North News
Chandigarh, December 31
The Punjab government has focused on improving the living standards of Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes, and Minority Communities in 2024. Dr. Baljit Kaur, the Minister of Social Justice, Empowerment, and Minorities, outlined several initiatives aimed at enhancing the educational, social, and economic status of these communities. Dr. Kaur revealed that the government has allocated Rs 245 crore for the Post Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Caste (SC) students for the academic year 2024-25.
Additionally, ₹92 crore has been released from the 2024-25 budget to cover 40% of the pending fees for SC students from 2017-18 to 2019-20. This funding supports students in both government institutions and those studying out of state. The 2024-25 scholarship scheme is expected to benefit 2.60 lakh students, with nearly 2.38 lakh students newly registered on the portal.
The Minister also highlighted the Ashirwad Scheme, through which ₹229.93 crore has been distributed to 45,083 beneficiaries, including 29,411 from Scheduled Castes and 15,672 from Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections. To streamline the process, applications for the scheme are now accepted online at ashirwad.punjab.gov.in.
Further emphasizing support for marginalized communities, Dr. Kaur shared that ₹593.69 lakh has been allocated for the construction of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Bhawan in Tarn Taran, and ₹200 crore has been set aside for the renovation of Ambedkar Bhawans across six districts in 2024-25. In addition, ₹39.69 crore has been earmarked under the Free Textbook Supply Scheme for Scheduled Caste students in classes 1 to 10.
The Punjab Government has also introduced village development programs targeting SC communities. As part of the Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana’s Model Village Component, ₹39.98 crore in central funding for 2024-25 has been released to support this initiative.
Dr. Kaur concluded by noting that to empower the youth, ₹6.62 crore in loans and subsidies have been provided to 382 beneficiaries under self-employment schemes through the Punjab Scheduled Castes Development and Finance Corporation. An additional ₹2.36 crore in loans has been distributed to 87 beneficiaries under similar schemes through the Punjab Backward Classes and Development Corporation.
These measures reflect the Punjab Government’s ongoing efforts to improve the socio-economic conditions of marginalized communities and provide opportunities for their advancement.
