HP spending Rs 197 crore on welfare development

Shimla, Jul 18 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Rangila Ram Rao today said the state government is spending a sum of Rs 197.38 crore on implementing various programmes for the weaker sections of the society.

A sum of Rs 54 crore was being spent on providing social security pension to 2.12 lakh eligible persons, he said while reviewing the functioning of the Social Justice and Empowerment department here.

Mr Rao said 25,000 new cases of pension were being sanctioned this year on which the government was spending an additional sum of Rs six crore, taking the total expenditure to Rs 60 crore annually.

During the last four years, the state government had sanctioned 61,000 new social security pension cases besides 20,000 cases by substitution, he said.

Referring to the Mother Teresa Matri Sambal Yojna being implemented in the state for children and helpless women whose husband had died or or had been divorced or was not being properly looked after by his husband, he said 6,818 children were being spent on this entailing an expenditure of Rs 157 lakh during the year.

He said 7,354 Anganwari Centres were operating in various parts of the state under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and added that 10,894 more such centres would be opened all over the state during the current year.

Setting to rest to all speculations about reviewing old cases of social security pension, he said instead the government was committed to bring all eligible persons under the scheme.

Mr Rao said the Himachal Government had constituted the OBC Commission to help in implementing its recommendations thereby providing 18 per cent reservation in government jobs against the interim recommendations of 15 per cent of the Commission.

The Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan was being implemented in the state for all-round development of the community and a sum of Rs 231 crore were being spent during the current financial year, he said.

He said computer training was being provided to SCs/STs/OBCs who could get suitable employment in government and private sectors and added that computer training was being provided to 742 people by spending a sum of Rs 177 lakh.

UNI