Implement SC sub-plan on Andra Pradesh Model: Punjab SC Commission

Chandigarh, August 23, 2013: The scheduled caste sub-plan in Punjab should be implemented strictly on lines of Andre Pradesh model. It was recommended by the Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes which has today held a high level meeting to review the various schemes being run for the welfare of scheduled castes.

Disclosing this here today, Rajesh Bagha Chairman of SC Commission Punjab said that instructions have also been issued to the educational and technical institution not to collect admission, tuition and other refundable fees to from SC students having annual family income less than Rs. 2 lakh (2.50 lakh). He said that strict advisory has also been issued to all those professional and private institutes which have still not implement the post metric scholarship scheme.

He said that it has also come to the notice of commission that the toilet facility is still not provided to the SC population in most of the villages. He said that the Punjab Government has been recommended to look into this issue and get the toilets built at the earliest in inhabitations of SC populations in villages. He said that report has also been sought from the welfare department regarding the pending cases of inter caste marriages and sagun scheme whereas written report from police department regarding the cases register in 2012-13 and action taken report in all these cases, has also been sought.

Bagha further said that on the reports of ransacking of houses of the SCs at various places in Punjab, the director local bodies Punjab Government has been asked to make arrangements for the rehabilitation of all those affected SCs.

Prominent among those who were present in the meeting included Dalip Singh Pandhi, Parkash Singh Ghardiwal and Bharti Canedy (all Members SC Commission), Jasminder Singh, ADGP, Priyank Bharti, Director, Local Bodies, Pirthi Chand, Director, Welfare and Chaman Lal Vasan, Director, SC sub-plan.