases of atrocities against the members of the community.

The chief minister said his government was spending a sum of Rs 3.63 crore for reviving the traditional water bodies and creation of rainwater harvesting structures in Lohgarh area of Poanta Sahib to provide irrigation facilities to the farmers.

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