Haryana earmarks Rs 1433 cr for welfare of SCs

Chandigarh, Sep 6 (UNI) The Haryana government has decided to spend over Rs 1433 crore during the current financial year to raise the socio-economic status of the 40.91 lakh Scheduled Castes population of the state.

A special cell in the Directorate of Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes has been created for monitoring and effective implementation of various welfare schemes which ensure direct benefit to Scheduled Castes families.

Stating this here today, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Kartar Devi said that as against a total population of 211.45 lakh of Haryana, 40.91 lakh population belonged to the scheduled castes which was 19.35 per cent.

To make them equal partners of development by raising their status, the state government had earmarked 21.55 per cent of the total budget of Rs 6650 crore under the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) for them for the current financial year.

These funds, she said, were not divertible and special focus would be given on villages with 50 per cent or more population belonging to Scheduled Castes.

Directions had also been issued to all the departments to initiate new programmes specifically targeted at the development of Scheduled Castes, Ms Kartar Devi said.

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