Chandigarh, July 29 (IANS) In a move that will earmark a part of the state's annual budget for welfare of the Scheduled Castes in proportion to their population in Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday gave the go-ahead for putting a new Bill for this before the Cabinet, paving the way for its enactment in the next Assembly session.
The Punjab State Welfare and Development of Scheduled Castes (Planning, Earmarking and Utilisation of Financial Resources) Sub-Allocation Bill, 2021 will also enable the government to put in place an institutional mechanism to formulate and monitor the implementation of the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP), and matters connected with it.
The legislation, when passed in the Assembly, will provide the state government a platform to ensure the overall development of Scheduled Castes through effective implementation of various welfare schemes under the SCSP, an official statement said.
Punjab has the highest percentage of SC population in the country, at 31.94 per cent.
Reiterating his government's firm commitment to the socio-economic and educational development of the SC population in the state, the Chief Minister said the Bill will give a big boost to his government's efforts to ensure the welfare of this segment.
An official spokesperson said the Directorate of Scheduled Castes Sub Plan would be the nodal agency to ensure formulation of the SCSP, besides monitoring its implementation.
The authority competent to approve the state's annual budget estimates would also accord approval to the SCSP simultaneously with the state budget of the relevant financial year, before submitting it to the Vidhan Sabha.
There would be a single mechanism for flow of funds under SCSP, and the Finance Department would remain the controlling authority for this purpose.
The progress of the SCSP would be reviewed and monitored at state, district and block levels, as per procedure and by the committee as prescribed. Each department shall ensure transparency and accountability at all levels in the implementation of the SCSP.
The efficacy of the legislation would be ensured by the systematic and exhaustive procedures on all aspects with respect to the formulation and implementation of the SCSP in the state.
Moreover, the departments implementing SCSP would become liable to implement it in its true spirit for the benefit of stakeholders i.e. Scheduled Castes population in the state.
There will also be a provision of incentives for commendable performance and penalties for wilful neglect of any rule under the law by a government functionary.
India had an estimated 1.16 million new cancer cases in 2018, according to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which said that one in 10 Indians would develop cancer during their lifetime and one in 15 would die of the disease.
Mahatma Gandhi's ideology was still alive, as people "who are against us (those who support the CAA) and their leaders have to go to Rajghat and pay tributes," Urmila Matondkar said
Tension spiralled in Jamia Nagar on Thursday after the class 12 student from Jewar town in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh fired a pistol.
Inspired by the imagery of Indian movies of the 1960s, the paintings of Canada-born artist Marcel Dzama at the ongoing India Art Fair reference Indian culture and include details such as Bollywood dancers and regional wildlife.
