Minister Calls for Immediate Release of 583CR Pending Funds for Punjab
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh, February 9-
Punjab cabinet minister Dr. Baljit Kaur, while addressing a high-level meeting in Delhi with the Union Minister and Ministers from various States and Union Territories, highlighted the unique challenges faced by Punjab and urged the Government of India to implement key policy reforms for the welfare of Scheduled Castes. She commended the Government of India for this initiative, emphasizing that each state has its own set of challenges and that this platform provides an opportunity for states to voice their specific concerns.
Dr. Kaur highlighted that Punjab has a Scheduled Caste population of nearly 32%, which may have further increased. Given this demographic, she stated that the gap-filling fund, currently set at 20 lakh per project for villages under the Adarsh Gram Yojana, be increased to at least 1 crore, as the existing allocation is insufficient for comprehensive infrastructure development, particularly for road construction.
She also pointed out that the Social Justice Department relies on the Rural Development Department for implementing schemes, leading to administrative hurdles.