Union Minister Ramdas Athawale reviewed the progress of social welfare schemes in Assam

Guwahati: Union Minister of State for Social Justice& Empowerment Shri Ramdas Athawale today visited Guwahati and reviewed the schemes of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India and its implementation in the state with the senior officials of the Government of Assam.

The minister said that his visit to the state corresponds to the direction of the Prime Minister of India who has instructed its ministers to provide every assistance to the people of the Northeast from their respective ministries.

The minister in details discussed with the officials of the Department of Social Welfare and other departments about the schemes provided by the government for the welfare of the rural population, ST, SC population and for the disabled people of the state.

Briefing the media the minister said thathis ministry is working for providing opportunities and facilities for the disabled people so as to create an atmosphere which will guarantee them equal opportunities. This can ensure the protection of their rights and enable their full participation in the society, he added. Some of the schemes are like assistance to disabled persons by providing them with aids and appliances, and pensions for the disables. He informed the pressmen that there are around 4, 08,000 nos. of divyangs in Assam whereas as per the 2011 census the number of divyangsin the country is 2.68 crore. The minister said that 1, 39,000 divyangs have received the divyang pension of Rs 1000 every month in Assam. He further informed that his ministry, it is a commitment for the welfare of the disabled people, has increased the reservation in central government, state government and semi-government services for the disabled people.

He mentioned the scheme of the government, Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan or the accessible India Campaign which is set to serve the differently-abled community of the country. He informed the media that during the last five years around 13.5 lakhs cycles has been provided to divyangs distributed in around 8500 camps across the country. He said that various assistive devices and aids have been distributed amongst divyangs in these camps with an expense of around Rs 900 crore. The schemes of the government of India, the minister said, have always been directed towards the welfare of all the people of the country including the ST, SC population and Divyangs.

Informing of the success of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in the state, the minister informed that in comparison to 10.65 lakh cylinder connections in the year 2017-18, Assam has provided 10.88 lakh cylinders during the year 2018-19 with an estimated expenditure of Rs 1.21 crore. In Jan Dhan Yojana, 1,48,71,000 accounts have been opened so far in Assam, he added. Expressing his satisfaction over the progress of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in Assam, the minister said that around 5 lakh beneficiaries have got their homes so far and the target is to provide homes to 8.5 lakh beneficiaries by 2022. Under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) loans have been provided worth Rs 4187 crore to support micro or small business as well as start-ups.

The minister opined that every government should sincerely put in the effort for the enrichment of the life of the rural population, ST, SC population and disabled people and that every state should come forward with innovative schemes for the disabled people. The minister applauded the efforts of the Government of Assam for their commitment for the welfare of the SCs, STs, disabled and old-aged peoples.

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