Govt committed to uplift of Dalits: Badal

Ludhiana, Apr 14 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced the scrapping of the contract labour system in all the Municipal Corporations in the state and directed the Municipal Commissioners to initiate the process for regular recruitment of required Safai Sewaks on vacant posts.

Addressing a state-level function organised to observe the 116th Birth Anniversary of Bharat Ratna recipient Dr B R Ambedkar, he said to fulfil the dreams of Dr Ambedkar for the uplift of weaker sections, including the Dalits, providing excellent education facilities to brilliant students belonging to downtrodden families would be the top priority of his Government under which free education up to University level would be provided to poor students.

The Chief Minister disclosed that his government had decided to set up Adarsh Public Schools, one in each block and town in the state, where all the modern teaching facilities would be made available for the students.

He also announced the opening of aother Adarsh School named after Dr Ambedkar at Ludhiana. Referring to other steps taken by his government for the welfare of Dalits, Mr Badal said Rs 800 crore had already been released for implementing the Atta-Dal scheme.

The Chief Minister disclosed that during the current financial year, the government had earmarked a special fund of Rs 1200 crore under the Special Component Plan for the weaker sections.

He further informed that the government had enhanced the grant for the construction of houses for the homeless families for Rs 20000 to Rs 50000 and said that in future, the Minister had been authorised to sanction Rs 50000 out of discretionary grants for construction of houses to the deserving families.

The Chief Minister said unless the weaker communities get their rights and taste economic liberty, real democracy cannot emerge in India. He said to propagate the philosophy of Dr Ambedkar, the government had set apart Rs 8 crore for the construction of new Ambedkar Bhawans in remaining districts in the state.

On the occasion, Mr Badal released a brochure containing various schemes for the upliftment of SC and BC classes and distributed cheques of various social security schemes to the beneficiaries.

UNI