Social Justice to be nodal deptt for minority development

Chandigarh, Jul 23 (UNI) The Haryana cabinet today decided that the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment would be the Nodal Department .

It was also decided to entrust three more matters concerning welfare of minorities to the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, an official spokesman said.

These three matters included implementation of Prime Minister's new 15-point programme for welfare of minorities, follow up action of the recommendations of the Sachar Committee Report and multi-sectoral district development plans for districts having concentration of minorities.

It has already been decided that the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment would deal with issues concerning merit-cum-means based scholarship for professional and technical courses, pre-matric and post matric scholarship for minorities for coaching and allied scheme.

The cabinet also decided that the Department of Home would continue to deal with the matters concerning atrocities against minorities and communal harmony and peace.

The cabinet decided that two per cent of state's own tax revenue be devolved upon rural and urban local bodies for a period of three years that is from 2006 to 2009 after adjusting the funds already released.

The decision to this effect was taken while accepting the recommendation of the Cabinet Sub Committee thus setting aside a total sum of Rs 637.94 crore for local bodies from 2006-07 to 2008-09.

The cabinet also gave the final approval to the list of below poverty line (BPL) families of all the districts of the state.

The lists which were prepared on the basis of 2007-08 survey had been sent to the government for its approval. With the approval of this final BPL list, the BPL list prepared in the year 1997 had been cancelled with immediate effect.

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