Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday announced to name one library of one college in every district after Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar and said this would be done as a mark of respect to the founder of the Indian Constitution.

He made these remarks after the meeting of HP Scheduled Castes Welfare Board at Dharamshala in Kangra district.

Thakur also announced enhancement of financial grant to the Scheduled Caste families for purchase of tools from Rs 1300 to Rs 5000 and for purchase of sewing machines from existing Rs 1800 to Rs 5000 to facilitate the people of these communities.

“Upliftment and socio-economic development of the Scheduled Castes was the main concern of the state government and top priority is being laid to ensure that they get maximum benefits of the welfare schemes initiated by the state as well as the Centre governments.

Besides, a transparent mechanism should be adopted to ensure that a genuine beneficiary was not deprived of being selected for various welfare schemes. Complete transparency must also be ensured in selection of BPL families of Scheduled caste families,” he added.

He stated that the government has constructed Ambedkar Bhawans in all the Vidhan Sabha constituencies of the state and about 51 have been already completed and remaining were in different stages of completion.

Proper maintenance of Ambedkar Bhawans must also be ensured as they were proving of immense use for the community, the CM said while suggesting that a mechanism of managing these Bhawans must be taken up at the local level.

The CM said the state government has launched a special recruitment drive to fill up the backlog of Scheduled Castes in the government jobs so that youth of this category could get appropriate representation.

The state government has also directed the State Police to take stern action against the persons involved in atrocities against the Scheduled Castes communities. The State Scheduled Castes Corporation was providing loans at subsidized rates to the youth of these communities so that they could start their self-employment ventures.

The government was also committed to provide all possible facilities to the Scheduled Caste dominated villages and adequate provision of funds has been made for providing water, paths and street lights in these villages.

The state government has recently decided to enhance the income limit for availing the benefits of various welfare schemes from existing Rs 35,000 to Rs 50,000 per annum. This decision of the state government would ensure coverage of more families of the weaker sections under it, he stated.

“It is very vital that each and every section of society live with a sense of brotherhood, as only then the society, state and the nation could progress. The government would not tolerate any form of discrimination against any community in the atate. Gradually with the spread of education, incidents of discrimination were decreasing day by day,” he said. He directed the officers to give top priority to the developmental demands of Scheduled Caste dominated villages.

He added that the government has recently announced zero billing of power consumption upto sixty units and this decision has mainly benefitted maximum of Scheduled Caste community and it will benefit about four lakh families of the community.

He also thanked the members of the Board for their valuable suggestions.