The State government places emphasis on the concept that welfare and development activities should benefit all regions and communities in the State, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday.
The Chief Minister was speaking after inaugurating the social solidarity fortnight celebrations being organised by the Scheduled Caste Development department from October 2 to October 16.
The State government has been able to support marginalised communities notwithstanding the financial crisis, Mr. Vijayan said. Kerala has earmarked 9.81% of the annual State Plan for Scheduled Caste (SC) communities who constitute 9.1% of the State population, and 2.83% of the Plan for Scheduled Tribes (ST) who account for 1.45% of the population.
Centre’s figures
On the other hand, the Centre has earmarked only 3.53% for SC communities who constitute 16.6% of the national population and 2.65% for ST communities who account for 8.6% of the population, the Chief Minister said.
The State’s Akshaya Big Campaign for Document Digitalisation (ABCD) for the tribal communities, and the Tribal Plus scheme which promises them 100 extra person day in addition to the 100 days offered by the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) are models for the entire nation, Mr. Vijayan said.
The Chief Minister presented the Mahatma Gothra Samriddhi Award to the Agali grama panchayat for generating the most employment opportunities under the Tribal Plus scheme. The award carries a cash prize of ₹5 lakh. Puthur and Aralam grama panchayats stood second and third. Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes O.R. Kelu will inaugurate the valedictory of the social solidarity fortnight celebrations on October 16.
Published - October 02, 2024 08:59 pm IST
